Direction for the following 7 (seven) items: Read the following seven passages and answer the items (21-27) that follow the passages. Your answers to these items should be based on the passages only.

“The individual, according to Rousseau, puts his person and all his power in common under the supreme direction of the general will and in our corporate capacity we receive each member as an indivisible part of the whole.”

In the light of the above passage, the nature of general will is best described as

The correct answer is Option 3: the collective good as distinct from private wills of the individuals.

Step-by-step Explanation:

1. Understanding the Passage:
According to Jean-Jacques Rousseau's statement in the passage, an individual places their person and power in common under the "supreme direction of the general will." In doing so, each member becomes an "indivisible part of the whole."

2. Analyzing the Nature of the "General Will":
The concept of the general will implies that when individuals come together into a corporate capacity or collective body, the collective entity operates for the common good/interest of the entire community, rather than merely aggregating separate private or selfish interests.

3. Evaluating the Options:
• Option 1: "the sum total of the private wills of the individuals" — Incorrect. Rousseau explicitly distinguishes the general will from the "will of all," which is merely the sum of private wills.
• Option 2: "what is articulated by the elected representatives of the individuals" — Incorrect. The passage emphasizes putting power directly in common under the general will, not delegation to representatives.
• Option 3: "the collective good as distinct from private wills of the individuals" — Correct. The general will represents the unified collective interest of the community as an indivisible whole, distinct from individual private desires.
• Option 4: "the material interests of the community" — Incorrect. The passage refers to person, power, and corporate indivisibility, which encompasses moral and political unity, not just material interests.

Therefore, the nature of the general will is best described as the collective good as distinct from private wills of the individuals.