Politics

Vocabulary: Find the "odd one out"
There may be more than one answer. Choose A, B or C and give your reasons.

1.

A. Conservative    B. Liberal Democrat    C. Tory

Possible answers: A is a possible choice because Conservative is the formal name associated with the Conservative Party, whereas Tory is a traditional informal name for a Conservative and Liberal Democrat refers to a different political party. B is the strongest choice because the Liberal Democrats are a separate political party, whereas Conservative and Tory both refer to the Conservative Party. C is also a possible choice because Tory is an informal term for a Conservative rather than the formal name of a political party.
2.

A. Green    B. Labour    C. Socialist

Possible answers: A is a possible choice because Green can refer specifically to a Green political party, whereas Labour is the name of a particular political party and socialist describes a political belief or ideology. B is also a possible choice because Labour is the name of a particular political party, whereas Green and socialist can be used more broadly to describe political ideas or movements. C is the strongest choice because socialist primarily describes a political ideology or supporter of socialism rather than necessarily being the name of a particular political party.
3.

A. The Leader of the Opposition    B. The Prime Minister    C. The Government

Possible answers: A is a possible choice because the Leader of the Opposition is the leader of the largest opposition party, whereas the Prime Minister leads the Government. B is a possible choice because the Prime Minister is an individual, whereas the Government is made up of the Prime Minister and other ministers and the Leader of the Opposition leads the main opposition party. C is the strongest choice because the Government refers to a group or administration rather than a single political office-holder.
4.

A. Parliament    B. The Commons    C. The Lords

Possible answers: A is the strongest choice because Parliament consists of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, whereas the Commons and Lords are the two Houses of Parliament. B is a possible choice because the Commons is one of the two Houses, while Parliament refers to the whole institution. C is also a possible choice because the Lords is one House of Parliament rather than Parliament as a whole.
5.

A. a publican    B. a monarchist    C. a republican

Possible answers: A is the strongest choice because a publican is a person who owns or manages a pub, whereas a monarchist supports a monarchy and a republican supports a republic. B is a possible choice because a monarchist is someone who supports monarchy, whereas a publican is an occupation and a republican describes a political position. C is a possible choice because a republican is someone who supports a republic, whereas a publican is an occupation and a monarchist supports monarchy.
6.

A. The Cabinet    B. The Home Secretary    C. The Chancellor

Possible answers: A is the strongest choice because the Cabinet is a group of senior government ministers, whereas the Home Secretary and Chancellor are individual Cabinet ministers with particular responsibilities. B is a possible choice because the Home Secretary is an individual minister responsible for the Home Office, whereas the Cabinet is a group and the Chancellor is another individual minister. C is also a possible choice because the Chancellor is an individual minister responsible for the Treasury, whereas the Cabinet refers to the group of senior ministers.
7.

A. benefits    B. subsidies    C. welfare

Possible answers: A is a possible choice because benefits are payments or other forms of assistance provided to eligible people, often by the state, whereas subsidies are financial support for particular activities, organisations or products and welfare is a broader concept. B is the strongest choice because subsidies can be paid to businesses, industries or organisations as well as individuals, whereas benefits and welfare are more closely associated with support for people's wellbeing. C is a possible choice because welfare is a broad term covering social support and wellbeing, whereas benefits and subsidies are particular forms of financial assistance.
8.

A. a referendum    B. a General Election    C. a coup d'état

Possible answers: A is a possible choice because a referendum is a vote in which the public decides a particular question or proposal, whereas a General Election is used to elect representatives and a coup d'état is an attempt to seize political power illegally or by force. B is also a possible choice because a General Election is primarily about electing representatives, whereas a referendum is about deciding a specific question. C is the strongest choice because a coup d'état involves an attempt to take political power outside the normal democratic electoral process, whereas referendums and General Elections are democratic voting processes.