Chapter 5, Lesson 2 Quiz Declaration of Independence

  1A.) Which statement about the Declaration of Independence can best be supported by the text?  

• The Declaration of Independence ended the war with Great Britain.

• The Declaration of Independence was built on Thomas Jefferson’s ideas alone.

• The Declaration of Independence states that people have rights, and government should be decided by the people.

• The Declaration of Independence created the first government of the United States.

  1B.) What two pieces of evidence from the text support the correct response to Part A?  

• “Part of the document’s success is a result of how well Jefferson made his case.”

• “It means that all people have natural rights, or rights they are born with.”

• “Another key phrase from the Preamble argues that a government derives its power from the ‘consent of the governed.’”

• “Because King George III was considered a tyrant, the Declaration states that it is the right and, more importantly, the duty of the colonists to ‘throw off’ his rule over them.”

• “This means that if the British continue to fight, the Americans will fight back.”

  2.) Which two of the following ideas are beliefs of Enlightenment thinkers?  

• Reason and knowledge help to improve people’s lives.

• Reading books and articles will only confuse ordinary people.

• The right of kings and queens to rule their subjects comes from God.

• Kings and queens should be only as powerful as their subjects allow.

• All people are connected because they signed a social contract with one another

  3) In what way were the signers of the Declaration of Independence taking a big risk?

• Signing led to arguments that caused violent protests in each state.

• Signing could have cost the signers their lives if the United States lost the war.

• Signing meant that the members of Congress would have to fight in the war.

• Signing was illegal because the signers were acting without the consent of the people.

  4.) Why is the last paragraph of the Declaration of Independence especially important?  

• It declares that the colonies are now independent from Great Britain.

• It introduces the problem that the colonists are upset with Great Britain.

• It explains that all men are created equal and have certain natural rights.

• It lists all of the things Great Britain did that the colonists are upset about.

  5.) “Paine also believed that the colonies had lived through so much tyranny that there could be no reconciliation with Great Britain. Paine put his argument into such simple language that ordinary people easily understood his ideas. His powerful pamphlet got many colonists talking about independence.” 

Which word in the passage means "the act of restoring good feelings or friendship"?  

• tyranny

• Enlightenment

• reconciliation

• argument

6. "Before this time, most people in Europe believed that kinds and queens had a divine right to rule.  This right allowed the monarchs to rule with absolute power over their subjects."

What does the word monarchs mean?

• increase in the cost of goods and services

• a king and queen who rules nations

• to discuss and bargain for a solution

• a person who defies authority

7. In what city was the Declaration of Independence signed?

• Voorhees

• Dover

• Camden

• Philadelphia