Which of the following does the final sentence rely on?
In a genuine emergency, governments reasonably claim extra powers: to detain suspects, to limit assembly, to requisition property. The difficulty is not that such powers exist but that they are rarely returned. History suggests that emergency measures are retained by default, because no minister wishes to be the one who relaxed the rules before the next attack. A safeguard is possible: legislate powers only for a fixed period, require a renewed vote to extend them, and provide for a review by someone outside government. These provisions have a price, for they make emergency action slower and more public. That price is worth paying. A power that expires unless defended is much less likely to be abused than one that lasts unless repealed.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: E. That it is harder to maintain a power that needs repeated approval than one that needs repeated challenge to remove
- Step 1: The sentence contrasts a power that expires unless defended with one that lasts unless repealed.
- Step 2: It assumes inertia works in favour of whichever is the default.
Answer
That it is harder to maintain a power that needs repeated approval than one that needs repeated challenge to remove.
Why not the others: The sentence needs neither universal opposition by ministers, relative frequency of use, no further need, nor length as the sole factor.
Practise more Emergency powers.
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