WGU C963 AMERICAN POLITICS OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT
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Section 1: Social Contract Philosophers & Revolutionary Ideology (Q1-12)
Question 1
According to John Locke, which condition justifies the people's right to revolution
against their government?
A. Any policy decision the majority disagrees with
B. When the government fails to protect natural rights or breaches the social contract
C. When taxes are increased without a direct vote from every citizen
D. When the legislative branch is bicameral rather than unicameral
Correct Answer: B. When the government fails to protect natural rights or breaches the
social contract [CORRECT]
Rationale: Locke argued that government exists by consent to protect life, liberty, and
property; when it violates this trust, the people may dissolve it. Option A is too broad;
Locke did not justify revolution over routine policy disagreements. Options C and D
describe procedural grievances, not fundamental breaches of the social contract.
Correct Answer: B
Question 2
Thomas Hobbes described the state of nature as "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and
short." What conclusion did he draw about the necessity of government?
A. Government is optional if citizens are sufficiently educated
B. An absolute sovereign is necessary to prevent the war of all against all
C. Direct democracy is the only legitimate form of government
D. Citizens retain the natural right to rebel whenever they choose
Correct Answer: B. An absolute sovereign is necessary to prevent the war of all against
all [CORRECT]
Rationale: Hobbes believed the state of nature is a state of war, requiring individuals to
surrender rights to a Leviathan sovereign for security. Options A, C, and D reflect
Lockean or Rousseauian ideas, not Hobbes's absolutism.
,Correct Answer: B
Question 3
Jean-Jacques Rousseau's concept of the "general will" differs from the "will of all" in
which critical way?
A. The general will is simply whatever the majority votes for at any moment
B. The general will aims at the common good and may differ from the sum of individual
private interests
C. The general will requires representation by elected aristocrats only
D. The general will is determined by the wealthiest citizens in society
Correct Answer: B. The general will aims at the common good and may differ from the
sum of individual private interests [CORRECT]
Rationale: Rousseau distinguished the general will (oriented toward collective welfare)
from the will of all (mere aggregate of private desires). Option A confuses the general
will with simple majoritarianism; options C and D contradict Rousseau's democratic
ideals.
Correct Answer: B
Question 4
Montesquieu's analysis of government types and his advocacy for separation of powers
most directly influenced which structural feature of the US Constitution?
A. The creation of a unicameral legislature
B. The division of government into legislative, executive, and judicial branches
C. The establishment of a hereditary monarchy
D. The granting of absolute sovereignty to state governments
Correct Answer: B. The division of government into legislative, executive, and judicial
branches [CORRECT]
Rationale: Montesquieu's Spirit of Laws advocated separating powers to prevent tyranny,
directly influencing the Framers' design in Articles I, II, and III. Option A contradicts his
influence; options C and D describe systems Montesquieu opposed.
Correct Answer: B
Question 5
Which philosopher's ideas most directly influenced the language of the Declaration of
Independence regarding unalienable rights and the right to revolution?
A. Thomas Hobbes
,B. John Locke
C. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
D. Baron de Montesquieu
Correct Answer: B. John Locke [CORRECT]
Rationale: Jefferson's Declaration explicitly echoes Locke's natural rights (life, liberty,
and property/pursuit of happiness) and the right to alter or abolish destructive
government. Hobbes rejected the right to revolution; Rousseau and Montesquieu
influenced other constitutional features.
Correct Answer: B
Question 6
According to Locke, which of the following is considered a fundamental natural right
that government is instituted to protect?
A. The right to a government-provided education
B. The right to property acquired through labor
C. The right to vote in democratic elections
D. The right to a minimum wage
Correct Answer: B. The right to property acquired through labor [CORRECT]
Rationale: Locke's natural rights include life, liberty, and property, with property rights
derived from mixing labor with nature. Options A, C, and D describe modern positive
rights or political rights, not Lockean natural rights existing in the state of nature.
