Intellectual Influences Vocab Quiz

Political system in which power is exercised by elected leaders who work in the interests of all citizens

• Natural Law

• Republicanism

• Rule of Law

• Social Contract

Answer explanation

The idea of representative government is also known as Republicanism and has its roots in ancient Rome

Governments are restricted in what they can do, usually by a written constitution

• Limited Government

• Republicanism

• Popular Sovereignty

• Natural Rights

Answer explanation

Limited Government as a legal principle is most commonly connected to the Magna Carta as it limited the legislative, executive, and judicial powers that a king could use.

The belief that every person has a natural ability to reason right from wrong, and this is the basis of all written laws.

• Natural Rights

• Individual Rights

• Natural Law

• Rule of Law

The rights of life, liberty, and property that all human beings are born with

• Natural Rights

• Natural Law

• Rule of Law

• Popular Sovereignty

Answer explanation

The idea of individual rights being protected by a constitution can be traced back to medieval times, but John Locke is most famously credited with coining the idea that individuals are born with inherent rights that exist independent of any government

Principle that people are the ultimate source of the authority and legitimacy of government

• Natural Law

• Social Contract

• Popular Sovereignty

• Republicanism

Answer explanation

The idea of popular sovereignty can be seen in the writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who defended a more democratic view of the social contract where individuals lay down their rights to the whole community instead of a distant monarch

The idea that the powers of a government should be split between two or more strongly independent branches to prevent any one person or group from gaining too much power

• Natural Law

• Separation of Powers

• Rule of Law

• Republicanism

Answer explanation

While the idea of separation of powers can be seen in the Roman Republic, the idea of separating the powers of government into legislative, executive, and judicial branches is most commonly attributed to Charles de Montesquieu