Suppose a country has four states with the populations shown below and a parliament with 30 seats. Use the Jefferson method of apportionment to apportion the seats between the states. $$\begin{array} { c c }
\text { State } & \text { Population } \
\text { A } & 182,575 \
\text { B } & 243,170 \
\text { C } & 322,115 \
\text { D } & 252,140
\end{array}$$
A) 5, 7, 10, 8
B) 6, 7, 9, 8
C) 5, 7, 11, 7
D) 6, 8, 8, 8

Question

Suppose a country has four states with the populations shown below and a parliament with 30 seats. Use the Jefferson method of apportionment to apportion the seats between the states. $$\begin{array} { c c } 
\text { State } & \text { Population } \
\text { A } & 182,575 \
\text { B } & 243,170 \
\text { C } & 322,115 \
\text { D } & 252,140
\end{array}$$
A) 5, 7, 10, 8
B) 6, 7, 9, 8
C) 5, 7, 11, 7
D) 6, 8, 8, 8

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Jefferson method of apportionment involves dividing the population of each state by a common divisor and then adjusting that divisor so that the total number of seats allocated is exactly the number of seats available. Here's a brief explanation of how the seats are apportioned using the Jefferson method for the given populations:1. Calculate the total population: $182,575 + 243,170 + 322,115 + 252,140 = 1,000,000$.2. Determine the standard divisor: $1,000,000 \div 30 = 33,333.33$.3. Calculate the initial quota for each state by dividing the state population by the standard divisor.   - A: $182,575 \div 33,333.33 = 5.48$   - B: $243,170 \div 33,333.33 = 7.29$   - C: $322,115 \div 33,333.33 = 9.66$   - D: $252,140 \div 33,333.33 = 7.56$4. Lower the divisor to increase the quotas to allocate all seats (adjusting the divisor is a trial and error process to ensure all seats are allocated).5. After adjusting the divisor, the quotas might be rounded as follows to allocate exactly 30 seats:   - A: 5 seats   - B: 7 seats   - C: 10 seats   - D: 8 seatsThis results in a total of 30 seats, matching the requirement. Therefore, the correct apportionment is 5, 7, 10, 8.

Suppose a Country Has Four States with the Populations Shown