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 25 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: Rhode Island, A governor appointed by the king, Delaware, under the Penn family, Colonists ran the colony under their own charter, Maryland, granted to the Calvert family, New Hampshire (by 1775)
RoyalProprietaryCharter
2.Sort each one: Royal or Proprietary or Charter?
Sort: Pennsylvania, granted to William Penn, New York (by 1775), A governor elected by the colonists, A governor chosen by the owner of the land grant, North Carolina (by 1775), Connecticut
RoyalProprietaryCharter
3.Which family were the proprietors of Maryland?
A.The Penn family
B.The Washington family
C.The Calvert family
4.In a proprietary colony, who chose the governor?
A.The king directly
B.The colonists, by election
C.The proprietor, the owner of the land grant
5.Virginia began as a company colony. What did it become in 1624?
A.An independent country
B.A royal colony
C.A charter colony
6.After 1691 Massachusetts had a charter but a governor chosen by the king. Why is it hard to sort?
A.It mixed features of charter and royal colonies
B.It had no government
C.It was owned by one family
LessonPrint · D2.Civ.5.3-5 · Set 25 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Royal, Proprietary or Charter?
Set 25. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. A governor appointed by the king — Royal 2. Colonists ran the colony under their own charter — Charter 3. Delaware, under the Penn family — Proprietary 4. Maryland, granted to the Calvert family — Proprietary 5. New Hampshire (by 1775) — Royal 6. Rhode Island — Charter
2.1. A governor chosen by the owner of the land grant — Proprietary 2. A governor elected by the colonists — Charter 3. Connecticut — Charter 4. New York (by 1775) — Royal 5. North Carolina (by 1775) — Royal 6. Pennsylvania, granted to William Penn — Proprietary
3.The Calvert family
4.The proprietor, the owner of the land grant
5.A royal colony
6.It mixed features of charter and royal colonies
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Civ.5.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.