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 21 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: Delaware, under the Penn family, Georgia (by 1775), A governor elected by the colonists, Connecticut, North Carolina (by 1775), Maryland, granted to the Calvert family
RoyalProprietaryCharter
2.Sort each one: Royal or Proprietary or Charter?
Sort: Virginia (by 1775), A governor chosen by the owner of the land grant, Rhode Island, New Jersey (by 1775), Land granted by the king to one person or family, Colonists ran the colony under their own charter
RoyalProprietaryCharter
3.Which family were the proprietors of Maryland?
A.The Penn family
B.The Calvert family
C.The Washington family
4.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
5.In a royal colony, who chose the governor?
A.The colonists
B.A proprietor
C.The king
6.Who was the proprietor of Pennsylvania?
A.King George III
B.Roger Williams
C.William Penn and his family
LessonPrint · D2.Civ.5.3-5 · Set 21 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Royal, Proprietary or Charter?
Set 21. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. A governor elected by the colonists — Charter 2. Connecticut — Charter 3. Delaware, under the Penn family — Proprietary 4. Georgia (by 1775) — Royal 5. Maryland, granted to the Calvert family — Proprietary 6. North Carolina (by 1775) — Royal
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. New Jersey (by 1775) — Royal 5. Rhode Island — Charter 6. Virginia (by 1775) — Royal
3.The Calvert family
4.It mixed features of charter and royal colonies
5.The king
6.William Penn and his family
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Civ.5.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.