I. Fill in the blanks with the correct words.

1. One of the fundamental principles of the unwritten constitution is the ___of Parliament.

2. The supreme legislative authority in Great Britain, Parliament, resides in ____and all its power is concentrated in the___, which is elected by the adult population of the country.

3. For electoral purposes the United Kingdom is divided into 651 electoral districts, or___.

4. Elections are by secret___.

5. The chief officer of the House of Commons is the___.

6. The powers of the House of Lords are now strictly___.

7. Nevertheless, the principal duty of Parliament, as we have noted, is ___, making laws.

8. On introduction the Bill receives a formal___.

9. After a period of time, which varies between one and several weeks, depending on the nature of the Bill, it may be given a Second Reading as the result of a debate on its general ___or principles.

10. Five rows of benches on each side face each other across a broad area known as the___.

II. Complete the sentences with the best answer (a, b or c).

1. Members of Parliament bear in mind its responsibility to

a) the Crown.

b) the Government.

c) the electorate.

2. The parliamentary electoral system of Great Britain incourages the domination of

a) one major political party.

b) two major political parties.

c) three major political parties.

3. Members of Parliament are elected at a general election which is usually held

a) every four years.

b) every five years.

c) every six years.

4. The main Bills are introduced first in the Commons, and the Lords can only hold up them for one year, and they cannot do even this to

a) economic Bills.

b) financial Bills.

c) political Bills.

5. All Bills which have passed through their various parliamentary stages are sent to

a) the Prime Minister.

b) the Sovereign.

c) the Cabinet.

III. Are the statements true or false? Correct the false statements.

1. The Parliament, consisting of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, is the centre of British politics.

2. It (Parliament) cannot prolong its own life beyond the normal period without consulting the electorate.

3. The parliamentary electoral system of Great Britain encourages the domination of one major political party.

4. The candidates can be nominated by different parties, but the real contest is between the two big parties — the Conservative Party and the Labour Party.

5. British citizens may vote provided they are aged 21 or over, registered in the annual register of electors for the constituency and not subject to any disqualification.

6. In a British election the candidate who wins the most votes is elected, even if he or she does not get as many as all the votes of the other candidates taken together.

7. The procedure of the House of Lords is rather formal and is comparable to that of the House of Commons.

8. In the past, legislation was initiated from both sides of the House: from the Government and from the Opposition. But in present-day practice almost all Bills are brought forward by the Government in power.

9. The process of passing a Bill is not the same in the House of Lords as in the House of Commons.

10. The arrangement of seating in both Houses of Parliament reflects the nature of the party system.