Question

Nobody was really surprised when the votes were counted, and Frank became class president.

a. Frank was the expected winner.
b. The vote count was unexpected.
c. Frank lost the election.
d. The election results were inconclusive.

Answer 1

Answer (a), Frank was the expected winner, is correct since there was no surprise when he became class president. This reflects scenarios in U.S. elections where polling predictions have been wrong, like Truman's unexpected win in 1948 or the Electoral College tipping elections against popular vote outcomes, as in 2000 and 2016.

Step-by-step explanation:

Nobody was really surprised when the votes were counted, and Frank became class president. The correct answer to this question is: a. Frank was the expected winner.

This relates to the importance of accurate predictions in political elections. Historical presidential elections in the U.S. have shown surprises and upsets contrary to poll predictions, reflecting the imperfections in political polling and the unpredictability of electoral outcomes. For instance, the 1948 election where Truman won against Dewey, despite polls suggesting the opposite, or the 2000 and 2016 elections where George W. Bush and Donald Trump respectively won the presidency despite losing the popular vote but winning the Electoral College.

In all these instances, the Electoral College played a decisive role in determining the president, which differs from the expectations set by the popular vote and sometimes polling predictions. This highlights the complexities of polling and the significant impacts of the Electoral College system in U.S. presidential elections.