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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 22 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. Name one goal the Preamble lists.
  2. 2. Which country is this Constitution for?
  3. 3. What does Posterity mean, according to the word help?
2.Why does a city council hold public meetings before deciding big plans?
  • A.So the plans stay secret
  • B.So people can share their views with the leaders they chose
  • C.So leaders can avoid voters
3.In 1776, who were the colonists declaring independence from?
  • A.The king of Great Britain
  • B.The king of Spain
  • C.The President
4.What does consent of the governed mean?
  • A.Only soldiers choose the laws
  • B.The people agree to be governed
  • C.The king decides alone
5.Why do elected leaders have to face voters again after a few years?
  • A.So all the laws are erased
  • B.So the leaders can take a rest
  • C.So the people can keep them or choose someone new
6.What happens to a government that has lost the people's consent, in a democracy?
  • A.It stays in power forever
  • B.The people must leave the country
  • C.Voters can choose new leaders at the next election

LessonPrint · D2.Civ.3.3-5 · Set 22 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Consent of the Governed

Set 22. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. 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. 2. The United States of America. 3. The people who come after us.
  2. 2.So people can share their views with the leaders they chose
  3. 3.The king of Great Britain
  4. 4.The people agree to be governed
  5. 5.So the people can keep them or choose someone new
  6. 6.Voters can choose new leaders at the next election

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