Government is ruled by the people.

• A. Political System
• B. Preamble
• C. Popular Sovereignty
• D. Physical Environment

Answer: (C)

Popular sovereignty is the idea that the people hold the authority to govern and that government derives its legitimacy from the consent of the governed. When we say that government is ruled by the people, we’re expressing that principle: citizens choose leaders, make laws, and hold those in power accountable through elections and other forms of participation. This is how democracy operates—the people’s will is the basis for political power.

It isn’t about how power is organized in general (a political system), which describes the structure of government rather than who has authority. It isn’t the opening goals stated in the Constitution (the preamble), which outlines purposes rather than who rules. And it isn’t about the land or environment (the physical environment), which is unrelated to political authority.