Enlightenment thinkers and their ideas about rights and government

Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   John Locke

   Who made it: historians writing today. When: today. Where: Europe. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what research has found. Summary in our words, not a quotation: John Locke, an English thinker, published Two Treatises of Government in December 1689 (its title page says 1690). He argued for natural rights and for government by the consent of the governed. Source card "Montesquieu". Who made it: historians writing today. When: today. Where: Europe. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what research has found. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Montesquieu, a French thinker, published The Spirit of Laws in 1748; Thomas Nugent's English translation followed in 1750. He is the main source of the idea of the separation of powers. Source card "Jean-Jacques Rousseau". Who made it: historians writing today. When: today. Where: Europe. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what research has found. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Rousseau, a thinker from Geneva, published The Social Contract in 1762. He argued that only the general will of the people has the right to make laws.

2. 1.

   What did Locke argue government needs, Kira asks?

   • The consent of the governed
   • A general will that no one can define
   • The power of one king with no limits
   • Nothing from the people
3. 2.

   Luz reads the words separation of powers. What do they mean?

   • The king splits his land among his children
   • One person makes, carries out and judges laws
   • Each town makes its own coins
   • Different people make, carry out and judge laws
4. 3.

   What does consent of the governed mean, Milo asks?

   • The ruler agrees to rule forever
   • The people agree to be governed
   • Traders agree on prices
   • Judges agree to stop working
5. 4.

   Noah reads the words natural rights. What are natural rights?

   • Rights to use rivers and forests
   • Rights people have just by being people
   • Rules for a game
   • Rights a king may hand out and take back at will
6. 5.

   How many years after The Spirit of Laws was The Social Contract published, Pia asks?

   • 2 years
   • 3,510 years
   • 14 years
   • 140 years
7. 6.

   Locke's book is dated 1690. How many years later did The Spirit of Laws appear, Ren asks?

   • 14 years
   • 58 years
   • 3,438 years
   • 5 years
8. 7.

   Which of the three books came first, Tala asks?

   • Rousseau's Social Contract, from 1762
   • Montesquieu's Spirit of Laws, from 1748
   • Locke's Two Treatises
   • They came out in one year
9. 8.

   Why would separating powers protect people, Zee asks?

   • It would end the need for laws
   • One ruler could act faster with all the power
   • No one holds every power
   • Judges would make all the laws themselves
10. 9.

    Why did Montesquieu's book matter in America, Ari asks?

    • It was read in English translation
    • It was a law passed by Congress
    • No one in America could read it
    • It was written by an American in America
11. 10.

    Bo's friend says all three thinkers had the same idea. Which reply fits the cards?

    • Not quite: each card gives a different idea
    • Agree: each wrote about separation of powers
    • Agree: the three wrote the same book
    • Disagree: they wrote about farming