686 MCGRAW-HILL’S SAT
Detailed Answer Key
Section 1
Consider carefully the issue discussed in the following passage, then write an essay that answers the ques-
tion posed in the assignment.The best leaders are not those who seek power or have great political skill. Great
leaders—and these are exceptionally rare, especially today—represent the best selves of
the people they represent.Assignment: What are the most important qualities of a leader?Write an essay in which you answer
this question and discuss your point of view on this issue. Support your position logically
with examples from literature, the arts, history, politics, science and technology, current
events, or your experience or observation.The following essay received 6 points out of a possible 6. This means that, according to the graders, it- develops an insightful point of view on the topic
- demonstrates exemplary critical thinking
- uses effective examples, reasons, and other evidence to support its thesis
- is consistently focused, coherent, and well organized
- demonstrates skillful and effective use of language and sentence structure
- is largely (but not necessarily completely) free of grammatical and usage errors
There is no more important decision that a citizen
can make than one’s choice of a leader. I am inclined
to agree with Thomas Hobbes, who believed that hu-
mans are hardly better than other mammals without
a social contract that binds us to work together as a
society. Artists could not survive in a society that does
not provide a means of trading art for food. Great
teachers cannot survive in a society without a means
of trading wisdom for shelter. This requires a social
order, a division of labor, and a group we call leaders.
Yet we know that power corrupts, and absolute power
corrupts absolutely. So how do we maintain a just so-
ciety when we must bestow corrupting powers upon
members of that society?
Those who seek power are too often not our best
leaders, but rather our best politicians. George Bush,
John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan came to power
not so much because of their visionary leadership but
because of their appeal to a television-viewing audi-
ence. The problems with democracy are well known.
In order to become elected, most politicians must ap-
peal to a broad range of citizens. To gain this appeal,
they must pander to their constituents, and often take
conflicting or equivocal stances on issues. Of course,
the politicians claim that they are taking “forceful
stances” to “bring the people together.” But it is far
more likely that they are simply doing their best to
make everyone happy without putting their feet in
their mouths.
So why is democracy the best way of electing a
leader? Because the alternatives are much worse. To
gain power, one must either use force or pander to
those who do. Which is a better alternative? A country
is weak if its people do not support it, and, at the very
least, a democracy can claim a good degree of public
support. Even more importantly, only a democracy al-
lows for the possibility of finding a reluctant leader
with genuine leadership skills. It doesn’t happen often
enough, but when it does, it is breathtaking. Witness
the phenomenon of Howard Dean’s campaign for
the 2004 Democratic nomination for president, or
Ross Perot’s run in 1992. Neither was ultimately suc-
cessful, but both demonstrated the potential of moti-
vated citizens to change their country.
Without democracy, there is no hope for an ordi-
nary citizen to change his or her country. What makes
America great is not that its policies are always cor-
rect. Indeed, they are often deeply flawed. What makes
America great is that it is run by those who are not
even seeking power: the citizens.