Final answer:
The belief that political authority should rest with the people is called b. popular sovereignty. A small group of elite people holding political power defines an oligarchy. In a democracy, a king or queen does not hold the majority of governmental control, but elected officials do, and their activities are often guided by a constitution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The belief that political authority should rest with the people themselves is called b. popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty is a fundamental concept in democratic political theory, which stands in contrast to forms of government like autocracy, oligarchy, or theocracy where power is held by individuals or a specific group without the collective consent of the people.
The idea of popular sovereignty is at the heart of democratic systems and suggests that the legitimacy of a government derives from the will and consent of the governed.
In a government where a small group of elite people hold political power, it is called an oligarchy. This is distinct from a direct democracy or a monarchy, where power is either held by all the people or a single ruler, respectively.
The highest form of political power is often debated, but it is generally accepted that the sovereign, which refers to the supreme authority within a territory, holds the ultimate power.
Regarding the characteristics of a democracy, it is not true that a king or queen holds the majority of governmental control. Rather, in a democracy, people vote to elect officials and a constitution typically outlines the foundational ideas of how the government should operate, aiming to protect citizens' basic rights.