Question

worksheet: forms of government | overview & examples

1. you are listening to a news report about a foreign government that often uses scare tactics and censors the media. the government seems to have unlimited control over peoples lives. which of the following forms of government is it most likely to be?

a monarchy. an oligarchy.
a direct democracy. totalitarianism.
a representative democracy.

1. the form of government in cuba allows citizens very few civil liberties. there is only one ruler to whom the people are absolutely obedient. based on this information, cuba uses which form of government?

direct democracy authoritarianism
oligarchy monarchy
representative democracy

1. ana lives in a country where the monarch inherited his position and is the key figure in the government. he alone determines the fate of the country. she wants to start a petition to form the countrys first parliament in order to restrict the monarchs power. why is her country currently considered an absolute monarchy?

because the monarch has ceremonial roles, such as greeting representatives of foreign governments. because any form of government without a parliament can only be an absolute monarchy.
because the citizens did not elect their monarch. because there are no legal limitations to the monarchs rule.

Explanation:

1. Totalitarianism is a form of government where the state has unlimited control over people's lives, uses scare tactics, and censors the media. Monarchies have a king or queen (usually with some traditional or limited powers in modern times), oligarchies are ruled by a small group, direct democracy is rule by the people directly (no censorship or unlimited control in the described way), and representative democracy is rule by elected representatives (also not matching the description).
2. Authoritarianism is characterized by a single ruler with people's absolute obedience and few civil liberties. Direct democracy gives power to the people, oligarchy is rule by a few, and monarchy (in its traditional form) has a king/queen (but the key here is the single ruler with that level of control which is more authoritarian - though some might debate, but given the options, authoritarianism is the best fit as it emphasizes the ruler - people relationship with lack of liberties).
3. An absolute monarchy is defined by no legal limitations to the monarch's rule. Just because the monarch is inherited (which is common in many monarchies - absolute or not) doesn't make it absolute (so the “because the citizens did not elect their monarch” is wrong as that's about inheritance not absoluteness). The monarch having ceremonial roles would be a constitutional monarchy. And the statement “any form of government without a parliament can only be an absolute monarchy” is incorrect (e.g., some dictatorships also don't have parliaments).

Answer:

1. Totalitarianism
2. Authoritarianism
3. Because there are no legal limitations to the monarch's rule.