Government, Authority, Legitimacy & the Rule of Law — Practice · Grade 12 Social Studies

Chapter: Foundations of Government & Public Reasoning

What this practice covers

By the end of Government, Authority, Legitimacy & the Rule of Law you should be able to:

8 questions, written answer, each with a worked explanation.

Vocabulary used: government, state, authority, legitimacy, rule of law.

Problem 1

Why does winning an office not confer every desired public power?
Answer and explanation

An office has defined powers and procedures. Winning it changes the occupant, while authority may remain divided among a council, legislature, court, or other institution. A promise therefore needs a valid decision process and implementation before it establishes a policy outcome.

Problem 2

Why is compliance insufficient evidence of legitimacy?
Answer and explanation

People may comply because of sanctions, dependence, or lack of alternatives. Compliance shows behavior under particular conditions; legitimacy requires evidence about acceptance or justification. Check the governing rule and affected people’s reasoning rather than inferring consent from obedience.

Problem 3

Why should a public purpose be distinguished from a particular policy’s effects?
Answer and explanation

A purpose states what a policy is meant to achieve. Effects depend on financing, delivery, behavior, and circumstances. Compare evidence of benefits, costs, access, and alternatives before deciding whether the chosen mechanism served the purpose effectively.

Problem 4

What evidence is needed beyond a written rule to evaluate accountable administration?
Answer and explanation

Use records of notice, reasons, consistent treatment, opportunities to respond, and actual review. A written rule documents a framework, while administrative practice shows whether officials and applicants were constrained by it in particular decisions.

Problem 5

Invented case: a mayor announces a bridge fee; the town charter requires council approval; the council has not voted; drivers have begun paying after an enforcement notice. Explain what the packet establishes about power, authority, and legitimacy.
Answer and explanation

Collection establishes an exercise of practical power, while the supplied charter identifies a council procedure that has not occurred. The packet therefore supports questioning the mayor’s claimed authority. It does not establish all possible powers or legal remedies, and payment does not prove residents accepted the fee as justified. Review the complete rules, notices, decisions, and available review before drawing a broader conclusion.

Identify the charter’s approval rule.

Separate collection from valid enactment.

State what additional records could establish acceptance or a remedy.

Response criteria

  • Explain the relevant institution or economic concept accurately; show correct calculations where needed.
  • Connect supplied evidence and stated assumptions to an explained conclusion.
  • Compare feasible options and their effects on different people without stereotypes.
  • Identify a limitation, tradeoff, uncertainty, or condition that qualifies the conclusion.

Problem 6

Does disagreement with a law prove there is no rule of law?
Answer and explanation

No. Disagreement about substance can coexist with established procedures and remedies. Evaluate the rule’s authority, consistent application, and opportunities for challenge separately from whether you approve of its policy aim. Unjust substance can still be criticized through evidence and stated principles.

Response criteria

  • Explain the relevant institution or economic concept accurately; show correct calculations where needed.
  • Connect supplied evidence and stated assumptions to an explained conclusion.
  • Compare feasible options and their effects on different people without stereotypes.
  • Identify a limitation, tradeoff, uncertainty, or condition that qualifies the conclusion.

Problem 7

Fictional officials collect a fee under threat while residents say they reject its justification. What does collection show, and what does it not show?
Answer and explanation

Collection shows practical power and compliance under the supplied conditions. It does not establish residents’ acceptance or lawful authority. Compare the governing rule, approval procedure, and relevant reasons before making a legitimacy claim.

Response criteria

  • Explain the relevant institution or economic concept accurately; show correct calculations where needed.
  • Connect supplied evidence and stated assumptions to an explained conclusion.
  • Compare feasible options and their effects on different people without stereotypes.
  • Identify a limitation, tradeoff, uncertainty, or condition that qualifies the conclusion.

Problem 8

A fictional office applies one published permit criterion to friends and another to critics. Identify a procedure that would help investigate the problem.
Answer and explanation

Compare application and decision records against the same criterion, require stated reasons, and identify an independent review route under the fictional rules. The discrepancy supports inquiry into consistent administration, not a conclusion about every past application.

Response criteria

  • Explain the relevant institution or economic concept accurately; show correct calculations where needed.
  • Connect supplied evidence and stated assumptions to an explained conclusion.
  • Compare feasible options and their effects on different people without stereotypes.
  • Identify a limitation, tradeoff, uncertainty, or condition that qualifies the conclusion.

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