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Consent of the Governed is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on where a government's power comes from, in the founding documents, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Civ.3.3-5. It prints 6 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 18 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Consent of the Governed

D2.Civ.3.3-5

NameDate

Read the founding document, answer its questions, then circle the best answers.

1.Look at the source, then answer the questions.

The Preamble to the Constitution

The Preamble, the opening sentence of the Constitution of the United States, written in Philadelphia in 1787. These are its exact words. The word help was written for this worksheet. We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Word help: Tranquility = peace and calm. defence = an older spelling of defense. Welfare = well-being. Posterity = the people who come after us. ordain = order or set up.

  1. 1. What does Posterity mean, according to the word help?
  2. 2. Name one goal the Preamble lists.
  3. 3. Which word in the Preamble means peace and calm?
2.What happens to a government that has lost the people's consent, in a democracy?
  • A.It stays in power forever
  • B.Voters can choose new leaders at the next election
  • C.The people must leave the country
3.What does consent of the governed mean?
  • A.The king decides alone
  • B.The people agree to be governed
  • C.Only soldiers choose the laws
4.In 1776, who were the colonists declaring independence from?
  • A.The king of Great Britain
  • B.The President
  • C.The king of Spain
5.Why do elected leaders have to face voters again after a few years?
  • A.So the leaders can take a rest
  • B.So all the laws are erased
  • C.So the people can keep them or choose someone new
6.How do people in a US city give their consent to the city government today?
  • A.By voting for city leaders
  • B.By buying a library card
  • C.By moving to a new street

LessonPrint · D2.Civ.3.3-5 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Consent of the Governed

Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The people who come after us. 2. Any one of: form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, secure the Blessings of Liberty. 3. Tranquility.
  2. 2.Voters can choose new leaders at the next election
  3. 3.The people agree to be governed
  4. 4.The king of Great Britain
  5. 5.So the people can keep them or choose someone new
  6. 6.By voting for city leaders

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Civ.3.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.