Forms of Government

Democracy is government

• by a President who has total power.

• by the people.

• by one ruler who inherits it from the family.

• by a small group, such as the military

What form of government does the United States have?

• dictatorship

• constitutional monarchy

• absolute monarchy

• direct democracy

• representative democracy (republic)

A government that is ruled by just one person with total power is called

• autocracy, such as a dictatorship or absolute monarchy

• democracy, either direct or representative

A government that is ruled by a religion is called a

• theocracy

• democracy

• monarchy

• anarchy

Governments that are not democracies often keep their power by use of

• violence

• elections

Beginning with this question, refer to your Flocabulary article on "Forms of Government".

(Paragraph #1)

Which of the following would most likely be described as a "revolution"?

• Activists remove their country's monarchy and replace it with a democracy.

• In a monarchy, power passes automatically and peacefully from a mother to a daughter.

• A new mayor is elected through a fair and free election.

• Two political parties work together to pass a state's budget.

(Paragraph #2)

The author of this passage would most likely agree with which of the following statements?

• More people should study the theory that it is necessary to remove all governments.

• Americans and Europeans have similar theories about anarchy.

• Anarchy can create violent and unstable situations.

• Anarchy is a secure, stable form of government.

(Paragraph #3)

According to the passage, a monarch

• always has absolute power.

• often shares power with other rulers.

• is always male.

• usually passes his or her power on to a relative.

(Paragraph #4)

What is the purpose of the underlined sentence in the passage?

• to describe a country that is not a dictatorship

• to provide an example of an authoritarian dictatorship

• to provide an example of a country that is both an absolute monarchy and a dictatorship

• to support the claim that dictators often come to power by using force

(Paragraph #5)

Based on the passage, why was South Africa considered an oligarchy until 1994?

• because South Africa was ruled by military leaders

• because South Africa was described in George Orwell’s book 1984

• because many different kinds of people made up the government

• because a relatively small part of the population controlled the government