Social Science — CBSE Class 10 board question

Democracy is considered the best form of government because it combines three key qualities: accountability, responsiveness, and legitimacy.

Accountability means a democratic government follows proper norms and procedures in decision-making. Citizens have the right to examine how decisions are made — this is called transparency. Mechanisms like free and fair elections, RTI, and open public debate ensure that rulers are answerable to the people.

Responsiveness means the government must be attentive to the needs and expectations of citizens. People can participate in decision-making and influence policies through elections, public debate, and pressure groups.

Legitimacy is democracy's strongest quality. Though democratic governments may be slow or sometimes inefficient, they are people's own governments — elected by the people. This is why there is overwhelming support for democracy across South Asia and the world.

Thus, these three elements together form the true foundation of democratic governance.

Source: Chapter 5 — Outcomes of Democracy, Section: Accountable, Responsive and Legitimate Government

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• Examiners expect you to define and explain all three terms — accountability, responsiveness, and legitimacy — separately with examples.
• Mention transparency and RTI/elections as tools of accountability.
• Highlight that legitimacy is democracy's most certain strength — the textbook explicitly says "democratic government is legitimate government."
• Don't just list points; link them back to the statement being "examined." One concluding line tying all three together earns full marks.
• Avoid writing more than 5–6 tight points/paragraphs for a 5-mark answer.