1.3 Practice Questions

The chart below describes three historic documents that influenced colonists’ views of government. Which phrase completes the chart?

• The colonists declared their independence from English rule.
• The colonists declared their alliance with Parliament against the king.
• The king agreed not to collect new taxes without the approval of Parliament.
• It introduced colonial self-government

What influence did Thomas Paine’s Common Sense (1776) have on the colonists?

• It established the framework for their later system of government.
• It persuaded them to declare independence and establish a representative self-government.
• It divided Northern and Southern colonists by calling for an end to slavery in the American colonies.
• It reconciled them with King George III of England.

The diagram below shows the influence of a historic document. Which phrase completes the diagram?

• All human beings possess certain natural rights.
• Natural law is based on the exercise of human reason.
• Government’s power needs to be limited and new taxes should be approved by the people’s representatives.
• The best governments separate their powers into three branches.

What is one characteristic that the Magna Carta and the Declaration of Independence have in common?

• They both established a system of checks and balances.
• They both emphasized the importance of limited government.
• They both were written in the 18th century.
• They both created a new form of government.

The information below summarizes important ideas contained in a historic document.

• It promised the right to life, liberty and property.
• It promised a speedy and fair jury trial.
• It promised no excessive punishments.

Which document had these ideas?

• Magna Carta
• English Bill of Rights
• Mayflower Compact
• Declaration of Independence

What was the significance of Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense?

• It was a published document outlining personal rights in Great Britain.
• It was an influential work calling for independence from Great Britain.
• It was a popular almanac instructing colonial farmers.
• It was a written framework of colonial government.

How did the English Bill of Rights influence delegates to the Constitutional Convention (Founding Fathers)?

• It was submitted as a model for the new constitution.
• It spelled out the proper role for the legislative branch as the representative of the people.
• It had established several rights that the delegates wished to guarantee in the new constitution.
• It was the first document to limit the power of the monarch.

Use the quotation to answer the question. "But where, say some, is the King of America? I’ll tell you, friend, he reigns above, and doth not make havoc of mankind like the Royal Brute of Great Britain." —Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776 Which idea is found in Thomas Paine’s Common Sense?

• The government should be ruled by a monarchy.
• The people have the right to overthrow a government that breaks the social contract.
• Independence from Britain is not necessary.
• The Constitution should be based on British law.

Use the quotation to answer the question. "No freeman shall be taken, imprisoned, . . . or in any other way destroyed . . . except by the lawful judgement of his peers or by the law of the land." — excerpt from Magna Carta Which statement best expresses how Magna Carta shaped the colonists’ views of government?

• They supported three branches of government.
• They believed that citizens should be able to petition the government for changes in laws.
• They expected government to protect free speech and property rights.
• They believed leaders should obey the law and that citizens had a right to trial by jury.

Which document was an agreement by early American settlers that provided for self-government?

• The U.S. Constitution
• The Mayflower Compact
• The Articles of Confederation
• The Declaration of Independence