Statement:\nUntil our country achieves economic equality and political freedom, democracy would be meaningless.\n\nConclusions:\nI. Political freedom and democracy go hand in hand.\nII. Economic equality leads to real political freedom and democracy.\n\nWhich option is correct?

Difficulty: Medium

Correct Answer: If only Conclusion I follows

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
The sentence frames democracy’s meaningfulness as contingent on achieving both economic equality and political freedom. We must parse what is being claimed about the relationship among these elements.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Democracy is “meaningless” unless both economic equality and political freedom are present.
  • No explicit causal direction (“leads to”) is stated; rather, necessary conditions are identified.


Concept / Approach:
Read the statement as establishing prerequisites: for democracy to be meaningful, political freedom must be present (as must economic equality). This supports I (they go hand in hand in the sense of co-requirements). Conclusion II adds a stronger causal claim that economic equality leads to political freedom and democracy, which is not stated.


Step-by-Step Solution:

• I follows: political freedom is required alongside democracy’s meaningfulness; thus they are intimately connected.• II does not follow: the premise does not assert that economic equality causes political freedom and democracy, only that its absence renders democracy meaningless.


Verification / Alternative check:
Construct models: (a) Economic equality achieved without political freedom—democracy still meaningless; (b) Political freedom without economic equality—still meaningless. The premise is about joint necessity, not one leading to another.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Asserting II overreaches to causation; “neither” ignores the clear co-requirement suggested by the text.


Common Pitfalls:
Confusing necessary conditions with causal pathways; reading normative political theory beyond the literal statement.


Final Answer:
If only Conclusion I follows.

More Questions from Statement and Conclusion

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