TBT wrote:
For Q6. "For these reasons we should not willingly invest any group of our fellows with that unlimited authority which we should refuse to any individual" doesn't this suggest a course of action? The author clearly has an opinion. How to elininate c?
Hey
TBTHappy to help.
Quote:
"A majority taken collectively may be regarded as a being whose opinions and, most frequently, whose interests are opposed to those of another being, which is styled a minority. If it is admitted that a man possessing absolute power may misuse that power by wronging his adversaries, why should a majority not be liable to the same reproach? Men are not apt to change their characters by agglomeration; nor does their patience in the presence of obstacles increase with the consciousness of their strength. For these reasons we should not willingly invest any group of our fellows with that unlimited authority which we should refuse to any individual."
We need to understand this last line in the context of the first paragraph. Note that the first paragraph merely seeks to establish that a "majority" is not different from an "individual".
The implication of this last sentence is that we can expect a majority to misuse absolute power, just as we'd expect an individual to.
When we say "
course of action", it
must be understood in the context of the problem explained and the course of action/solution prescribed to solve that problem. The problem has been defined in the last two paragraphs:
the absolute power (tyranny) of the democratic institutions of the United States. (Highlighted below)
Quote:
"The main evil of the present democratic institutions of the United States does not arise, as is often asserted in Europe, from their weakness, but from their overpowering strength; the excessive liberty which reigns in that country is not so alarming as is the very inadequate security which exists against tyranny.
When an individual or a party is wronged in the United States, to whom can he apply for redress? If to the public opinion, public opinion constitutes the majority; if to the legislature, it represents the majority and implicitly obeys its injunctions; if to the executive power, it is appointed by the majority and remains a passive tool in its hands; the public troops consist of the majority under arms; the jury is the majority invested with the right of hearing judicial cases, and in certain states even the judges are elected by the majority. However iniquitous or absurd the evil complained about, no sure barrier is established to defend against it."
However, no solution or course of action has been explicitly prescribed by the author. This is why choice C is
incorrect.
Now, let's understand why choice A is correct:Read the following highlighted lines in the first paragraph...
Quote:
"A majority taken collectively may be regarded as a being whose opinions and, most frequently, whose interests are opposed to those of another being, which is styled a minority. If it is admitted that a man possessing absolute power may misuse that power by wronging his adversaries, why should a majority not be liable to the same reproach? Men are not apt to change their characters by agglomeration; nor does their patience in the presence of obstacles increase with the consciousness of their strength. For these reasons we should not willingly invest any group of our fellows with that unlimited authority which we should refuse to any individual."
This
rhetorical question in the first paragraph suggests that the author is opposing a commonly held view:
that a democracy is always better, more noble, than a dictatorship; that we can expect an emperor/ruler to become a tyrant but not a democracy.
Hence, through this passage, the author challenges this belief. This is why A is the best of the given choices.
I hope this helps.
Happy Learning!
Abhishek