Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

The tension between democracy being "good in principle but not so good in practice" reveals that we must judge democracy on both moral and prudential grounds.

Morally, democracy is superior because it promotes equality, dignity, freedom, and allows correction of mistakes — values no other system guarantees.

Practically, democracies often show a mixed record: corruption persists, needs of the majority are sometimes ignored, and decision-making is slow. Yet democratic governments remain legitimate — they are people's own governments, accountable and transparent in ways non-democratic regimes are not.

Therefore, democracy should not be judged solely on ideal outcomes. It creates conditions for achieving goals; citizens must utilise those conditions. The very fact that people complain about democracy shows growing awareness — itself a sign of democratic success.

Source: Chapter 5 — Outcomes of Democracy

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• The question tests whether you understand the dual basis for evaluating democracy — moral (normative) and prudential (practical/outcome-based).
• Examiners look for: (1) acknowledgement of the dilemma, (2) moral strengths, (3) practical shortcomings, and (4) the key conclusion — democracy is still legitimate and better than alternatives.
• The phrase "democracy creates conditions; citizens must achieve goals" is a direct textbook point — include it for full marks.
• Avoid just listing points; connect them into a short logical argument, as this is a 3-mark reasoning question.