Question

Out of four alternatives, choose the one which can be substituted for the given word/sentence. State in which the few govern the many

• A. Monarchy
• B. Oligarchy
• C. Plutocracy
• D. Autocracy

Hint:

Oligarchy differs from democracy as power is concentrated in the hands of a few individuals or families, not the larger population.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

The sentence needs a word for government by a small group, not by one person and not by the people.
Monarchy and Autocracy both mean rule by a single person, so they are ruled out first. Plutocracy narrows things down to rule by the wealthy specifically, which is only one kind of "few governing many".
Oligarchy is the general term for a small group holding power over the many, which is exactly what the sentence describes.
So, the correct answer is Oligarchy.

Answer 2

These four words are often confused with each other because they all describe forms of government held by a limited set of people, so it helps to sort them by "how many rulers" and "what kind of rulers":

1. Monarchy: Number of rulers, one, a king or queen by heredity, this fails the "the few" part of the definition immediately.
2. Oligarchy: Number of rulers, a small group, and no restriction on what kind of group it is, which matches the sentence exactly, since the sentence gives no extra qualifier beyond "the few".
3. Plutocracy: Number of rulers, a small group, but restricted to being specifically the rich, this is a subtype of oligarchy and too specific for the plain sentence given.
4. Autocracy: Number of rulers, one, holding total power, this again fails the "few" requirement.

Sorting by how many people hold power narrows it to oligarchy and plutocracy, and since the sentence does not mention wealth, the general term applies.

Therefore, the correct answer is Oligarchy.