The willingness of people to hand over their rights to a ruler in exchange for law and order in society was called the

• A. Scientific method
• B. Magna Carta
• C. Enlightenment
• D. Social contract

Answer: (D)

Social contract is the idea that people agree to surrender some freedoms to a ruler in exchange for protection, order, and the rule of law. This explains why governments have legitimacy: authority comes from the consent of the governed and the obligation to safeguard natural rights. If the ruler fails to maintain order or protect those rights, the social contract is weakened, and citizens may have grounds to change or replace the government. The other terms don’t fit as neatly: the scientific method is a method for testing ideas, Magna Carta is a historical document limiting royal power, and Enlightenment is the broader intellectual movement that produced many such ideas rather than the specific agreement itself.