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?

   • Helped set what would be discussed
   • Decided court cases as jurors
   • Ruled Athens as its king
   • 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
   • Picked by the king of Athens
   • 5,000 or 6,000 who came to vote
   • Elected for life by the courts

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 people
   • Rule by the army
6. 4.

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

   • Picked at random, like drawing names
   • Chosen by a vote of the people
   • Chosen by the oldest family
   • Chosen because they owned land
7. 5.

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

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

   Who voted on laws in Athens, Tala asks?

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

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

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

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

    • About 1,500 years ago
    • About 2,500 years ago
    • About 250 years ago
    • About 500 years ago
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
    • The law: 451 is a smaller number
    • Both in the same year
12. 10.

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

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