Royal, Proprietary or Charter? is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on the three kinds of colonial government, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Civ.5.3-5. 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 12 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.
Royal, Proprietary or Charter?
D2.Civ.5.3-5
NameDate
Sort each colony or feature, then circle the right answers.
1.Sort each one: Royal or Proprietary or Charter?
Sort: Pennsylvania, granted to William Penn, Connecticut, Georgia (by 1775), A governor appointed by the king, Maryland, granted to the Calvert family, A governor elected by the colonists
RoyalProprietaryCharter
2.Sort each one: Royal or Proprietary or Charter?
Sort: South Carolina (by 1775), Rhode Island, A governor chosen by the owner of the land grant, North Carolina (by 1775), Land granted by the king to one person or family, Colonists ran the colony under their own charter
RoyalProprietaryCharter
3.Who was the proprietor of Pennsylvania?
A.William Penn and his family
B.Roger Williams
C.King George III
4.What did all three types of colony have?
A.A president
B.An elected assembly that made some laws
C.No laws at all
5.After 1691 Massachusetts had a charter but a governor chosen by the king. Why is it hard to sort?
A.It was owned by one family
B.It mixed features of charter and royal colonies
C.It had no government
6.Virginia began as a company colony. What did it become in 1624?
A.An independent country
B.A charter colony
C.A royal colony
LessonPrint · D2.Civ.5.3-5 · Set 12 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Royal, Proprietary or Charter?
Set 12. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. A governor appointed by the king — Royal 2. A governor elected by the colonists — Charter 3. Connecticut — Charter 4. Georgia (by 1775) — Royal 5. Maryland, granted to the Calvert family — Proprietary 6. Pennsylvania, granted to William Penn — Proprietary
2.1. A governor chosen by the owner of the land grant — Proprietary 2. Colonists ran the colony under their own charter — Charter 3. Land granted by the king to one person or family — Proprietary 4. North Carolina (by 1775) — Royal 5. Rhode Island — Charter 6. South Carolina (by 1775) — Royal
3.William Penn and his family
4.An elected assembly that made some laws
5.It mixed features of charter and royal colonies
6.A royal colony
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Civ.5.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.