Question

Difficulty: MediumIdeals of Democracy

Which of the following tables correctly pairs a democratic ideal with its core definition and a constitutional feature that reflects it?

  1. A
    IdealCore DefinitionConstitutional Feature
    Natural rightsThe belief that the authority of the government comes from the consent of the people.The Tenth Amendment, which reserves powers to the states.
  2. IdealCore DefinitionConstitutional Feature
    Limited governmentThe government's power is restricted by a constitution to protect individual rights.Article I, Section 9, which prohibits Congress from passing bills of attainder.
    Answer
  3. C
    IdealCore DefinitionConstitutional Feature
    RepublicanismThe agreement of individuals to form a society and abide by its rules for safety.The Supreme Court's power of judicial review in Article III.
  4. D
    IdealCore DefinitionConstitutional Feature
    Popular sovereigntyThe system where citizens elect representatives to make laws and govern on their behalf.The executive branch's authority to enforce federal laws.

Answer

The table that correctly pairs limited government with the definition that the government's power is restricted by a constitution to protect individual rights, and constitutional feature Article I, Section 9, which prohibits Congress from passing bills of attainder.
The correct table is the one that pairs limited government with the definition that the government's power is restricted by a constitution to protect individual rights, and matches it with Article I, Section 9's prohibition on bills of attainder. Limited government is a core democratic ideal where the government's authority is constrained by constitutional rules, and Article I, Section 9 represents a clear constitutional restriction on federal power.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the definitions provided for each democratic ideal in the tables.
Identify that the definition of natural rights in the first table is actually popular sovereignty; the definition of republicanism in the third table is actually the social contract; and the definition of popular sovereignty in the fourth table is actually republicanism. The second table correctly defines limited government.
Correct matching of terms to their definitions is required to eliminate incorrect options.
2
Examine the constitutional features listed for their connection to the ideals.
Confirm that Article I, Section 9's prohibition on bills of attainder is a direct restriction on government power, which represents limited government. Eliminate other features that do not align with their corresponding ideals (e.g., the Tenth Amendment is about federalism, and the executive power to enforce laws is about separation of powers).
An authentic application requires both the definition and the constitutional feature to correctly align with the ideal.

Key Concept

Ideals of Democracy
Rate this question