Question

question 7 of 10
which statement best describes a difference between presidential and parliamentary democracies?

a. in a parliamentary democracy, the executive and legislative branches are joined. in a presidential democracy, the two branches are separate.

b. in a presidential democracy, the head of government is a member of the legislature. in a parliamentary government, citizens directly elect the head of government.

c. in a presidential democracy, citizens are able to vote for their legislators. in a parliamentary democracy, citizens are not able to vote for their legislators.

d. in a parliamentary democracy, citizens vote directly for the head of government. in a presidential democracy, citizens do not vote directly for the head of government.

Explanation:

Parliamentary democracies feature fused executive-legislative branches (e.g., the prime minister is part of parliament), while presidential systems have separate, independently elected executive (president) and legislative branches. Options B, C, and D contain factual errors: in presidential systems, the head of government (president) is not a legislature member; citizens vote for legislators in both systems; and in parliamentary systems, citizens do not directly elect the head of government (prime minister is chosen by parliament).

Answer:

A. In a parliamentary democracy, the executive and legislative branches are joined. In a presidential democracy, the two branches are separate.