Khan Academy The Social Contract

Social contract theory is best defined as which of the following?

• The agreement between people and the government defining the rights and duties of each

• The belief that the government’s right to rule comes from the people

• The system in which the interests of the people are represented through elected leaders

• The belief that government should only have powers granted under the Constitution

After a House of Representatives member supports an unpopular tax despite protests from his constituents, he loses his bid for reelection.

This is an example of which of the following democratic ideals?

• Popular sovereignty

• Limited government

• Checks and balances

• Natural rights

Republicanism is best defined as which of the following?

• The belief that government should follow the principles of the Republican party

• The belief that the government’s right to rule comes from the people

• The idea that government should only have powers granted under the Constitution

• The system by which the interests of the people are represented through elected leaders

An agreement between people and the government in which citizens agree to give up some rights for safety and protection to be provided by the government is known as...

• Popular Sovereignty

• Limited Government

• The Social Contract

• Republicanism

A political system in which there are certain restrictions placed on the government to protect individual rights and liberties is the concept known as...

• popular sovereignty

• the social contract

• limited government

• separation of powers

Which foundational document is responsible for limiting the power of the national government today?

• The Declaration of Independence

• The Constitution

• The Mayflower Compact

Which of the following best illustrates the concept of limited government?

• A senator decides to vote in favor of a law after a public opinion poll showing massive support for it in her district

• An unpopular governor is replaced with his opponent on election day

• A president is reelected after a successful first term in office

• The Supreme Court ruled that a law passed by Congress was unconstitutional

Read the passage and answer the following question.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government.”

-Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence

• a government is only just if citizens have a voice in it.

• citizens should rebel against governments they disagree with

• there is no such thing as a just and fair government

• society would be better off without government.

Several oil companies donate to a pro-fracking interest group after hearing that the federal government plans to pass a law banning fracking in the United States . The interest group then appeals to members of Congress in attempt to get them to vote against the bill.

Which of the following democratic ideals does this scenario best exemplify?

• natural rights

• limited government

• republicanism

• social contract

After a House of Representatives member supports an unpopular tax despite protests from his constituents, he loses his bid for reelection.

This is an example of which of the following democratic ideals?

• natural rights

• limited government

• checks and balances

• popular sovereignty