Question 93 · Federal question
The more 'second votes' a party receives in a federal election, the more …
German original (as asked in the real test)
Je mehr "Zweitstimmen" eine Partei bei einer Bundestagswahl bekommt, desto …
- A weniger Erststimmen kann sie haben.
- B mehr Direktkandidaten der Partei ziehen ins Parlament ein.
- C größer ist das Risiko, eine Koalition bilden zu müssen.
- D mehr Sitze erhält die Partei im Parlament. ✓ Correct answer
Translation
The more 'second votes' a party receives in a federal election, the more …
- A fewer first votes it can have.
- B more direct candidates of the party enter the parliament.
- C greater is the risk of having to form a coalition.
- D more seats the party receives in the parliament. ✓ Correct answer
Explanation
In German federal elections, the second vote (Zweitstimme) determines a party’s proportional share of seats in the Bundestag. The more second votes a party receives, the more seats it is entitled to overall. The first vote (Erststimme) only decides the directly elected district representatives and does not set the total seat share.
Tips
- Look for keywords: “Zweitstimmen” = proportional party vote; “Erststimmen” = direct constituency winners.
- Recall the mixed-member proportional system: second votes set total seats; first votes fill direct mandates within that total.
- Eliminate options that confuse direct candidates with the overall seat share.
- Be cautious with answers about coalitions; forming coalitions depends on overall seat distribution, not automatically on a single party’s higher vote share.
Practice in the app