Correct Answer: B
Question 7
Hobbes argued that in the state of nature, every person has a right to everything,
including "one another's bodies." What problem does this create?
A. It makes cooperation impossible and leads to perpetual war
B. It creates too much wealth inequality
C. It prevents the formation of religious institutions
D. It ensures universal peace through mutual respect
Correct Answer: A. It makes cooperation impossible and leads to perpetual war
[CORRECT]
Rationale: Hobbes believed unlimited natural rights in the state of nature produce a "war
of every man against every man," necessitating the social contract to establish order.
Options B and C are secondary concerns; option D contradicts Hobbes entirely.
, Correct Answer: A
Question 8
Rousseau's statement that "man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains" refers to
what concept?
A. The natural physical bondage of slavery
B. The corruption of natural liberty by artificial social inequalities and institutions
C. The necessity of absolute monarchy for human progress
D. The biological determinism of human behavior
Correct Answer: B. The corruption of natural liberty by artificial social inequalities and
institutions [CORRECT]
Rationale: Rousseau argued that legitimate civil society restores moral liberty but that
existing social institutions often enslave people through inequality. Option A is literalist;
option C contradicts Rousseau; option D is unrelated to his philosophy.
Correct Answer: B
Question 9
Montesquieu categorized governments into republics, monarchies, and despotisms
based on what criterion?
A. The size of the country's military
B. The nature of sovereignty and who holds governing power
C. The predominant religious affiliation of citizens
D. The level of economic development
Correct Answer: B. The nature of sovereignty and who holds governing power
[CORRECT]
Rationale: Montesquieu classified governments by who exercises sovereign power: the
people (republic), one person by fixed laws (monarchy), or one person arbitrarily
(despotism). Options A, C, and D are not his classification criteria.
Correct Answer: B
Question 10
Which social contract theorist would most likely support the idea that citizens have no
right to resist the sovereign because the sovereign's authority is absolute and
indivisible?
A. John Locke
B. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
V1 2026/2027 | US Constitution | Grade A Verified | Complete
Solutions | Pass Guaranteed - A+ Graded
Section 1: Social Contract Philosophers & Revolutionary Ideology (Q1-12)
Question 1
According to John Locke, which condition justifies the people's right to revolution
against their government?
A. Any policy decision the majority disagrees with
B. When the government fails to protect natural rights or breaches the social contract
C. When taxes are increased without a direct vote from every citizen
D. When the legislative branch is bicameral rather than unicameral
Correct Answer: B. When the government fails to protect natural rights or breaches the
social contract [CORRECT]
Rationale: Locke argued that government exists by consent to protect life, liberty, and
property; when it violates this trust, the people may dissolve it. Option A is too broad;
Locke did not justify revolution over routine policy disagreements. Options C and D
describe procedural grievances, not fundamental breaches of the social contract.
Correct Answer: B
Question 2
Thomas Hobbes described the state of nature as "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and
short." What conclusion did he draw about the necessity of government?
A. Government is optional if citizens are sufficiently educated
B. An absolute sovereign is necessary to prevent the war of all against all
C. Direct democracy is the only legitimate form of government
D. Citizens retain the natural right to rebel whenever they choose
Correct Answer: B. An absolute sovereign is necessary to prevent the war of all against
all [CORRECT]
Rationale: Hobbes believed the state of nature is a state of war, requiring individuals to
surrender rights to a Leviathan sovereign for security. Options A, C, and D reflect
Lockean or Rousseauian ideas, not Hobbes's absolutism.
,Correct Answer: B
Question 3
Jean-Jacques Rousseau's concept of the "general will" differs from the "will of all" in
which critical way?
A. The general will is simply whatever the majority votes for at any moment
B. The general will aims at the common good and may differ from the sum of individual
private interests
C. The general will requires representation by elected aristocrats only
D. The general will is determined by the wealthiest citizens in society
Correct Answer: B. The general will aims at the common good and may differ from the
sum of individual private interests [CORRECT]
Rationale: Rousseau distinguished the general will (oriented toward collective welfare)
from the will of all (mere aggregate of private desires). Option A confuses the general
will with simple majoritarianism; options C and D contradict Rousseau's democratic
ideals.
