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
   • Helped set what would be discussed
   • Voted on laws and big decisions
3. 2.

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

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

4. 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.

5. 3.

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

   • Rule by a few rich families
   • Rule by one king
   • Rule by the army
   • Rule by the people
6. 4.

   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
7. 5.

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

   • A full member with rights in government
   • A worker owned by another person
   • Anyone who lived in the city, even visitors
   • A visitor from another city
8. 6.

   Who voted on laws in Athens, Tala asks?

   • A king and his advisers
   • Male citizens in the Assembly
   • The Council of 500 by itself
   • Elected members of Congress
9. 7.

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

   • The Council of 500
   • One king
   • The President
   • The juries in the courts
10. 8.

    Who decided court cases in Athens, Ari asks?

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

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

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

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

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