How democracy worked in Athens, and who could take part

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   How Athens governed itself (from 508 BCE)

   Part	Who	Job
   Assembly	male citizens who came; 5,000 or 6,000 often met	?
   Council of 500	50 citizens from each of 10 tribes, chosen by lot	helped set what the Assembly would discuss
   Courts	large juries of citizens chosen by lot	decided cases

   The cell marked ? is blank. Below the chart: in 508 BCE, Cleisthenes divided the people into 10 tribes and set up the Council of 500.

2. 1.

   Kira's chart has a blank: what was the Assembly's job?

   • Ruled Athens as its king
   • Decided court cases as jurors
   • Voted on laws and big decisions
   • Helped set what would be discussed
3. 2.

   Luz's chart has a blank: how were Council members chosen?

   • 5,000 or 6,000 who came to vote
   • Elected for life by the courts
   • 50 from each tribe, chosen by lot
   • Picked by the king of Athens
4. 3.

   Milo's chart has a blank: who sat on the juries in the courts?

   • Twelve jurors elected each year
   • Large juries of citizens chosen by lot
   • One judge chosen by the king
   • Male citizens who came to vote

5. How Athens governed itself (from 508 BCE)

   Part	Who	Job
   Assembly	male citizens who came; 5,000 or 6,000 often met	voted on laws and big decisions
   Council of 500	50 citizens from each of 10 tribes, chosen by lot	helped set what the Assembly would discuss
   Courts	large juries of citizens chosen by lot	decided cases

   Below the chart: in 508 BCE, Cleisthenes divided the people into 10 tribes and set up the Council of 500.

6. 4.

   Noah reads that democracy comes from Greek words. What does democracy mean?

   • Rule by a few rich families
   • Rule by the people
   • Rule by the army
   • Rule by one king
7. 5.

   Pia reads that Council members were chosen by lot. What does by lot mean?

   • Chosen because they owned land
   • Chosen by a vote of the people
   • Chosen by the oldest family
   • Picked at random, like drawing names
8. 6.

   Who helped set what the Assembly would discuss, Zee asks?

   • The juries in the courts
   • One king
   • The Council of 500
   • The President
9. 7.

   Who decided court cases in Athens, Ari asks?

   • The Assembly's 6,000 voters
   • A king alone
   • Large juries of citizens
   • The Council by itself
10. 8.

    Cleisthenes set up the Council in 508 BCE. About how many years ago is that, Bo asks?

    • About 250 years ago
    • About 1,500 years ago
    • About 500 years ago
    • About 2,500 years ago
11. 9.

    Which came first, Cleisthenes' Council in 508 BCE or the 451 BCE citizenship law, Esme asks?

    • The law: 451 is a smaller number
    • Neither: both are CE
    • The Council, in 508 BCE
    • Both in the same year
12. 10.

    How many years passed between 508 BCE and 451 BCE, Jun asks?

    • 570 years
    • 57 years
    • 5 years
    • 959 years