Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

Both coexist — the challenges do not cancel out the party's democratic contributions, but they do weaken democracy.

Democratic contributions: The party performs key functions — contesting elections, forming a stable government, making laws, shaping public opinion, and providing citizens access to government welfare schemes. These are essential for democracy.

Challenges present: Domination by one family reflects dynastic succession; fielding only wealthy candidates shows money power; suppressing dissent indicates lack of internal democracy — all recognised challenges to political parties.

However, the textbook notes that challenges need to be "faced and overcome" to keep parties effective — not that they eliminate democratic functioning entirely. A party can simultaneously serve democracy through its functions while being flawed in its internal working.

Source: Chapter 4 — Functions of Political Parties; Challenges to Political Parties

---

• The examiner expects you to use specific terms from the chapter: dynastic succession, lack of internal democracy, money power.
• The key argument is that functions and challenges coexist — one does not cancel the other, but challenges must be overcome to strengthen democracy.
• Avoid writing a one-sided answer; 3 marks require a balanced justified response with textbook-grounded points.
• Always link back to the chapter's language for full marks.