Correct Answer: B
Question 4
Montesquieu's analysis of government types and his advocacy for separation of powers
most directly influenced which structural feature of the US Constitution?
A. The creation of a unicameral legislature
B. The division of government into legislative, executive, and judicial branches
C. The establishment of a hereditary monarchy
D. The granting of absolute sovereignty to state governments
Correct Answer: B. The division of government into legislative, executive, and judicial
branches [CORRECT]
Rationale: Montesquieu's Spirit of Laws advocated separating powers to prevent tyranny,
directly influencing the Framers' design in Articles I, II, and III. Option A contradicts his
influence; options C and D describe systems Montesquieu opposed.
Correct Answer: B
Question 5
Which philosopher's ideas most directly influenced the language of the Declaration of
Independence regarding unalienable rights and the right to revolution?
A. Thomas Hobbes
,B. John Locke
C. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
D. Baron de Montesquieu
Correct Answer: B. John Locke [CORRECT]
Rationale: Jefferson's Declaration explicitly echoes Locke's natural rights (life, liberty,
and property/pursuit of happiness) and the right to alter or abolish destructive
government. Hobbes rejected the right to revolution; Rousseau and Montesquieu
influenced other constitutional features.
Correct Answer: B
Question 6
According to Locke, which of the following is considered a fundamental natural right
that government is instituted to protect?
A. The right to a government-provided education
B. The right to property acquired through labor
C. The right to vote in democratic elections
D. The right to a minimum wage
Correct Answer: B. The right to property acquired through labor [CORRECT]
Rationale: Locke's natural rights include life, liberty, and property, with property rights
derived from mixing labor with nature. Options A, C, and D describe modern positive
rights or political rights, not Lockean natural rights existing in the state of nature.
Correct Answer: B
Question 7
Hobbes argued that in the state of nature, every person has a right to everything,
including "one another's bodies." What problem does this create?
A. It makes cooperation impossible and leads to perpetual war
B. It creates too much wealth inequality
C. It prevents the formation of religious institutions
D. It ensures universal peace through mutual respect
Correct Answer: A. It makes cooperation impossible and leads to perpetual war
[CORRECT]
Rationale: Hobbes believed unlimited natural rights in the state of nature produce a "war
of every man against every man," necessitating the social contract to establish order.
Options B and C are secondary concerns; option D contradicts Hobbes entirely.
, Correct Answer: A
Question 8
Rousseau's statement that "man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains" refers to
what concept?
A. The natural physical bondage of slavery
B. The corruption of natural liberty by artificial social inequalities and institutions
C. The necessity of absolute monarchy for human progress
D. The biological determinism of human behavior
Correct Answer: B. The corruption of natural liberty by artificial social inequalities and
institutions [CORRECT]
Rationale: Rousseau argued that legitimate civil society restores moral liberty but that
existing social institutions often enslave people through inequality. Option A is literalist;
option C contradicts Rousseau; option D is unrelated to his philosophy.
Correct Answer: B
Question 9
Montesquieu categorized governments into republics, monarchies, and despotisms
based on what criterion?
A. The size of the country's military
B. The nature of sovereignty and who holds governing power
C. The predominant religious affiliation of citizens
D. The level of economic development
Correct Answer: B. The nature of sovereignty and who holds governing power
[CORRECT]
Rationale: Montesquieu classified governments by who exercises sovereign power: the
people (republic), one person by fixed laws (monarchy), or one person arbitrarily
(despotism). Options A, C, and D are not his classification criteria.
Correct Answer: B
Question 10
Which social contract theorist would most likely support the idea that citizens have no
right to resist the sovereign because the sovereign's authority is absolute and
indivisible?
A. John Locke
B. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
