Question

the principle that government can only do what its people give it the authority to do is called
○ separation of powers.
○ popular sovereignty.
○ limited government.
○ checks and balances.

Explanation:

• Separation of powers refers to dividing government into branches (legislative, executive, judicial) to prevent abuse, not about authority from people.
• Popular sovereignty is the idea that the people are the source of government's power, but the description here is about government being limited by the authority people give.
• Limited government means the government's power is restricted, and one way this happens is that it can only act with the authority granted by the people (e.g., through a constitution or democratic processes).
• Checks and balances is about branches checking each other's power, not about the source of authority for government actions.

Answer:

C. limited government