Which statement describes the outcome of the 1840 election?

Which statement describes the outcome of the 1840 election?

• A. The Whig candidate won the presidency
• B. The Democratic candidate won the presidency
• C. Harrison won but died in office before taking oath
• D. The election was inconclusive

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is recalling who won the presidency in the 1840 election. William Henry Harrison, the Whig candidate, defeated the incumbent Democrat Martin Van Buren to become president. Harrison did take the oath of office on Inauguration Day and served for about a month before dying, after which John Tyler became president. So the choice describing a win by the Whig candidate is the accurate summary of the outcome. The idea that Harrison won and died before taking the oath isn’t accurate because the oath was taken, and the notion that the election was inconclusive isn’t correct since Harrison clearly won.

The main idea here is recalling who won the presidency in the 1840 election. William Henry Harrison, the Whig candidate, defeated the incumbent Democrat Martin Van Buren to become president. Harrison did take the oath of office on Inauguration Day and served for about a month before dying, after which John Tyler became president. So the choice describing a win by the Whig candidate is the accurate summary of the outcome. The idea that Harrison won and died before taking the oath isn’t accurate because the oath was taken, and the notion that the election was inconclusive isn’t correct since Harrison clearly won.