What does plebiscite mean?
Word: Plebiscite
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Plebiscite means a direct vote by all the people of a country or region on a very important question.
Synonyms: referendum
Word origin: Comes from French plebiscite, from Latin plebiscitum, from plebs and scitum.
How do you spell plebiscite?
Syllables: pleb - i - scite
Tricky part: The last syllable begins with sc. Students often drop one of the two letters and write plebisite or plebicite.
Watch out for: plebisite, plebicite
Memory tip: One vote is no use alone, and neither is one letter here: s and c cast their vote together at the start of the last syllable.
Plebiscite in a sentence
Example 1: The region held a plebiscite to choose its official language.
Example 2: Voters lined up early on the day of the plebiscite, and the turnout was high.
Example 3: Our civics teacher explained how a plebiscite differs from a general election.
Fun Fact
In ancient Rome a plebiscitum was a decision made by one assembly, not by all citizens. Modern plebiscites turned that round and ask every voter.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
The small island held a plebescite to decide whether it should change its flag, and nearly every adult came out to vote.
a) island and flag
b) plebescite and adult
c) only plebescite
d) only flag
Show answer
c) only plebescite. The vowel after the b is i, and all the other words are correct.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
The word goes back to Latin plebiscitum, which contains plebs. Who were the plebs of ancient Rome?
a) the ruling senators
b) the royal family
c) the foreign traders
d) the common people
Show answer
d) the common people. Plebs were ordinary citizens, and their vote is at the heart of the word.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. plebiscite 2. census 3. manifesto a. an official count of a country's people b. a question put to every voter c. a party's published statement of its aims
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
c) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
d) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
Show answer
d) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c. All three belong to public life: one asks, one counts and one promises.
Word Tally
You get 2 marks for each correctly spelt word in the list. How many marks will you get?
plebiscite, parliament, constituancy, election, legislater
a) 10
b) 6
c) 4
d) 8
Show answer
b) 6. Constituency has an e and legislator ends in or, so three words earn marks.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A government calls a plebiscite in order to ___.
a) choose the colour of new buses
b) settle a major national question
c) announce the date of a holiday
d) count the number of schools
Show answer
b) settle a major national question
2. How does a plebiscite differ from electing a member of parliament?
a) it takes place every five years
b) only party members are allowed to vote
c) voters decide an issue, not a person
d) voters must be over the age of thirty
Show answer
c) voters decide an issue, not a person
