Democratic institutions are devices for reconciling social
order with individual freedom and initiative, and for making
the immediate power of a country's rulers subject to the
ultimate power of the ruled. The fact that, in Western Europe
5 and America, these devices have worked, all things considered,
not too badly is proof enough that the eighteenth century
optimists were not entirely wrong. Given a fair chance, I
repeat; for the fair chance is an indispensable prerequisite.
No people that pass abruptly from a state of subservience
10 under the rule of a despot to the completely unfamiliar state
of political independence can be said to have a fair chance
of being able to govern itself democratically. Liberalism
flourishes in an atmosphere of prosperity and declines as
declining prosperity makes it necessary for the government
15 to intervene ever more frequently and drastically in the
affairs of its subjects. Over-population and
over-organization are two conditions which ... deprive a
society of a fair chance of making democratic institutions
work effectively. We see, then, that there are certain
20 historical, economic, demographic and technological
conditions which make it very hard for Jefferson's rational
animals, endowed by nature with inalienable rights and an
innate sense of justice, to exercise their reason, claim
their rights and act justly within a democratically organized
25 society. We in the West have been supremely fortunate in
having been given a fair chance of making the great experiment
in self-government. Unfortunately, it now looks as though,
owing to recent changes in our circumstances, this infinitely
precious fair chance were being, little by little, taken
30 away from us.
1. The author’s primary purpose is apparently to
A. Explain a requirement and introduce a warning about that requirement
B. Argue for the limitation of a certain form of government
C. Define the conditions for social order
D. Advocate liberalism in government of a certain era
E. Credit certain thinkers with foresight
2. The ‘infinitely precious fair chance’ highlighted in the last sentence, according to the author is
A. Unlikely to emerge in an atmosphere of liberalism
B. Incompatible with Jefferson’s views
C. Vitiated in an atmosphere of prosperity
D. An essential precondition for the success of democracy
E. Only possible in a large, advanced and highly organised society
3. The author’s attitude to the way democratic institutions have functioned in Western Europe and America can best be described as
A. Deliberate neutrality
B. Cautious approval
C. Qualified disapproval
D. Wholehearted endorsement
E. Mocking disdain
Try to answer them all. Answers will be revealed soon.