How Government Works: Comparing governments

Which criterion is NOT considered part of a democratic system?

• There must be meaningful participation of citizens.

• Newspapers and public expression of opinion are not censored.

• Leaders come from a small group of aristocratic families.

• When choosing leaders, elections must be fair and competitive.

Which sentences in the section "Authoritarian Regimes" support the idea that ordinary people have very little power in authoritarian governments?

• It is dangerous to categorize a nation simply by the moment in time during which they were examined.

• Kings, military leaders, emperors, a small group of aristocrats, dictators and even presidents or prime ministers may rule authoritarian governments.

• Authoritarian governments may hold elections. They may even have contact with their citizens.

• The leaders decide what the people can or cannot have. Citizens, then, are subjects who must obey.

Which of the following answer choices accurately summarizes the section "Democracies?"

• Every decision that a democracy makes is voted upon by the citizens.

• To be considered a democracy, there are several criteria that must be met.

• Leaders in a democracy shouldn't come from the same family.

• If citizens have the right to vote, the government is considered a democracy.

Which detail would be most important to include in a summary of the article?

• To some degree, governments can be divided into two political systems: democratic or authoritarian.

• The leader of a democracy is generally called the president or prime minister.

• If a citizen of a democratic government contacts a government official, they must respond.

• Authoritarian governments do not ever hold elections.

What is the main idea of the article? Use evidence from the text to explain your thinking.