NOTE: Read “Background” and watch video under “Resources” below.

1. List the following information for France: (see the CIA World FactBook website for answers)
a) capital:
b) location/the countries that share its borders:
c) the religious breakdown of the population:
d) the type of government:
e) the chief of state (and head of government if different):
f) the population:

2. The first paragraph of a news article should answer the questions who, what, where and when. List the who, what, where and when of this news item. (NOTE: The remainder of a news article provides details on the why and/or how.)

3. a) Why was this first round of presidential elections in France historic?
b) Read “Background” below the questions. What would be historic about a Marine Le Pen win?

4. Watch the video under “Resources” below. Nigel Farage is a British politician and political analyst who led the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2006-2009 and again from 2010-2016. What do you think of Mr. Farage’s take on the election?

5. Media Research Center reported:

The networks and cable channels on Sunday and Monday called Marine Le Pen: “Far-right,” “xenophobic,” “racist.” But the one description that came, over and over, on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and MSNBC, is “far-right,” “far-right,” “far-right,” “far-right” and, also, “far-right.”

NBC’s Today, Richard Engel said, “From the far-right, anti-immigration, she's considered xenophobic, many have accused her of being racistly nationalistic.” In another segment, Engel underlined that Le Pen is “from the far right” and has “taken a page from the strategy book of Donald Trump.”

Good Morning America’s Alex Marquardt repeated the same: “You have Marine Le Pen, the far-right candidate who has been compared to President Donald Trump, vowing to crack down on illegal immigration.”

MSNBC reporter Matt Bradley offered this contrast between Emmanuel Macron and Le Pen: “She’s a far-right populist who championed Trump’s victory as an inspiration.... He’s a pro-EU centrist.” Bradley added that “the far-right has been quick to take advantage of the backlash against politics as usual.”

On CBS This Morning, Elizabeth Palmer warned, “In second place, the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen.”

But, the report concluded, "Le Pen is hardly 'far-right' in American terms. She’s pro-abortion rights and her economic policies lean left."

Are you surprised by this report? Explain your answer.