'Test Your Knowledge' Tutorial: Quiz on the Declaration of Independence

Quiz on the Declaration of Independence	Background Source: the Collegiate Encyclopedia, by Grolier, Inc.: New York, 1969. (Yep, I still have every single volume!)
1. By July 4, 1776, there were (how many?) ___________ North American colonies.	a. 27 b.18 c. 13 d. 48
2. Who wrote the January 1776 document proclaiming the inevitability of American independence from England entitled Common Sense?	a. Benjamin Franklin b. Patrick Henry c. George Washington d. Thomas Paine
3. On July 4, 1776 which governing body adopted the formal document known as the Declaration of Independence?	a. Congress of the United States b. Continental Congress c. Parliament d. Bicameral Legislature
4. (True or False) By the time this document was adopted, the English Parliament had already declared the colonies in rebellion and forbidden trade with the Americans.	a. true b. false
5. On June 7, 1776, which gentleman introduced a resolution that called for independence? (If you know this one, you're brilliant!)	a. Richard Henry Lee b. John Adams c. Thomas Jefferson d. Roger Sherman
6. Which Virginian was the main author of the Declaration of Independence?	a.George Washington b. John Hart c. Thomas Jefferson d. Thomas Paine
7. Benjamin Franklin and John Adams also contributed to the writing of the Declaration of Independence, which reflects the ideas of 17th and 18th-century political philosophers, particularly the philosopher ______________.	a. Charles Darwin b. John Locke c. George Washington d. Albrecht Camus
8. There were (how many?) ________ signers of the Declaration of Independence.	a. 56 b. 58 c. 254 d. 3
9. Which slaveholder submitted a passage which was deleted containing a grievance against the King for aiding and abetting the slave trade and forbidding colonial governments to suppress it?	a. George Washington b. John Adams c. Thomas Jefferson d. Samuel Huntington
10. In which city did this second Continental Congress meet behind closed doors and windows in the dead of summer without air-conditioning to debate and adopt the Declaration of Independence?	a. Washington D.C. b. Boston c. Jamestown d. Philadelphia
11. According to the Declaration of Independence governments derive their powers from:	a. the consent of the governed (i.e., the people agree to be governed by said government) b. the official church c. the monarch d. the aristocrats
12. The Declaration of Independence has two parts: the first is an eloquent _____________ describing the theory of political revolution.	a. epilogue b. obituary c. preamble d. afterthought
13. The document states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created __________,..."	a. inequal (not the same) b. equal (the same) c. inferior (lower) d. superior (higher)
14. The author continues, "that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are ____, ______, and the ______.	a. life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness b. life, liberty, and the pursuit of pleasure c. life, liberty, and man's freedom to do whatever pleases him d. life, unrestricted freedom, and the pursuit of happiness
15. (True or False) The Declaration of Independence continues, "That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends [of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness], it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish that government, and to institute a new government.	a. true b. false
16. The document then states that this newly formed government should be founded on such principles [as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness] and organized in ways that they believe will best bring about their ________ and _______.	a. Economic Security and Happiness b. Freedom of Worship and Happiness c. Right to Privacy and Happiness d. Safety and Happiness
17. The document continues that it is the right and duty of the people to throw off a government and "provide new Guards for their future security" a government that has shown through repeated abuses that its aim is to reduce the people under absolute ________.	a. Despotism (tyranny) b. Liberty c. Legalism d. Anarchy
18. (True or False) One of the abuses the King is accused of is "render[ing] the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power."	a. True b. False
19. The document further accuses the King: "He has incited insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless ________ ________, whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions." (* Hint: My ancestors were some of these.)	a. African Pygmies b. Mongolian Hordes c. Indian Savages d. Plundering Visigoths
20. Declaring themselves to be "free and independent states" with " the full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which independent states may of right do," the Declaration of Independence ends with this pledge, "with firm reliance on the protection of _______ ______, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."	a. Dalai Lama b. Divine Providence c. Mother Nature d. Plato's Republic
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independence.html
Created July 1, 1999
By Susan Pebworth Armstrong
Last Update: November 21, 2004

'Test Your Knowledge' Tutorial: Questions

Quiz on the Declaration of Independence