Judicial review — the power of courts to assess the constitutionality of legislative and executive action — occupies a [1] position within democratic theory, as it simultaneously safeguards fundamental rights and raises troubling questions about the legitimacy of unelected judges overriding the will of elected representatives. Proponents argue that an independent judiciary is indispensable [2] protecting minority rights from the potential tyranny of majoritarian politics. Critics, conversely, contend that expansive judicial review risks [3] the proper boundaries of separation of powers, effectively transforming courts into an unaccountable super-legislature. The doctrine of judicial restraint, which counsels courts to defer to the political branches wherever reasonably possible, emerged partly in response to these concerns. Comparative constitutional scholars note that the scope of judicial review varies considerably across jurisdictions, [4] from the expansive American model to more constrained forms of parliamentary sovereignty found in the United Kingdom. Regardless of the specific institutional design, most democracies have concluded that some mechanism of constitutional oversight is necessary [5] against the erosion of fundamental rights by transient political majorities.

1. Blank [1]
   • A. precarious
   • B. contentious
   • C. ambivalent
   • D. paradoxical ✓

   The sentence describes judicial review as simultaneously protecting rights and undermining democratic legitimacy — two seemingly contradictory functions coexisting within the same institution, which is precisely what 'paradoxical' describes. 'Precarious' suggests instability or risk of collapse, not a dual, contradictory character. 'Contentious' describes reactions to a concept rather than an inherent structural feature of it. 'Ambivalent' describes mixed feelings held by a person, a poor fit for the 'position' of an abstract institutional practice.

2. Blank [2]
   • A. for
   • B. to ✓
   • C. in
   • D. toward

   'Indispensable to' is the fixed preposition phrase meaning absolutely necessary for a particular purpose — 'indispensable to protecting minority rights' is the standard formal construction. 'Indispensable for' is also used in everyday English, but 'indispensable to' is more idiomatic in academic and legal writing before a gerund phrase describing a function. 'Indispensable in' suggests a location or context rather than a purpose. 'Indispensable toward' is not an established collocation.

3. Blank [3]
   • A. exceeding
   • B. transgressing
   • C. overstepping ✓
   • D. violating

   'Overstepping boundaries' is the precise, standard idiomatic collocation for going beyond an established limit, particularly a limit of authority or jurisdiction. 'Exceeding' is grammatically possible but less idiomatic specifically with 'boundaries'. 'Transgressing' is a strong, almost moralistic term more commonly used for moral or religious rules than institutional boundaries. 'Violating' more commonly collocates with 'rights' or 'laws' rather than 'boundaries'.

4. Blank [4]
   • A. ranging ✓
   • B. stretching
   • C. spanning
   • D. varying

   'Ranging from X to Y' is the fixed idiomatic construction for describing a spectrum of variation between two extremes, standardly following 'varies... across' to specify the poles of that variation. 'Stretching from X to Y' is used more for physical or temporal distance. 'Spanning' is more standard without 'from' ('spanning X to Y'). 'Varying from X to Y' would create redundancy with the earlier verb 'varies' in the same sentence.

5. Blank [5]
   • A. to guard ✓
   • B. for guarding
   • C. in guarding
   • D. toward guarding

   'Necessary to guard against X' is the standard infinitive construction expressing purpose — 'to guard against' is a fixed phrasal verb meaning to take precautions to prevent something harmful. The to-infinitive correctly follows the adjective 'necessary', which conventionally takes this form to express purpose. 'For guarding' would require a different sentence structure. 'In guarding' and 'toward guarding' are not standard constructions following 'necessary'.