Tutor profile: Meredith W.

Describe the difference between the imparfait and passé composé verb tenses and writing a sentence that employs both.

The imparfait verb tenses is used in descriptions or to denote an action that occurred over a period of time. The passé composé, on the other hand, applies to actions that happened one time or in a specific order. Il pleuvait quand Marie a vu la voiture rouge. (It was raining when Marie saw the red car.)

Rewrite the following sentence in active voice: "The flowers were planted by a loving, attentive gardener."

"A loving, attentive gardener planted the flowers."

Describe Duverger's Law and explain it's implications for the US party-system.

Duverger's Law states that plurality systems and systems using single-member voting districts are more likely to develop two strong parties while majority systems and proportional representational systems are more likely to develop multiple parties. Because the US uses single-member voting districts where the candidate with the plurality of votes wins the entire district, this means that a two-party system is most likely to develop in the US. Candidates for elections in the US only need to win more votes than their opposition to win a seat, meaning that smaller parties are less likely to win seats, making it more difficult for small parties to form and influence the political processes of the government.