Ancient Greek Government

1. Which form of government in a Greek city-state usually came first?

• tyranny

• oligarchy

• monarchy

• democracy

2. How was it possible that different parts of Greece had different forms of government?

• Different languages made communication difficult.

• Steep mountains kept people from different areas apart.

• Colonies were started by groups from different countries.

• Different kings made different rules about how to govern.

3. How did most kings in ancient Greece come to power?

• They inherited it from a relative.

• They were elected by the people.

• They paid merchants for support.

• They used soldiers to take control.

4. Who belonged to the councils of aristocrats?

• rich men who had land from their families

• merchants who became wealthy from trade

• soldiers who were famous for their courage

• popular leaders who won support from the poor

5. What happened to the king’s advisers after the king lost power?

• They were forced to be slaves.

• They sailed away to start colonies.

• They became the new ruling group.

• They asked the people to elect them to office.

6. Which word in English comes from a Greek word meaning “few”?

• tyrant

• oligarch

• monarch

• democrat

7. What might an oligarch do on an ordinary day?

• herd sheep and goats

• work hard in the fields

• sell goods in the market

• take part in a chariot race

8. What kinds of laws did the oligarchs pass?

• laws that meant nothing

• laws that were fair to all

• laws that helped the poor

• laws that favored the rich

9. Oligarchs were thrown out of power by a partnership between

• sailors and fishers.

• foreign powers and kings.

• army leaders and poor people.

• merchants and skilled artisans.

Who would have most likely said these words?

I was in the army when people began to complain about members of the government getting richer while everybody else was getting poorer. So I stepped forward, and with the people's help, I became a leader.

• a king

• a tyrant

• a citizen

• an aristocrat