Origins and Foundations of
American Government
Session 5: Sample Assessment Items

Asterisk (*) indicates correct answer.

1.     The United States acquired which of the following concepts from Ancient Athens?
A.     Trial by jury
B.     Protection of private property
C.     Direct democracy*
D.     Due process of law

2.     Which of the following documents includes the guarantee of the right of petition?
A.     Magna Carta
B.     English Bill of Rights*
C.     Declaration of Independence
D.     English Petition of Rights

3.     Which of the following philosophers is known for his belief that people have the right to life, liberty, and property?
A.     Montesquieu
B.     Hobbes
C.     Rousseau
D.     Locke*

4.     The charters of the Virginia Company of London
A.     extended basic rights of Englishmen to American colonists.*
B.     applied to all colonists living in the New England colonies.
C.     extended to Englishmen living in land held by France.
D.     applied to American Indians (First Americans).

5.     Montesquieu proposed which of the following concepts of government in his writings?
A.     All men are created equal.
B.     Free elections
C.     Limited government
D.     Separation of powers*