In political philosophy, which ancient Greek thinker famously declared that "man is a political animal", highlighting the social and civic nature of human beings?

Introduction / Context:
This general knowledge question tests awareness of a very famous line from classical political philosophy. The statement "man is a political animal" is one of the most quoted ideas from ancient Greek thought. It comes from the work Politics, where the philosopher explains that human beings naturally live in organised communities and cities. Understanding who said this line helps students connect basic political theory with its historical roots in Greek philosophy and appreciate how old the idea of humans as social and civic beings really is.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question asks who said the phrase "man is a political animal".
• All options are well known political or philosophical figures.
• No time period is given in the question, so the learner must rely on memory of the quote.
• The phrase is connected with the study of politics and the nature of human society.

Concept / Approach:
The key idea is that this quote belongs to ancient Greek philosophy and not to modern political thinkers. The work in which it appears is Politics, written by Aristotle. In that work, he explains that humans achieve their highest good in a polis, which is the Greek word for a city state. Therefore he calls human beings political animals because they naturally form communities, discuss justice, and make laws. The method to answer the question is to link the famous quotation with the correct philosopher and to reject modern revolutionaries or economists who did not use this exact phrase.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Identify the time period suggested by the phrase. The word "polis" or political animal points to ancient Greek city states. 2. Recall which ancient Greek philosophers are famous for systematic works on politics. Plato wrote The Republic, while Aristotle wrote Politics. 3. Remember that the exact phrase "man is a political animal" is associated with Aristotle and is widely quoted from his book Politics. 4. Compare this with the other options. Karl Marx and Lenin are modern revolutionary thinkers, not ancient Greek philosophers. Plato is ancient but did not popularise this exact description. 5. Therefore, the only historically accurate answer that matches the quote is Aristotle.
Verification / Alternative check:
A quick alternative reasoning method is to look for the only option who wrote a book specifically titled Politics. Among the given names, that author is Aristotle. Another check is that school and college textbooks on political science almost always introduce the subject by quoting this line from Aristotle when explaining why humans form states and governments. This strong association between the quote and his name confirms that Aristotle is the correct answer, and it is not commonly linked with any of the other listed thinkers in standard reference books.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Karl Marx is known for works like Das Kapital and The Communist Manifesto and for his theory of class struggle, but he did not coin this classical phrase about political animals.
Plato did discuss ideal states and justice, but the exact line "man is a political animal" is not his and is always used in connection with Aristotle and his study of the polis.
Lenin was a twentieth century revolutionary leader who applied Marxist ideas in Russia and did not originate this ancient Greek philosophical quote.
Socrates influenced Greek philosophy through dialogues reported by others, especially Plato, and did not author a formal text called Politics that contains this line.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to choose Plato because students only remember that he is an ancient Greek philosopher connected with politics. Another confusion arises when learners quickly react to the word "political" and think of modern revolutionary figures like Marx or Lenin. Some also misremember the quote as a general modern saying rather than a technical statement from a specific classical text. To avoid these errors, it is helpful to memorise that Politics is written by Aristotle and that this famous description of human beings as political animals belongs to him. Associating the name Aristotle with the study of the polis makes future recall easier.

Final Answer:
The correct answer is Aristotle.