The Social Contract Study Guide

1. Which is the only European nation that Rousseau believes is capable of receiving legislation?

• England
• Corsica
• Switzerland
• France

2. Which of the following is NOT a tenet of Rousseau's civil religion?

• Loyalty to one's government
• Justice
• Belief in an afterlife
• Belief in God

3. What prevents the government from usurping legislative authority?

• Periodic assemblies of the people
• Short terms in office
• A weak and decentralized executive
• A strong constitution

4. Why can't a free people have representatives?

• Because representatives only cater to the public interest during elections
• Because representatives are likely to become corrupt
• Because eventually representatives will try to invalidate the social contract
• Because sovereignty is inalienable

5. Rousseau believed that all governments would try to do what?

• Go to war with foreign nations
• Usurp the power of the sovereign
• Prolong the terms of government officials
• Tax the people unnecessarily

6. Which form of government does Rousseau prefer?

• Democracy
• Hereditary Aristocracy
• Elective Aristocracy
• Monarchy

7. Which of the following is NOT a legitimate right?

• The right to private property
• The right to religious freedom
• The right to refuse the social contract
• The right of the strongest

8. What happens when the health of the state declines?

• The size of the government decreases
• The size of the government increases
• The size of the government stays the same
• The legislature takes on the functions of the executive

9. What is the only natural society?

• The Church
• The family
• The tribe
• The state

10. Rousseau believes that monarchies are best-suited to what kind of climate?

• Hot
• Breezy
• Temperate
• Cold