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LC Politics & Society practice questions

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Question 1Political Structures and Institutions

In the standard model of the Westminster system, which body formally holds and exercises executive power?

  1. The upper house, which appoints the prime minister
  2. The Cabinet, whose members are collectively responsible to parliament Correct answer.
  3. The senior civil service, which sets policy independently
  4. The monarch, who personally directs government departments

Explanation

In the Westminster model, executive authority is exercised through the Cabinet, drawn from and accountable to the legislature. Ministers are collectively responsible to parliament, and the head of state normally acts only on ministerial advice.

Question 2Political Structures and Institutions

Which feature most clearly distinguishes a federal system from a unitary one?

  1. A written constitution exists
  2. There is an independent judiciary
  3. Elections are held at regular intervals
  4. Constitutional authority is divided between central and regional governments that each hold entrenched powers Correct answer.

Explanation

Federalism involves constitutionally entrenched division of authority so that regional units hold powers the centre cannot unilaterally remove. A written constitution, elections, and courts can exist in unitary states too, so they do not distinguish the two.

Question 3Political Structures and Institutions

What is the central function of a parliamentary committee system?

  1. To resolve disputes between the two houses
  2. To scrutinise legislation and executive conduct in detail outside the chamber Correct answer.
  3. To select the prime minister after elections
  4. To draft the annual budget without ministerial input

Explanation

Committees allow detailed, often cross-party scrutiny of bills, departmental spending, and executive conduct that the full chamber lacks time to perform. They do not appoint prime ministers or write budgets unilaterally.

Question 4Political Structures and Institutions

A government loses a formal confidence motion in the lower house. In a conventional parliamentary system, what normally follows?

  1. The head of state governs directly until the next election
  2. The motion has no legal or political effect
  3. The upper house automatically assumes executive power
  4. The government must resign or seek a dissolution and election Correct answer.

Explanation

Confidence is the foundation of responsible government, so losing a confidence vote normally obliges the government to resign or call an election. The head of state does not take over, and the vote is politically decisive.

Question 5Political Structures and Institutions

Which principle holds that a minister is answerable to parliament for the actions of their department?

  1. Ministerial responsibility Correct answer.
  2. Judicial review
  3. Separation of powers
  4. Subsidiarity

Explanation

Ministerial responsibility is the convention that ministers answer to parliament for their departments' conduct and may be expected to resign over serious failures. Judicial review concerns court oversight of public decisions, while subsidiarity concerns levels of decision-making.

Question 6Political Structures and Institutions

Which body typically performs the function of constitutional interpretation in a system with strong judicial review?

  1. The cabinet
  2. The electoral commission
  3. The central bank
  4. The constitutional or supreme court Correct answer.

Explanation

Where strong judicial review exists, a constitutional or supreme court interprets the constitution and can invalidate inconsistent laws. Cabinets, central banks, and electoral commissions perform different functions.

Question 7Political Structures and Institutions

What does a proportional representation electoral system primarily aim to achieve?

  1. A guaranteed single-party majority
  2. Stronger constituency ties for individual legislators
  3. A close match between parties' vote shares and seat shares Correct answer.
  4. A fixed two-party contest in every district

Explanation

PR systems allocate seats roughly in proportion to votes, improving the correspondence between national vote share and legislative representation. They do not guarantee single-party majorities and often weaken single-member constituency links.

Question 8Political Structures and Institutions

In a bicameral legislature, which role is most commonly assigned to the upper house?

  1. Conducting criminal trials for ordinary offences
  2. Acting as a revising and scrutinising chamber that reviews lower-house decisions Correct answer.
  3. Appointing the head of government
  4. Controlling monetary policy

Explanation

Upper houses usually provide a second look at legislation, offering revision and scrutiny rather than appointing executives or setting monetary policy. Their powers are typically more constrained than those of the lower house.

Question 9Political Structures and Institutions

Which concept describes the ability of courts to strike down legislation that conflicts with constitutional provisions?

  1. Comity
  2. Precedent
  3. Parliamentary sovereignty
  4. Judicial review Correct answer.

Explanation

Judicial review is the power of courts to assess legislation against the constitution and invalidate it where inconsistent. Parliamentary sovereignty instead holds that the legislature is the highest legal authority.

Question 10Political Structures and Institutions

A political system where the executive is drawn from and removable by the legislature is best described as which type?

