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WorksheetsArgumentative Analysis of the Declaration of Independence
Total questions: 19
Worksheet time: 15mins
Which argument most logically follows from Jefferson’s expressed ideas in the narratio in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence?
The rights of men should be supported over those of women.
Monarchy is a bad form of government because rulers are not elected.
All forms of government destroy human rights and should be abandoned.
It is the right and duty of the people to change or overthrow the form of government if it suppresses people’s rights.
Multiple answer question:
According to the Declaration of Independence, which of the following statements are among the reasons the colonies determined to break away from British rule? Choose three options.
The majority of Americans were not ethnically or culturally British
Britain was guilty of many recent abuses of its power in the colonies.
The American and British armies had already clashed on the battlefield.
Britain interfered with the operation of the legislatures in the various colonies
The American colonies did not wish to maintain any of the customs associated with being British
Whom would most likely demonstrate "tyranny?"
a rebel
a dictator
a member
a challenger
If you "acquiesce" to a plan, what is most likely true?
You end up going along with it eventually
You refuse to participate
Your ideas about the plan are ignored
Your ideas about the plan are accepted
The word rectitude is based on the Latin root -rect-, which means straight or just.
If you claimed that someone acted without "rectitude", how do you think the person most likely behaved?
rudely
carelessly
dishonestly
self-importantly
Assent is from Latin assentare/adsentare, which meant "to agree with" or "to approve."
If you "assent" to lending a friend $10, are you loaning him/her the money?
Yes
No
Haven't decided yet
If the term "alienable" means "that which can be surrendered or given up,"
what is the definition of "unalienable" as used in the Declaration of Independence?
impossible to take away or give up
oppressive power
agreement
requires or forces
According to Jefferson, what is the main purpose of a government?
To see that people get richer
To make sure other countries are scared of them
To protect everyone's basic rights.
To keep the peace by any means necessary
What is the main idea of the Declaration of Independence?
The colonies are willing to fight to the death against Britain
The colonies are justified in rejecting British rule
The king should be removed from power forcefully
The king treats his other subjects better than the colonies
In the Declaration of Independence, what is Jefferson’s purpose in listing self-evident truths?
He is expressing the values that underlie his argument.
He is demonstrating that he has a factual basis for his argument
He is drawing readers’ attention to his personal and strongly held opinions
He is creating a connection to the colonists’ attempts to reconcile with Britain
Which of the following statements from the Declaration of Independence makes the strongest pathetic (emotional) appeal to the readers of the time?
He has called together legislative bodies … for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly…
He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection...
He is at this time transporting large armies … to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny.…
The word rectify is based on the Latin root -rect-, which means straight or just.
Choose the answer that most clearly illustrates a person who is trying to rectify a situation. Base your answer on your knowledge of the Latin root -rect-.
Since he had extra time, Ichiro looked again at one question on the chemistry exam.
Wondering whether she would be able to locate a bone he had hidden, Mariano led his puppy Scarlet outside
Because she forgot his birthday, Josie sent a bouquet of flowers and a note of apology to her cousin Samson
Before she began to assemble the dish, Aliyah read the recipe carefully and gathered the ingredients.
In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson accuses Britain of “quartering large bodies of armed troops among us.” Which of the following best defines the word "quartering" as Jefferson uses it here?
providing board for extra charges
acting at fifteen-minute intervals
housing in assigned dwellings
dividing into four equal parts
What was the purpose of the Declaration of Independence?
To compromise with Great Britain
To seek peace with Great Britain
To give in to the power of King George III
To express to mankind the reasons why the colonies are declaring independence.
In the exordium, Jefferson suggests that the purpose of the Declaration of Independence is to...
win over the colonists' enemies.
to justify the colonists' actions to the world.
give fair warning to the colonists' enemies.
persuade the colonists to support independence.
Jefferson argues in the narratio that the source of a government's power is…
it's citizens.
its officials.
Natural Law.
the Creator.
The longest part of the Declaration is devoted to detailing...
the colonists' intentions regarding the future.
the structure a fair government should have.
the rights the colonists demanded from Britain.
the injuries the colonists suffered under British rule.
In the narratio, which of the following are among the "certain unalienable rights" that Jefferson names in the beginning of the Declaration EXCEPT
life.
to be able to vote.
liberty.
pursuit of happiness.
Which argument most logically follows from Jefferson’s expressed ideas in the narratio of the Declaration of Independence?
The rights of men should be supported over those of women.
Monarchy is a bad form of government because rulers are not elected.
All forms of government destroy human rights and should be abandoned.
Any form of government that suppresses people’s freedoms should be overthrown.
