Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

Democracy reduces the possibility of social tensions becoming explosive or violent by developing procedures to conduct competition among groups. It accommodates social differences and evolves mechanisms to negotiate conflicts rather than suppress them. For example, Belgium successfully negotiated differences among ethnic populations through democratic means.

Limitation: However, democracy does not guarantee harmony. Simply ensuring that people do not harm each other is not true social harmony. As the textbook notes, "No society can fully and permanently resolve conflicts among different groups." Democracy only reduces violence; deep-rooted tensions may still persist.

Source: Outcomes of Democracy, Chapter 5

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• The examiner expects two parts: (1) how democracy reduces tensions — focus on procedures, accommodation, negotiation; (2) one clear limitation — that it does not fully resolve conflicts or produce genuine harmony.
• Use the Belgium example briefly to show accommodation in practice.
• The quote about "not breaking each other's head" is a good anchor for the limitation — it signals that absence of violence ≠ true harmony.
• Avoid padding; 3 marks = ~3 clear points.