  1. A presidential system
  2. A confederal system
  3. A parliamentary system Correct answer.
  4. A semi-presidential system

Explanation

In parliamentary systems the executive emerges from the legislature and depends on its confidence to remain in office. Presidential systems separate the executive's electoral mandate from legislative confidence, and confederal arrangements concern relations among constituent states.

Question 11Political Structures and Institutions

What is the principal purpose of an independent electoral commission?

  1. To set fiscal policy during campaigns
  2. To nominate candidates for political parties
  3. To administer elections impartially and enforce electoral rules Correct answer.
  4. To resolve constitutional disputes between branches

Explanation

Independent electoral commissions administer elections, maintain registers, and enforce campaign and funding rules impartially. They do not nominate candidates, set fiscal policy, or decide constitutional disputes.

Question 12Political Structures and Institutions

Which of the following best explains why federal systems often have a constitutional court or a strong upper house representing regions?

  1. To give regional units a voice in national decisions and arbitrate jurisdictional disputes Correct answer.
  2. To eliminate the need for a written constitution
  3. To reduce the number of elections held nationally
  4. To centralise all authority in the national executive

Explanation

Federal systems create institutions such as regional upper houses and constitutional courts to represent constituent units and resolve disputes over jurisdictional boundaries. These institutions do not centralise power or remove the need for a constitution.

Question 13Political Structures and Institutions

In the context of executive-legislative relations, what does 'cohabitation' refer to?

  1. The joint sitting of two legislative chambers
  2. The period between an election and the formation of a government
  3. A situation where the president and the legislative majority belong to opposing parties Correct answer.
  4. A coalition of two parties in a local council

Explanation

Cohabitation arises in semi-presidential systems when a directly elected president must share power with a prime minister and legislative majority from an opposing camp. It is distinct from coalition-building in local government or joint sittings of chambers.

Question 14Political Structures and Institutions

Which statement correctly describes the relationship between a head of state and a head of government in a constitutional monarchy?

  1. Both roles are held by the upper house speaker
  2. The monarch is both head of state and head of government
  3. The monarch is head of state while a prime minister leads the government Correct answer.
  4. The prime minister is head of state and the monarch leads the government

Explanation

In a constitutional monarchy the monarch is the ceremonial head of state, while an elected or parliamentary prime minister heads the government. The roles are separate, and the monarch normally acts on ministerial advice.

Question 15Political Structures and Institutions

What is a key effect of a single-member plurality (first-past-the-post) electoral system?

  1. It guarantees that every party wins seats in proportion to votes
  2. It always produces coalition governments
  3. It tends to over-represent large parties and under-represent small ones Correct answer.
  4. It removes the need for constituency boundaries

Explanation

First-past-the-post tends to reward parties with geographically concentrated support, often inflating the largest party's seat share and disadvantaging smaller parties. It does not produce proportional outcomes and frequently yields single-party majorities.

Question 16Political Structures and Institutions

Which mechanism allows citizens in some systems to propose or repeal legislation directly?

  1. A censure motion
  2. A referendum or citizens' initiative Correct answer.
  3. A confidence motion
  4. A judicial injunction

Explanation

Referendums and citizens' initiatives allow voters to decide policy questions or propose laws directly. Confidence and censure motions are parliamentary devices aimed at the executive, while injunctions are court orders.

Question 17Political Structures and Institutions

Which of the following best describes the doctrine of the separation of powers?

  1. All power should be concentrated in a single elected assembly
  2. Each branch of government should be able to perform all functions of the others
  3. Legislative, executive, and judicial functions should be allocated to distinct bodies with checks between them Correct answer.
  4. The judiciary should be subordinate to the executive in policy matters

Explanation

The separation of powers allocates legislative, executive, and judicial functions to distinct institutions that check one another. It does not require total isolation, but it rejects concentrating all authority in one body or subordinating courts to the executive.

Question 18Political Structures and Institutions

What does 'parliamentary sovereignty' mean in the Diceyan sense?

  1. Parliament must defer to the monarch on all legislation
  2. Regional assemblies hold entrenched powers that parliament cannot alter
  3. Parliament can make or unmake any law, and courts cannot invalidate its statutes Correct answer.
  4. Courts may strike down statutes inconsistent with constitutional rights

Explanation

Diceyan parliamentary sovereignty holds that parliament is the supreme legal authority, able to legislate on any matter and not subject to judicial invalidation. This contrasts with entrenched constitutions and strong judicial review.

