Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternative.
Click on the options to check whether it is right or wrong.
The ease with which democratic Governments have given way to authoritarian regimes in one Asian Country after another has made many persons ask in despair whether the parliamentary system based on the Western model is suited to under developed countries. People who do not know how to read and write, they argue, can hardly know how to vote. Popular elections often bring incompetent men to the top, they contend, and the division of party spoils and breeds corruption. What is worse, the system of perpetual party warfare obstructs the business of Government.
They point to the dismal results of the last ten years. The pace of social and economic change has been far too slow and the Governments in most of the underdeveloped countries have failed to come to grip with the problems which face the people. What they say is no doubt true to some extent but it is pertinent to remember that every alternative to democracy, while it in no way guarantees greater integrity or efficiency in the administration, lacks even the saving merits of regimes which, based on the suffrage of the people, leave it to the people to find out, by trial and error, who is their best friend. The people can peacefully get rid of a democratic Government which has failed to keep its promise; they can overthrow a dictatorial regime only through a violent revolution. Those who feel sore over the ills from which democratic regimes suffer should be wary therefore suggesting a cure which is likely to undermine the democratic structure of the state. The people can at least raise their voice of protest against the injustices of a democratic Government: they can only suffer in silence the tyranny of a regime which is responsible to no one but itself.
1. Democratic Governments have given way to authoritarian regimes in several Asian Countries because
- Asians are underdeveloped
- Asians like powerful leaders
- Asians cannot read and write and can hardly know how to vote
- Asians have not been able to adapt themselves to the Western Parliamentary system
2. Popular elections
- Breed corruption
- Stop the work of the Government
- Result in a division of parties
- Bring incompetent and unprincipled men to power
3. In the last ten years, the Governments in the underdeveloped countries
- produced impressive results
- failed because they could not face the people
- neglected social and economic problems
- were too incompetent to speed up social and economic change
4. Every alternative to democracy
- is based on the suffering of the people
- enables people to find out their best friend
- lacks the safeguard of being peacefully overthrown by the people if it does not fulfil its promises
- lacks the saving merit of integrity and efficiency
5. A democratic form of Government is superior to a dictatorial one because
- it makes people protest in a raised voice
- people can protest against its injustices, and even overthrow it peacefully
- people can only suffer in silence
- the tyranny of a regime is responsible to itself.
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