The principle that government should have restricted powers to protect citizens.

The principle that government should have restricted powers to protect citizens.

• A. Limited Government
• B. Checks and Balances
• C. Federalism
• D. Consent of the Governed

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is that government powers are limited by law to protect citizens’ rights. This means the government operates within defined boundaries and cannot exercise authority beyond those limits. That’s the essence of limited government: laws and a constitution constrain what rulers can do, helping prevent tyranny and safeguarding individual freedoms. This option fits best because it directly names the principle of restricting government power to protect people. While other concepts describe important features of how government works—like checks and balances (which is a way to enforce those limits by having branches restrain one another), federalism (which distributes power between national and state levels), or consent of the governed (which concerns the source of governmental authority)—they are mechanisms or sources related to governance, not the overarching principle of restricted power itself.

The main idea being tested is that government powers are limited by law to protect citizens’ rights. This means the government operates within defined boundaries and cannot exercise authority beyond those limits. That’s the essence of limited government: laws and a constitution constrain what rulers can do, helping prevent tyranny and safeguarding individual freedoms.

This option fits best because it directly names the principle of restricting government power to protect people. While other concepts describe important features of how government works—like checks and balances (which is a way to enforce those limits by having branches restrain one another), federalism (which distributes power between national and state levels), or consent of the governed (which concerns the source of governmental authority)—they are mechanisms or sources related to governance, not the overarching principle of restricted power itself.