Question 19Political Structures and Institutions

Which institution is typically responsible for conducting monetary policy independently of elected politicians?

  1. The ministry of justice
  2. The upper house of parliament
  3. The electoral commission
  4. The central bank Correct answer.

Explanation

Central banks are typically granted operational independence to set interest rates and manage monetary policy, insulating decisions from short-term political pressure. Legislatures, justice ministries, and electoral commissions do not set monetary policy.

Question 20Political Structures and Institutions

A constitution specifies that treaty ratification requires approval by a supermajority of the legislature. Which concept does this illustrate?

  1. Institutional checks on executive power Correct answer.
  2. Executive discretion in foreign policy
  3. Judicial independence
  4. Electoral malapportionment

Explanation

Requiring legislative supermajority approval for treaties is a check that constrains unilateral executive action in foreign policy. It does not concern judicial independence or the fairness of constituency boundaries.

Question 21Political Structures and Institutions

Which of the following is the best example of a 'vote of censure' in a parliamentary system?

  1. A court ruling that a minister acted unlawfully
  2. A formal motion expressing disapproval of a minister's conduct, which may pressure them to resign Correct answer.
  3. A party leadership ballot among members
  4. A referendum on a proposed constitutional amendment

Explanation

A censure motion is a parliamentary expression of disapproval that can force ministerial resignation or resignation of the government. Court rulings, referendums, and party leadership ballots are different procedures.

Question 22Political Structures and Institutions

What is the primary function of a constitutional convention (in the sense of an unwritten rule)?

  1. To provide binding legal precedent enforceable in court
  2. To set out the procedure for amending a written constitution
  3. To allocate seats among parties after an election
  4. To govern political practice through accepted norms that may not be legally enforceable Correct answer.

Explanation

Constitutional conventions are unwritten norms that shape political behaviour, such as ministerial responsibility, and are generally enforced politically rather than by courts. They differ from legal precedent, formal amendment rules, and seat allocation formulas.

Question 23Political Structures and Institutions

In a federal system, which court typically has the final say on disputes between the central government and regional governments?

  1. The central bank's dispute panel
  2. A local magistrates' court
  3. A regional administrative tribunal
  4. The constitutional or supreme court Correct answer.

Explanation

Final authority over federal jurisdictional disputes usually rests with a constitutional or supreme court, which interprets the division of powers. Local courts, regional tribunals, and central bank panels lack that final authority.

Question 24Political Structures and Institutions

Which of the following best characterises a 'semi-presidential' system?

  1. A monarch appoints both the cabinet and the legislature
  2. The executive is chosen solely by the legislature and serves a fixed term
  3. All executive power is exercised by a collective presidency elected by parliament
  4. A directly elected president coexists with a prime minister responsible to parliament Correct answer.

Explanation

Semi-presidential systems combine a popularly elected president with a prime minister and cabinet accountable to the legislature. This dual executive can produce cohabitation when the president's opponents control the legislature.

Question 25Political Structures and Institutions

What is a 'free and fair election' primarily assessed by?

  1. The size of the winning party's majority
  2. The number of parties registered by the state
  3. Whether voters can participate freely and votes are counted accurately and impartially Correct answer.
  4. The length of the official campaign period

Explanation

Free and fair elections are assessed by whether participation is uncoerced and whether votes are cast, counted, and reported accurately under impartial administration. Majority size, registration counts, and campaign length are not the defining criteria.

Question 26Political Structures and Institutions

In a parliamentary system, what is the conventional relationship between the cabinet and the legislature that sustains the government in office?

  1. The cabinet answers only to a ceremonial head of state.
  2. The cabinet serves a fixed term that the legislature cannot shorten.
  3. The cabinet is elected directly by voters separately from the legislature.
  4. The cabinet must retain the confidence of the legislature to remain in power. Correct answer.

Explanation

In parliamentary systems the executive emerges from and is accountable to the legislature, so it survives only while it holds the confidence of the majority. Loss of confidence, for example through a censure vote, typically forces resignation or dissolution. This fusion of executive and legislative power is the defining feature that separates parliamentary from presidential systems.

Question 27Political Structures and Institutions

A constitution assigns the power to declare war jointly to the executive and the legislature, with neither able to act alone. Which principle does this arrangement most directly illustrate?

