01
True or false
1 point
True or false: For Locke, the state of nature has no common political ruler, but it is still governed by moral rules understood through reason.
Free Practice Quiz Question List
04 Locke on Rights and Limited Government Online Quiz Questions
Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 04 Locke on Rights and Limited Government, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.
20 questions
02
Choose one
1 point
Why does Locke argue that a political community uses majority rule after it has formed?
- A
Because the ruler chooses each decision
- B
Because a group could not act as one body if every decision required unanimity
- C
Because the law of nature requires every person to agree
- D
Because majority rule gives the legislature unlimited authority
03
Fill in the blank
1 point
In Locke’s account, people acquire property in external goods by applying their to resources.
04
Choose one
1 point
Which example does Locke associate with tacit consent?
- A
Signing an explicit agreement to join the political society
- B
Being appointed as a judge
- C
Using the country’s territory or enjoying its protection
- D
Voting on every law
05
Fill in the blank
1 point
Locke describes government as a trust created for the , especially the protection of people’s lives, liberties, and property.
06
Choose all
1 point
Select all the limits Locke places on the legislature.
- A
It must govern through established, public laws rather than arbitrary commands.
- B
It may issue arbitrary commands whenever it believes they are useful.
- C
It may not take people’s property without their consent, directly or through representatives.
- D
It cannot transfer its lawmaking authority to a body the people did not authorize.
07
True or false
1 point
True or false: In Locke’s account, any mistake or unpopular policy by a ruler is enough to justify resistance.
- A
True
- B
False
08
Written response
1 point
What term does Locke often use collectively for a person’s life, liberty, and estate?
09
Choose all
1 point
Select all the actions Locke identifies as ways rulers can seriously violate the political trust and put themselves in a state of war with the people.
- A
Rulers attempt to place themselves above the law.
- B
Rulers seize people’s property without consent.
- C
Rulers obstruct the legislature so that rights can no longer be protected.
- D
Rulers make a single unpopular policy while continuing to respect the conditions of their trust.
10
Open ended
1 point
Why do people form a political community, and what protections can it establish that are difficult to secure in the state of nature?
11
Choose one
1 point
A person applies their labor to an unowned resource. Which condition from Locke’s account limits this way of acquiring property?
- A
A person may take every resource they can reach, regardless of others.
- B
A person’s appropriation is subject to leaving enough and as good for others.
- C
Only a ruler can authorize any use of external resources.
- D
Labor has no role in acquiring property in external goods.
12
Choose one
1 point
Which kind of consent does Locke associate with becoming a full member of a political society?
- A
Express consent
- B
Tacit consent
- C
Majority consent
- D
Legislative consent
13
True or false
1 point
True or false: Locke holds that people’s natural rights are gifts granted by rulers after government is established.
- A
True
- B
False
14
Choose one
1 point
Which statement best describes the state of nature in Locke’s theory?
- A
It has no common ruler, so no moral rules apply.
- B
It has no common political ruler, but the law of nature still applies.
- C
It is governed by a legislature that makes laws for everyone.
- D
It gives each person authority to harm others without restriction.
15
Choose one
1 point
What problem in the state of nature helps explain why people would form a political community?
- A
People cannot understand the law of nature through reason.
- B
People have no right to defend themselves.
- C
Disputes may become dangerous or unfair because there is no impartial judge.
- D
People are required to accept every decision made by a ruler.
16
Choose one
1 point
Why does Locke consider majority rule necessary after people form a political community?
- A
It ensures that every person always agrees with every decision.
- B
It gives a ruler the right to make decisions without the community.
- C
It allows the legislature to transfer its authority to any body it chooses.
- D
It lets the community act as one body without requiring unanimity on every decision.
17
Choose one
1 point
A government wants to collect taxes to fund public services. Which condition is consistent with Locke’s account?
- A
A ruler may tax whenever it would benefit the ruler.
- B
Taxes may fund public services, but the people must consent through their representatives.
- C
Taxation is never permitted because property rights cannot be limited.
- D
Only direct, unanimous consent from every person can authorize any tax.
18
Written response
1 point
What one-word term describes the arrangement under which government holds political power for the public good?
19
Written response
1 point
According to Locke, when rulers place themselves above the law and seize people’s property without consent, what condition do they enter with the people?
20
Written response
1 point
In Locke’s account, which collective body may resist a government that has seriously betrayed its trust and establish a new one?