Acceptability of the government in power by the governed is known as

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks for the term describing how far the people (the governed) accept the government in power as rightful and worthy of obedience.

Step 2: Explain the concepts

• Legitimacy: The popular acceptance of a government and its right to rule. When citizens accept that those in power gained and use power rightfully, the government is legitimate.
• Sovereignty: The supreme power of a state to make laws and govern itself without outside control.
• Democracy: A system of government in which power is vested in the people, who exercise it directly or through elected representatives.
• Authority: The legal or recognized right to exercise power and make decisions. It is the right to command, not the people's acceptance of it.

Step 3: Work through the options

• B. Sovereignty concerns supreme power and independence, not acceptance by the people. ✘
• C. Democracy is a type of government, not a measure of how acceptable it is. ✘
• D. Authority is the right to rule, not the acceptance of that rule by the governed. ✘
• A. Legitimacy is the acceptance of the government by the governed. ✔

Step 4: Answer The correct option is A. legitimacy.

Tip: Link the word "legitimacy" with "legit," meaning accepted as genuine or valid. If a question talks about the people's acceptance or approval of a government, think legitimacy. If it talks about the right to give orders, think authority. If it talks about supreme power or independence, think sovereignty.