UPSC Prelims 2017 · Question 67 of 99
UPSC Prelims 2017 question on Democracy Virtue Ordinary Citizens
Democracy’s superior virtue lies in the fact that it calls into activity
Show answer
Answer: A. the intelligence and character of ordinary men and women.
Verdict
The answer is the intelligence and character of ordinary men and women.
Analysis
The claim reflects the argument associated with John Stuart Mill, that the object of government is the self development of those governed, which is possible only where people participate in making and working their government. On this view democracy's superior virtue lies not in efficiency but in what it draws out of ordinary citizens, since virtue and intelligence become genuine attributes of character through participation. The remaining options praise executive leadership, a visionary individual and a dedicated party cadre, each of which locates value in a few rather than in the many.
Source
N. D. Arora and S. S. Awasthy, Political Theory and Political Thought.
How to crack it
Political theory questions are answered by identifying whose agency the option credits. Democracy's classic defence is developmental and rests on the ordinary citizen, so any option centring a leader, an elite or a party contradicts the theory being tested. Ask which option would still be true if every extraordinary individual were removed, and only one survives. That agency test handles most normative questions in this section.