A disadvantage of the new primary system is that it

• A. Increases the role of rank-and-file party members to exert an influence over the party's candidate choice.
• B. Increases the chances that the party will nominate a candidate who is unappealing to the average voter.
• C. Decreases the opportunity for those with strong policy preferences to play a role in the party.
• D. Decreases the likelihood that one party or the other will gain control of the presidency for several terms.

Answer: (B)

The main idea is how primary systems shape who gets nominated and how that affects general election electability. When a party opens its nomination to a wide base, nominees often appeal to the party’s most active and ideologically committed voters. That can push candidates toward positions that mobilize the base but might not attract the broader, more moderate general-election electorate. So, a disadvantage is the increased risk of nominating someone who is appealing to the party’s core but unappealing to the average voter in a general election.

This helps explain why the other possibilities aren’t the core drawback: expanding participation tends to give more influence to rank-and-file members and to those with strong policy preferences, not reduce them; and the primary system doesn’t directly determine whether one party will hold the presidency for multiple terms over several cycles.