Final answer:
Democracy is where government power comes from the people. The United States operates as a republic or representative democracy, where the people elect representatives such as members of Congress and the president. The answer to the fill-in-the-blanks question is: 1) Constitution, representatives.
Step-by-step explanation:
Democracy is defined by the fact that government gets its power from the people. In democracy, all citizens take part in government policy by voting on issues. In a democracy, citizens choose people to act on their behalf in government. Madison described a republic as any system with representatives that manage the government. Therefore, the answer to the student's question would be: 1) Constitution, representatives.
The United States can best be described as a republic, or representative democracy, where citizens elect representatives to make policy decisions on their behalf instead of voting on each issue directly. Although it champions democratic ideology, the U.S. is not a 'pure' democracy but a constitution-based federal republic. The term representative democracy, which is virtually synonymous with the republic, is a system where citizens elect representatives to promote policies that favor their interests.