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?

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

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

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

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

   • One judge chosen by the king
   • Large juries of citizens chosen by lot
   • Twelve jurors elected each year
   • 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 army
   • Rule by the people
   • Rule by one king
7. 5.

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

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

   Ren reads the word citizen. What was a citizen in Athens?

   • A full member with rights in government
   • Anyone who lived in the city, even visitors
   • A visitor from another city
   • A worker owned by another person
9. 7.

   Who voted on laws in Athens, Tala asks?

   • Elected members of Congress
   • A king and his advisers
   • Male citizens in the Assembly
   • The Council of 500 by itself
10. 8.

    Who decided court cases in Athens, Ari asks?

    • Large juries of citizens
    • The Council by itself
    • A king alone
    • The Assembly's 6,000 voters
11. 9.

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

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

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

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