Which statement summarizes Montesquieu′s view of government?

Question

The political liberty of the subject is a tranquility of mind, arising from the opinion each person has of his safety. In order to have this liberty, it is requisite for the government to be so constituted as one man need not be afraid of another. When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person or in the same body of magistrates, there can be no liberty, because apprehensions may arise, lest the same monarch or senate should enact tyrannical laws, to execute them in a tyrannical manner. Again, there is no liberty, if the power of judging be not separated from the legislative and executive powers.    ~Montesquieu, Spirit of Laws, 1748

Answer 1

Start by reading the first and last sentence of the paragraph. That is usually a good place to look for a main idea or conclusion. Take note of words or phrases that the author repeats. Here, he repeats the word "liberty." If you don't already know the meaning of the word or other words in the text, then use Google to look them up and see how the definition fits in with the rest of the paragraph.