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Ch. 2 Americans Declare their Independence

Total questions: 12

Worksheet time: 6mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which grievance contributed to the American colonists' desire for independence?

a)

British policies had made frontier lands too expensive.

b)

The King had denied the colonists their freedom of religion.

c)

The British government had been too generous to the Indian tribes.

d)

The British government had taxed the colonists without their consent.

2.

What was the main purpose of the tar-and-feathering shown in the British caricature of the colonists?

a)

to protest their being taxed without their consent

b)

to protest the high cost of British manufactured goods

c)

to protest British involvement in the French and Indian War.

d)

to protest the quartering of troops in colonists' own homes.

3.

The diagram below describes events leading to the Declaration of Independence. Which event completes the diagram?

a)

British give up the attempt to tax the colonists.

b)

British apply armed force against the colonists.

c)

British agree to give the colonists their independence.

d)

British grant the colonists representation in Parliament.

4.

In the 1760s, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act, Townshend duties, Tea Act, and Intolerable Acts. What was the impact of these British policies?

a)

Indian tribes were able to keep their lands.

b)

Colonists began to think of becoming independent.

c)

The British government was able to pay off its debts.

d)

The French were defeated in the French and Indian War.

5.

Which complaint against King George II is stated in the Declaration of Independence?

a)

He had quartered his troops among the colonists.

b)

He had forced the colonists to accept the practice of slavery.

c)

He had required the colonists to trade with French merchants.

d)

He had failed to defend the colonists in the French and Indian War

6.

Which document publicized the concept of "natural rights," later found in the Declaration of Independence?

a)

Magna Carta

b)

The English Bill of Rights

c)

The Mayflower Compact

d)

John Locke's explanation of Social Contract

7.

According to the Declaration of Independence, what was an "unalienable right" that all governments should protect?

a)

the right to social equality

b)

the right to personal liberty

c)

the right to religious equality

d)

the right to elect government officials

8.

The passage above comes from the Declaration of Independence(1776). Which section of the Declaration contained this passage?

a)

its list of colonial grievances

b)

its justification of the conduct of the colonists

c)

its theory of government base on a social contract

d)

its announcement of American independence from Britain

9.

Which statement best describes the role of government according to the Declaration of Independence?

a)

"The main purpose of government is to expand and glorify the state."

b)

"The main purpose of government is to protect the unalienable rights of individuals."

c)

"The main purpose of government is to protect the rights and privileges of His Majesty, the King."

d)

"The main purpose of government is to promote the general welfare of the community by taking steps toward social equality."

10.

The passage above comes from the Declaration of Independence. According to this passage, what is the principal role of government?

a)

To promote greater social equality

b)

To protect the natural rights of citizens

c)

To glorify the ruler in the eyes of the Creator

d)

To help individuals cooperate against the forces of nature

11.

The diagram above summarizes ideas from the Declaration of Independence. Which statement completes the diagram?

a)

Because governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, they are incapable of acting against the people.

b)

Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to take peaceful measures to alter those policies.

c)

Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government.

d)

Because governments derive their powers from the consent of the governed, it is the obligation of the people to obey their government whatever it commands.

12.

Based on the Declaration of Independence, which is a natural right?

a)

the right to vote

b)

the right to bear arms

c)

the right to pursue happiness

d)

the right to equal protection of the laws