Arguments for and against democracy

Race for power and posts can become a criticism of democracy. Exam tip: separate positive and negative forms of competition.

Consultation connects citizens and representatives with decisions. Exam tip: treat participatory governance as a pro-democracy point.

Instability and delay are both criticisms of democracy. Exam tip: keep a separate list of arguments against democracy.

Democracy makes citizens participants, not merely subjects. Exam tip: treat participation as a key merit.

In a democracy, every adult citizen has equal political rights, reflected in the principle of ‘one person, one vote, one value’. Such equality recognises the dignity of every individual. Therefore, dignity of the individual is the pro-democracy argument most closely connected with equality. Delay in decision-making is a criticism of democracy, while competition for power and political instability are not arguments about equality. Exam tip: connect equal political rights with the dignity of the individual.

The popularity pressure argument can be a criticism of democracy. Exam tip: identify short-term popular decisions carefully.

Accountability gives citizens a basis to question rulers. Exam tip: connect questioning with accountability.

Democracy provides a peaceful method in a diverse society. Exam tip: keep resolving differences as a pro-democracy argument.

This argument questions the limits of elected leaders. Exam tip: place it under criticism of democracy.

Elections and public opinion in democracy give chances to correct mistakes. Exam tip: treat it as a strong pro-democracy argument.

Democracy has criticisms yet it has capacity for correction. Exam tip: learn to give balanced answers.

Participation can make decisions closer to people's experiences. Exam tip: connect participation with better decisions.

False promises may show weakness of competition for power. Exam tip: connect electoral morality with criticism.

Public opinion can push government toward correction and accountability. Exam tip: treat public opinion as a strength of democracy.

Discussion can make the majority decision more thoughtful. Exam tip: remember dialogue along with majority.

Expensive elections can raise concerns of corruption and money power. Exam tip: connect election expenses with arguments against democracy.

People's needs can influence policy. Exam tip: remember accountability and public participation together.

Open discussion is linked with decision improvement and people's participation. Exam tip: understand discussion as a strength of democracy.

A merit of democracy is that differences come out and are resolved through dialogue. Exam tip: see suppression of differences as against a democratic merit.

Direct answer: Option A, Accountability. In a democracy, voting is important, but it is not the whole system. After choosing representatives, citizens must be able to ask questions, seek information, criticize policies, and expect explanations. This duty of the government to explain its decisions and accept responsibility is called accountability. Step by step: citizens vote; representatives form a government; the government makes decisions; citizens ask about those decisions; the government answers and can be judged or replaced. Therefore, when the government does not answer citizens, accountability becomes weak. Option A is correct because it names this democratic quality. Option B, military rule, is a form of non-democratic or authoritarian rule, not a merit weakened by unanswered questions. Option C, hereditary power, means authority passing through a family; it is unrelated to government answering citizens. Option D, lack of rights, is a condition in which people cannot enjoy freedoms; it is not the most direct answer here. Memory cue: vote plus answerability equals accountable democracy.

The dignity argument accepts equality of all citizens. Exam tip: do not treat superiority of a few as democratic.

In a democracy, policies and decisions are discussed, debated and examined from different viewpoints. This can make decision-making slower. However, the same public participation, criticism and accountability make it possible to review and correct wrong decisions. Option B is incorrect because removing discussion and accountability weakens democratic practice. Exam tip: connect delay in democracy with deliberation and the capacity to correct mistakes.

Direct answer: Option A. Democracy has several connected strengths: accountability, participation, dignity, and the ability to correct mistakes. This is a broad, balanced argument in its favour. Start from the basic idea: democracy allows people to choose rulers, take part in public decisions, question the government, and treat citizens as equal persons. If a government makes a mistake, elections, criticism, public discussion, and legal procedures provide ways to improve or replace it. Thus option A gives several genuine merits together and is the broadest positive statement. Option B says democracy only creates delay. Discussion can sometimes take time, but democracy does not only create delay; it may produce better-considered decisions. Option C says democracy is only a race for power. Competition for power exists, but democracy also protects participation, equality, dignity, and accountability, so “only” makes it false. Option D says democracy keeps people outside, whereas democracy is based on including citizens. Memory cue: democracy is not merely voting; remember answerability, participation, dignity, and correction.

Delay, instability, corruption, and power race are common criticisms. Exam tip: separate criticisms from exaggerations.

Identifying categories of arguments is very important in exams. Exam tip: write for and against separately with examples.