Question

read the selection and answer the questions.
i heartily accept the motto,—\that government is best which governs least;\ and i should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also i believe,—\that government is best which governs not at all;\ and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have. government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient. the objections which have been brought against a standing army, and they are many and weighty, and deserve to prevail, may also at last be brought against a standing government. the standing army is only an arm of the standing government. the government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it.
governments show thus how successfully men can be imposed on, even impose on themselves, for their own advantage. it is excellent, we must all allow; yet this government never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way. it does not keep the country free. it does not settle the west. it does not educate....
after all, the practical reason why, when the power is once in the hands of the people, a majority are permitted, and for a long period continue, to rule, is not because they are most likely to be in the right, nor because this seems fairest to the minority, but because they are physically the strongest. but a government in which the majority rule in all cases cannot be based on justice, even as far as men understand it. must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? why has every man a conscience, then? i think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. it is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law so much as for the right. the only obligation which i have a right to assume, is to do at any time what i think right.
henry david thoreau

1. in your own words, express the main idea of this selection.
2. what are the best meanings for these two words used by the author: expedient and allow.

a. means and permit
b. advantage and permit
c. suitability and acknowledge
d. resource and agree
e. resource and let

1. according to thoreau, citizens should

a. give up their conscience for the government.
b. respect what is right, not laws.
c. believe that no government is better than any government.
d. both a and b are correct.
e. both b and c are correct.

1. a standing army, according to the author,

a. is a necessary evil.
b. is superior to a bad government.
c. can only settle the west and keep the country free.
d. reflects the will of the majority.
e. exists as a tool of the standing government.

Explanation:

1. The text emphasizes Thoreau's view that the best - government is one that governs least or not at all, and citizens should prioritize doing what they think is right over blindly following laws.
2. "Expedient" means a means to an end, suggesting suitability in a particular situation, and "allow" here means to acknowledge.
3. Thoreau believes citizens should respect what is right rather than just laws.
4. The author states that the standing army is an arm of the standing government, i.e., a tool of it.

Answer:

1. Thoreau advocates for minimal - government and citizens' moral autonomy.
2. C. suitability and acknowledge
3. B. respect what is right, not laws.
4. E. exists as a tool of the standing government.