Skip to main content

Back to the full dot-point answer

ScotlandPoliticsQuick questions

Political Theory

Quick questions on Democracy: direct and representative - SQA Higher Politics Political Theory

4short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.

What is direct democracy?
Show answer
Arguments for direct democracy: it gives citizens real control, so decisions carry strong legitimacy; it maximises participation and educates citizens politically; and it prevents an out-of-touch elite from ignoring public opinion.
What is representative democracy?
Show answer
Arguments for representative democracy: it is practical for large populations; representatives can develop expertise and devote time to scrutiny; elections provide accountability; and representatives can balance competing interests and protect minorities.
What is q1?
Show answer
Explain two arguments in favour of representative democracy. [6 marks]
What is q2?
Show answer
Describe two mechanisms of direct democracy. [4 marks]

Have a question we have not covered?

This dot-point answer is short enough that we have not extracted many short questions yet. Read the full dot-point answer or ask Mo, our study assistant, in the chat for follow ups.

All PoliticsQ&A pages