Worked examples
Two examples
Example 1
It was sealed in 1215, in a meadow near London, after English nobles rose against their king.Which document is this?
- Look for a date or a name you know. The date is 1215.
- The four documents in order are Magna Carta (1215), the Mayflower Compact (1620), the English Bill of Rights (1689) and the Declaration of Independence (1776).
- Nobles forcing their king to accept limits, in 1215: that is Magna Carta, the “Great Charter” that King John was made to accept.
Answer: Magna Carta (1215)
Example 2
It was written to explain to the world why thirteen colonies were breaking away from Britain.Which document is this?
- Ask what the document was for. This one announces a break: colonies leaving the government that ruled them.
- Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights set limits on a king. The Mayflower Compact set up a new settlement’s government. None of them breaks away.
- The document that explained the colonies’ reasons for leaving Britain is the Declaration of Independence, 1776.
Answer: Declaration of Independence (1776)
Where this is taught: Civics, Chapter 1: Older roots · Civics, Chapter 1: Reading the Declaration
In your Kaplan book: Unit 3, Chapter 3, Lesson 1: Historic Basis for U.S. System · Map of the Terrain, topic 13: Founding documents I: Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence
The drill
Ten questions
How many:
Tap your answer to each one. A few questions ask you to choose words from a drop-down instead, the way the GED test does. Then press Check my answers at the bottom.Circle your answer to each one; where there are brackets, circle the choice that fits. The answer key, with the reasoning, is on the last page.