  1. Administrative devolution to regional bodies
  2. Judicial review of executive action
  3. Parliamentary sovereignty over the executive
  4. Checks and balances operating through shared powers Correct answer.

Explanation

Shared powers that require two institutions to agree before action can be taken are a classic check-and-balance device. Each branch can block the other, preventing unilateral decisions on a high-stakes matter such as war. This differs from arrangements where one institution is legally supreme or where courts review the legality of actions after the fact.

Question 28Political Structures and Institutions

A country elects its legislature using multimember districts with ranked preferences and a threshold, so seats are allocated in close proportion to vote share. Which institutional consequence is most consistent with this design?

  1. Government formation typically requires no bargaining between parties.
  2. A single dominant party usually wins a manufactured legislative majority.
  3. Constituency service becomes the dominant activity of legislators.
  4. Small parties with dispersed support can win seats, encouraging multiparty coalitions. Correct answer.

Explanation

Proportional allocation with multimember districts lowers the barrier for smaller parties that clear the threshold, so several parties usually enter the legislature. Coalition bargaining then becomes the normal route to forming a government. Majoritarian distortions and strong constituency-centred incentives are more typical of single-member plurality systems.

Question 29Political Structures and Institutions

In a federal state, which body normally resolves a deadlock between the national legislature and regional governments over the scope of their respective powers?

  1. A constitutional or supreme court exercising judicial review Correct answer.
  2. The ceremonial head of state acting alone
  3. A standing committee of the national legislature
  4. The national police and security services

Explanation

Federal systems entrench the division of powers in a written constitution, and courts with judicial review authority interpret that division when disputes arise. This gives an impartial arbiter that neither level of government controls. Political or ceremonial bodies cannot authoritatively settle constitutional boundary questions in the same way.

Question 30Political Structures and Institutions

A government loses a confidence motion but the head of state asks the incumbent prime minister to remain in a caretaker capacity until a successor is sworn in. Which principle best explains this instruction?

  1. The confidence motion has been suspended pending judicial review.
  2. The legislature has been dissolved and cannot sit during the transition.
  3. The head of state has assumed the prime minister's executive powers.
  4. Continuity of government requires that administration persist during a transition. Correct answer.

Explanation

Caretaker arrangements preserve routine administration while a government is being replaced, ensuring that public services and legal continuity are maintained. The outgoing office-holder exercises only limited, non-controversial functions and does not gain new powers. The head of state's role is to ensure a lawful transition, not to govern or to override the confidence vote.

Question 31Power, Authority and Legitimacy

Which concept describes the acknowledged right to give commands and make decisions that others accept as binding?

  1. Authority Correct answer.
  2. Coercion
  3. Persuasion
  4. Influence

Explanation

Authority is the recognised right to command, so obedience follows from acceptance of that right rather than from force or mere pressure. Coercion relies on threats, influence works through pressure without a right to command, and persuasion changes minds through argument.

Question 32Power, Authority and Legitimacy

Max Weber distinguished three pure types of legitimate domination. Which set correctly names them?

  1. Sacred, secular and popular
  2. Democratic, oligarchic and monarchic
  3. Coercive, normative and remunerative
  4. Traditional, charismatic and legal-rational Correct answer.

Explanation

Weber's typology rests on the grounds on which people believe a ruler's claim to obedience is valid: inherited custom, personal exceptional qualities, or impersonal rules. Each type therefore explains legitimacy differently rather than describing who holds office.

Question 33Power, Authority and Legitimacy

A hereditary monarch is obeyed because the throne has passed down through generations and custom is respected. Which Weberian type of legitimacy does this illustrate?

  1. Traditional authority Correct answer.
  2. Legal-rational authority
  3. Charismatic authority
  4. Coercive authority

Explanation

Traditional authority rests on the sanctity of age-old customs and the status of those who inherit position under them. Obedience is owed to the person because of inherited status, not to impersonal rules or personal heroism.

Question 34Power, Authority and Legitimacy

What does the term 'legitimacy' refer to in political analysis?

  1. The legal prohibition on challenging government decisions
  2. The justified belief that a ruler or institution has the right to rule Correct answer.
  3. The capacity to win elections by any available means
  4. The ability to fund public services through taxation

Explanation

Legitimacy concerns the belief, held by ruled and rulers alike, that power is exercised rightfully, which distinguishes it from mere power or legality. A regime can be lawful yet still lack legitimacy if people do not accept its right to rule.

