<p> N ame Date </p><p>THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE Reading Check</p><p>Directions: Read over the questions below and think about the Declaration of Independence. Then answer each question in one or two sentences.</p><p>1. What is the purpose of the preamble? ______2. According to Jefferson, when do people have the right to alter or abolish a government? ______3. According to Jefferson, what, in general, do the colonists object to about the way laws are made and enforced in the colonies? ______</p><p>4. According to Jefferson, what have the colonists done repeatedly each time they felt that they had been wronged? ______</p><p>5. What does the last part of the document say about the colonies’ relationship with Great Britain? ______</p><p>Text Analysis: Argument An argument expresses an opinion on an issue and supports it with reasons and evidence. An argument con- tains these three important parts: Directions: Record the elements of the argument presented in the Declaration of Independence.</p><p>Claim: the writer’s position on an issue or problem</p><p>Support: reasons and evidence pro- vided to prove a claim</p><p>Counterarguments: arguments to answer op- posing views 48 Unit 1 Resource Manager American Literature N ame Date </p><p>THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE</p><p>Vocabulary Practice</p><p> abdicate impel perfidy despotism mercenary redress</p><p>A. Directions: Write the word from the box that correctly completes each sentence.</p><p>1. To ______the ship, you need steam. 2. A ______is sometimes known as a “soldier of fortune.” 3. Czar Nicholas II chose to ______his throne after the 1917 strikes in Saint Petersburg, Russia. 4. In a court action, one party may prosecute another for the ______or prevention of a wrong. 5. Since both men had absolute power, Napoleon and Hitler ruled under ______6. John was disliked for the ______he used to earn money by swindling other people. Vocabulary Strategy</p><p>POLITICAL WORDS Some political terms identify specific types of government. Others, like the vocabulary word tyran- ny, describe the kind of rule exercised by government. It is helpful to understand the meaning of a variety of political terms.</p><p>B. Directions: These political terms describe governing systems. Match each one with its definition.</p><p>1. _____ aristocracy a.absence of government or political authority 2. _____ anarchy b. government by the people 3. _____ monarchy c.government by a ruling class 4. _____ democracy d. government headed by a sole hereditary ruler 5. _____ oligarchy e.government ruled by or subject to religious authority 6. _____ theocracy f. government by a few</p><p>C. Directions: Use a dictionary to look up each of the following political terms. Write the definition for each term in the chart.</p><p>Term Definition 1. ballot</p><p>2. incumbent</p><p>3. judiciary</p><p>4. legislation</p><p>5. petition</p><p>50 Unit 1 Resource Manager American Literature</p>