3. "... Nor is there liberty if the power of judging is not separate from legislative power and from executive power. If it were joined to legislative power, the power over the life and liberty of the citizens would be arbitrary, for the judge would be the legislator. If it were joined to executive power, the judge could have the force of an oppressor .- by Montesquieu from The Spirit of the Laws. In this passage, Montesquieu is making reference to *

The correct answer is A separation of powers

Explanation:

In this text, Montesquieu refers to the importance the legislative, judicial, and executive powers are not held by only one person or entity. This is explained by Montesquieu in ideas such as "Nor is there liberty if the power of judging is not separate from legislative power and from executive power" as he illustrates tyranny, excess of power, oppression, among others might result from the different powers being together. All of this is related to the concept of separation of powers or the idea powers should be distributed in different branches, which occurs in governments such as the one of the U.S.

it teaches readers about an interesting chinese custom and causes them to determine that the minister is trying to be polite