Question 35Power, Authority and Legitimacy

Which thinker is most associated with describing sovereignty as the 'monopoly of legitimate violence' within a territory?

  1. John Locke
  2. Karl Marx
  3. Max Weber Correct answer.
  4. Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Explanation

Weber defined the modern state by its claim to monopolise the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory. The emphasis on legitimacy distinguishes the state's coercive capacity from that of rival armed groups.

Question 36Power, Authority and Legitimacy

In political theory, what is meant by 'power' in its most general sense?

  1. The formal legal permission to occupy public office
  2. The distribution of income across social groups
  3. The duty of citizens to obey the law
  4. The capacity to produce intended effects on others' actions or on outcomes Correct answer.

Explanation

Power is generally understood as the capacity to bring about intended effects, including shaping others' behaviour or securing outcomes. It is broader than legal office-holding, which is one institutionalised form power may take.

Question 37Power, Authority and Legitimacy

Which statement best captures the difference between power and authority?

  1. Power is the capacity to affect outcomes, while authority is the recognised right to do so Correct answer.
  2. Power is always legitimate, while authority is always coercive
  3. Power is exercised only by states, while authority is exercised only by individuals
  4. Authority exists only in democracies, while power exists in all regimes

Explanation

Power refers to the capacity to produce effects, whereas authority adds a recognised entitlement to command. A group may hold power without authority, and an office may hold authority that is weakly backed by actual power.

Question 38Power, Authority and Legitimacy

Steven Lukes' 'three faces of power' framework identifies a third dimension in which power operates. Which description matches that third face?

  1. Setting the agenda of issues that reach debate
  2. Threatening sanctions to secure compliance
  3. Shaping people's preferences and beliefs so that they do not perceive grievances Correct answer.
  4. Winning formal decisions in legislative votes

Explanation

Lukes' third dimension concerns the shaping of wants and perceptions, so that conflict never surfaces because people accept existing arrangements. The first face is open decision-making and the second is agenda-setting, which are distinct from preference formation.

Question 39Power, Authority and Legitimacy

A government loses an election and hands over power peacefully, and most citizens regard the result as binding even though they disagree with it. Which concept best explains why the outcome is accepted?

  1. Charismatic domination
  2. Monopoly of violence
  3. Coercive capacity
  4. Legitimacy of the electoral process Correct answer.

Explanation

Acceptance of an unwelcome result indicates that the process itself is regarded as rightful, which is the core of legitimacy. The transfer occurs without coercion, and no personal charisma or armed capacity explains the acceptance.

Question 40Power, Authority and Legitimacy

Which of the following best describes 'legal-rational' authority in Weber's typology?

  1. Obedience is owed to impersonal rules and to offices defined by those rules Correct answer.
  2. Obedience is owed to a leader's extraordinary personal gifts
  3. Obedience is owed to a lineage that has always ruled
  4. Obedience is owed to religious scripture interpreted by priests

Explanation

Legal-rational authority locates the right to command in general rules and in the offices they create, so officials are obeyed as officeholders. This makes it impersonal and compatible with bureaucracy, unlike personal or hereditary claims.

Question 41Power, Authority and Legitimacy

A party wins a clear parliamentary majority and passes legislation, but surveys show most citizens believe the party has no moral right to govern. Which conclusion follows from the distinction between power and legitimacy?

  1. The government holds power but lacks legitimacy Correct answer.
  2. The government's power automatically confers legitimacy
  3. The government has neither power nor legitimacy
  4. The government has legitimacy but lacks power

Explanation

The government demonstrably exercises power by legislating, yet widespread rejection of its moral right to govern shows a legitimacy deficit. Power and legitimacy are separate dimensions, so possessing one does not guarantee the other.

Question 42Power, Authority and Legitimacy

Which concept refers to a situation in which people comply with commands because they fear punishment rather than because they accept the commander's right to rule?

  1. Consent
  2. Coercion Correct answer.
  3. Legitimacy
  4. Authority

Explanation

Coercion secures compliance through threatened costs, which is compliance without acceptance of a right to command. Authority and legitimacy both involve belief in the rightful exercise of power, and consent implies willing agreement.

