Question:
The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage. Petitioning is an expeditious democratic tradition, used frequently in prior centuries, by which citizens can bring issues directly to governments. As expressions of collective voice, they support procedural democracy by shaping agendas. They can also recruit citizens to causes, give voice to the voteless, and apply the discipline of rhetorical argument that clarifies a point of view. By contrast, elections are limited in several respects: they involve only a few candidates, and thus fall far short of a representative democracy. Further, voters’ choices are not specific to particular policies or laws, and elections are episodic, whereas the voice of the people needs to be heard and integrated constantly into democratic government.
The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage. Petitioning is an expeditious democratic tradition, used frequently in prior centuries, by which citizens can bring issues directly to governments. As expressions of collective voice, they support procedural democracy by shaping agendas. They can also recruit citizens to causes, give voice to the voteless, and apply the discipline of rhetorical argument that clarifies a point of view. By contrast, elections are limited in several respects: they involve only a few candidates, and thus fall far short of a representative democracy. Further, voters’ choices are not specific to particular policies or laws, and elections are episodic, whereas the voice of the people needs to be heard and integrated constantly into democratic government.
Updated On: Jul 27, 2025
- By giving citizens greater control over shaping political and democratic agendas, political petitions are invaluable as they represent an ideal form of a representative democracy.
- Petitioning has been important to democratic functioning, as it supplements the electoral process by enabling ongoing engagement with the government.
- Petitioning is definitely more representative of the collective voice, and the functioning of democratic government could improve if we relied more on petitioning rather than holding periodic elections.
- Citizens become less inclined to petitioning as it enables vocal citizens to shape political agendas, but this needs to change to strengthen democracies today.
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The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
The passage primarily discusses the role of petitioning in a democratic context. It highlights that petitioning allows citizens to directly express collective concerns to the government, influencing democratic processes and agendas. Unlike elections, which are restrictive in candidate choice and represent a snapshot in time, petitioning provides ongoing engagement. The passage argues that while elections are periodic, petitioning maintains a continuous dialogue necessary for democracy to truly reflect the people's voice.
Considering this analysis, the option that most accurately summarizes the passage is: "Petitioning has been important to democratic functioning, as it supplements the electoral process by enabling ongoing engagement with the government." This option encapsulates the essence of the passage by emphasizing petitioning as a complement to elections, facilitating constant interaction between the populace and the government.
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