WorksheetsCivics Unit 3: Foundations of American Democracy
Total questions: 23
Worksheet time: 12mins
What do an absolute monarch and autocracy have in common?
A single ruler
A written Constitution
A national court system
A single legislative house
Which form of government gives the most power to ordinary citizens?
Autocracy
Oligarchy
Absolute Monarchy
Representative Democracy
Which statement best describes a socialist government?
Primary political power rests with local government
Taxes are low, but government services are extremely limited
The government owns several basic industries and provides many services at no cost
Private property is abolished and all goods and services are provided to citizens by the government
Which might be considered an advantage of the type of monarchy shown on the right (Absolute Monarchy)?
It can negotiate peace treaties
It can act more quickly in a crisis
It provides stronger guarantees of individual rights
It representatives can meet with foreign dignitaries
The statement is an excerpt from the Magna Carta (1215).
What right was guaranteed in this excerpt?
no taxation without representation
freedom of the press
freedom of religion
trial by jury
According to John Locke, which agreements did individuals enter into to form their own society?
English Bill of Rights
Mayflower Compact
Social Contract
U.S. Constitution
How was Locke's Social Contract theory related to his belief in "Natural Law"?
He argued subjects had the right to rebel against a ruler who acted against natural law.
He argued that whatever the king did was according to natural law.
He argued that natural law required the colonists to be given their independence.
He argued that God had especially chosen kings to rule over their subjects as part of natural law.
The statements are from three of the fist amendents to the U.S. Constituion. Which earlier document contained similar rights?
Magna Carta (1215)
The Mayflower Compact (1620)
The English Bill of rights (1689)
Montesquier's Spirit of the Laws (1784)
The diagram indicates that the colonists based someof their political views on historic documents. Which phrase completes the diagram?
Natural law
Separation of powers
Divine Right of Kings
Guarantees of individual rights
Which grievance contributed to the American colonists' desire for independence?
British policies had made frontier lands too expensive
The King had denied the colonists their freedom of religion
The British government had been too generous to the indian tribes
The British government had taxed the colonists without their consent
Read the statement and then answer the questions below. "...our liberty which cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press...." (Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 1786) Why should this freedom be guarded?
To establish a relationship between the government and the media
To keep the media from controlling the political process
To prevent the government from being the primary source of information
to provide the government with accurate sources of information
Why did Parliament eventually repeal the Stamp Act of 1765, which taxed Newspapers and playing cards?
The colonists established a blockade against British goods
The colonists were able to produce more agricultural items
The colonists started to boycott British goods
The colonists stopped trading with each other
The passage below was written by Thomas Paine in his 1776 book, Common Sense. Based on this passage, with which complaint against the king from the Declaration of Independence would Thomas Paine agree?
Taking away political rights
Persecuting immigrant groups
Taking away religious rights
Persecuting racial groups
Why did the colonists tar and feather tax collectors?
to protect their being taxed without their consent
to protest the high cost of British manufactured goods
to protest British involvement in the French and Indian War
to protest the quartering of troops in the colonists own homes
Which document publicized the concept of "natural rights", later found in the Declaration of Independence?
Magna Carta
The English Bill of Rights
The Mayflower Compact
John Locke's explanation of the Social Contract
According to the Declaration of Independence, which statement describes the role of government?
Expand and glorify the state
Protect the unalienable rights of individuals
Protect the rights and privileges of His Majesty, the King
Promote the general welfare of the community by creating a social equality
How did the British Government respond to the colonists' actions after the Boston Tea Party?
It declared the colonists to be in a state of open rebellion and outside the King's protection
It ordered troops to fire on colonial demonstrators in a public square in Boston.
It passed the Intolerable Acts; thereby closing Boston Harbor
It recognized colonial grievances and agreed not to pass any more taxes.
According to the passage in the Declaration of Independence, what is the principal role of the government?
to promote the greater social equality
To protect the natural rights of citizens
To glorify the ruler in the eyes of the Creator
To help individuals cooperate against the forces of nature
What are the "natural rights" that are specifically expressed in the Declaration of Independence?
Life, liberty and goods
LIfe, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
Liberty, independence and freedom
liberty, freedom and riches
Which statement describes the influence of "Natural Laws" beliefs on Enlightenment thinkers?
They argued it was natural for subjects to obey established governments
They claimed church teachings should not be challenged since they rested on natural law
They believed that royal power was natural because it was based on Divine Right
They questioned any practices that seemed to go against reason and natural law
Which Enlightenment philosopher created the political concept of limiting government power by separating its functions among differnt branches?
Baron de Montesquieu
Benjamin Franklin
John Locke
Thomas Jefferson
According to the passage from the Declaration of Independence, where does government get its power from?
By promoting greater social equality
From the people
From their Creator
By helping individuals cooperate against forces of nature
Analyze the diagram; Which colonial grievance completes the diagram?
Colonialists demand more agricultural trade
Colonists demand more military assistance
Colonists demand for political change
Colonialists demand more religious freedom