Question 43Power, Authority and Legitimacy

Which example best illustrates the second face of power as described by Bachrach and Baratz?

  1. A legislator persuades colleagues during a floor debate
  2. A party wins a referendum by mobilising voters
  3. A dominant group keeps an inconvenient issue off the council agenda so it is never voted on Correct answer.
  4. A citizen obeys a police officer at a checkpoint

Explanation

The second face concerns non-decision-making: limiting the agenda so that challenging issues never reach formal consideration. Open debate and voting belong to the first face, and individual obedience to an officer is not agenda control.

Question 44Power, Authority and Legitimacy

Which of the following is characteristic of charismatic authority?

  1. It rests on codified rules applied by trained officials
  2. It rests on the sanctity of inherited custom
  3. It rests on a leader's perceived exceptional qualities and tends to be unstable over time Correct answer.
  4. It rests on a written constitution enforced by courts

Explanation

Charismatic authority depends on followers' belief in a leader's extraordinary gifts, which makes it personal and difficult to sustain beyond the leader's lifetime. Rule-bound and hereditary forms locate authority differently.

Question 45Power, Authority and Legitimacy

The idea of a 'social contract' is used in political theory primarily to explain what?

  1. Why economic classes inevitably conflict
  2. Why states must maintain standing armies
  3. Why monarchs inherit their right to rule through bloodline
  4. Why individuals could be understood as having consented to be governed Correct answer.

Explanation

Social contract theories such as Hobbes', Locke's and Rousseau's imagine a transition from a state of nature to civil society, grounding political obligation in consent. They are arguments about the justification of authority, not descriptions of heredity or class conflict.

Question 46Power, Authority and Legitimacy

In democratic theory, what is the main function of 'accountability' mechanisms such as free elections and parliamentary scrutiny?

  1. To guarantee that rulers always make correct policy choices
  2. To allow those subject to power to judge and sanction those who exercise it Correct answer.
  3. To replace the need for any legal limits on government
  4. To concentrate decision-making in a single institution

Explanation

Accountability makes rulers answer for their conduct to those they govern, with the possibility of sanction such as removal from office. It constrains and disciplines power but cannot guarantee wise decisions or substitute for legal limits.

Question 47Power, Authority and Legitimacy

Which concept describes the situation where a state's institutions are widely regarded as the proper framework for political competition, even among losing parties?

  1. Fiscal capacity
  2. Electoral turnout
  3. Administrative efficiency
  4. Regime legitimacy Correct answer.

Explanation

When even losers accept institutions as the proper arena of contestation, the regime itself enjoys legitimacy. Efficiency, revenue and turnout are performance indicators that do not by themselves show acceptance of the framework.

Question 48Power, Authority and Legitimacy

An analyst argues that a state's power is 'relational' rather than merely 'possessive'. What does this mean?

  1. Power is exercised in relationships between actors and depends on the context of those relationships Correct answer.
  2. Power is only exercised through military force
  3. Power is identical to formal legal authority
  4. Power is a fixed resource that an actor owns and can store like money

Explanation

A relational view treats power as something exercised in interaction, so its extent depends on the parties involved and the setting. The possessive view treats power as a stored resource, which the relational view rejects as incomplete.

Question 49Power, Authority and Legitimacy

Which situation most clearly shows a legitimacy crisis rather than a temporary loss of popularity?

  1. A short-term fall in export earnings
  2. A governing party slipping in opinion polls before an election
  3. Sustained mass rejection of the regime's basic right to rule across major social groups Correct answer.
  4. A minister resigning after a personal scandal

Explanation

A legitimacy crisis involves broad, enduring rejection of the regime's fundamental right to rule, not merely dissatisfaction with incumbents or outcomes. Popularity swings, scandals and economic dips can occur within a regime whose legitimacy remains intact.

Question 50Power, Authority and Legitimacy

Which claim about the relationship between legality and legitimacy is most defensible?

  1. Legitimacy always follows automatically from legal validity
  2. Illegitimate decisions are by definition unlawful
  3. Legality and legitimacy are identical because both derive from statute
  4. A decision can be legally valid yet widely regarded as illegitimate Correct answer.

Explanation

Legality concerns conformity with legal rules, whereas legitimacy concerns acceptance of the right to rule or decide. Because belief and law are different standards, a lawful decision can still be rejected as illegitimate.