Maryland HSA Government Practice Test 2026 - Free Practice Questions and Study Guide

In a representative democracy, people choose others to make decisions on their behalf. Citizens vote for representatives who will create laws and govern, handling many issues and policies instead of each person deciding every detail themselves. This setup is different from a direct democracy, where citizens govern directly without intermediaries. It’s also not a monarchy, where power rests with a monarch, nor is it accurate to say people decide all economic production—the economy is guided by laws and policies shaped by elected officials. So the best description is that people elect others to make decisions for them.