Worked examples
Two examples
Example 1
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal …”Which part of the Declaration is this?
- Remember the four parts: the introduction (why an explanation is owed), the statement of beliefs (about rights and government), the list of grievances (complaints against the king), and the conclusion (the colonies are free).
- This sentence is not a complaint; it does not begin “He has” or “For.” It does not declare the colonies free.
- It states something the writers believe about all people. That is the statement of beliefs, the most famous part.
Answer: The statement of beliefs
Example 2
“He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.”Which part of the Declaration is this?
- “He” is King George III. A sentence that begins “He has” is telling what the king did wrong.
- In plain words: the king refused to approve laws that were good and needed. (Assent means approval; wholesome means healthy, good.)
- A complaint against the king belongs to the list of grievances, the Declaration’s evidence.
Answer: The list of grievances
Where this is taught: Civics, Chapter 1: Reading the Declaration of Independence · Civics Diagnostic, Part 1
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.