Question

Read the following passage from Freedom of Expression in the United States:

History has shown that curtailing free expression by banning speech does not advance democracy. The drafters of the U.S. Constitution recognized that when governments forbid citizens from talking about certain topics, it often forces those citizens to discuss such topics secretly. By allowing individuals to express their opinions — no matter how much the government and other citizens may disagree with them — the First Amendment promotes transparency and social stability. This uninhibited public debate also forces ideas into the intellectual marketplace, where they must compete with the ideas freely expressed by other individuals. This competition of ideas means that inferior or offensive ideas give way to better ones.

Which statement best summarizes the main idea of this passage?

Question 6 options:

a) The main idea of this passage says that the people who wrote the U.S. Constitution wanted to ban free speech.

b) The main idea of this passage is the First Amendment encourages citizens to discuss topics secretly.

c) The main idea of this passage says that democracy is limited when free expression is restricted, and speech is banned.

d) The main idea of this passage is that bad ideas are harmful to a democracy.

Answer 1

a) main idea is they where they were allowing citizens from talking about certain topics and by allowing individuals to express their opinions

Answer 2

c) The main idea of this passage says that democracy is limited when free expression is restricted, and speech is banned.

Step-by-step explanation:

The passage states that curtailing free expression by banning speech does not advance democracy and that the drafters of the U.S. Constitution recognized that when governments forbid citizens from talking about certain topics, it often forces those citizens to discuss such topics secretly. The passage also notes that the First Amendment promotes transparency and social stability by allowing individuals to express their opinions, regardless of whether the government or other citizens disagree with them. Additionally, the passage suggests that uninhibited public debate forces ideas into the intellectual marketplace where they must compete with the ideas of others, which helps ensure that inferior or offensive ideas are replaced by better ones. The other answer choices do not accurately reflect the information provided in the passage.