How democracy worked in Athens, and who could take part

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Who could vote in Athens (400s BCE)

   Group	Could vote?	Notes
   Adult male citizens	yes	from 451 BCE, both parents had to be Athenian; about 40,000 to 60,000 men (sources differ)
   Women of citizen families	no	not part of the voting citizen body
   Enslaved people	no	owned by others, with no political rights; sources differ on the number, from about 40,000 to more than 100,000
   Foreign residents (metics)	no	free people who lived and worked in Athens

   Below the chart: ostracism (about 487 to 416 BCE) let citizens vote to send a leader away for 10 years; it needed at least 6,000 votes.

2. 1.

   From 451 BCE, what did a man need to be a citizen, Pia asks?

   • He had to own a ship
   • He had to be chosen by lot
   • Both parents had to be Athenian
   • He had to live in Athens for one year
3. 2.

   About how many adult male citizens did Athens have, Ren asks?

   • More than 100,000 male citizens
   • About 40,000 to 60,000
   • Exactly 6,000
   • About 400 to 600
4. 3.

   Who were the metics, Tala asks?

   • Enslaved people
   • Leaders sent away from Athens for 10 years
   • Male citizens
   • Free foreigners living in Athens
5. 4.

   Which group in the chart could vote, Zee asks?

   • Women of citizen families
   • Foreign residents
   • Adult male citizens
   • Anyone living in Athens
6. 5.

   Could enslaved people vote in Athens, Ari asks?

   • Yes: any resident could vote
   • No: they had no political rights
   • Yes: if picked by lot
   • No: but they could be on the Council
7. 6.

   How many votes did an ostracism need, Esme asks?

   • At least 500
   • At least 6,000
   • Exactly 10,000
   • At least 600
8. 7.

   For how long did an ostracism send a leader away, Jun asks?

   • 100 years
   • For life
   • 10 years
   • 6,000 years
9. 8.

   Why might citizens want a way to send a leader away, Kira asks?

   • To stop one leader getting too much power
   • To pick a new king for life
   • To end the Assembly
   • To give metics the vote
10. 9.

    Milo's friend says Athens gave the vote to everyone who lived there. What is the best reply?

    • Agree: it was a democracy
    • Disagree: a king made the choices alone
    • Disagree: most residents could not vote
    • Agree: metics voted too
11. 10.

    Why does the chart give a range of 40,000 to 60,000 citizens, Noah asks?

    • Athens had just 40 citizens
    • The number of citizens changed by the day
    • The number is known exactly
    • Sources differ, so it gives a range