Magna Carta (Reading)

Click the link below for the reading passage:

Magna Carta

1) What can be inferred about legal systems that existed before the Magna Carta?

A) They challenged the iron-fisted rule of royalty that was typical of the time.
B) They they obfuscated the rules to allow monarchs to better control their subjects.
C) The ramifications of breaking their laws did not typically extend to the rulers.
D) The average people expected their laws to be unfair.


2) Which word is closest in meaning to "accountable" (from the last line of the first paragraph)?

A) responsible
B) reliable
C) careful
D) wealthy


3) The author mentions "William the Conquerer" in paragraphs 2 and 3 to

A) show how the Magna Carta embodied the spirit of the feudal system.
B) introduce the leader that first brought feudal law to England.
C) provide the context of the political system in place prior to the Magna Carta.
D) explore the history of England as it related to the rest of Europe.


4) Which word is closest in meaning to "succession" (from paragraph 4, line 3)?

A) achievement
B) entitlement
C) attainability
D) destitution


5) Which of the following was NOT an error that John made?

A) He postponed the reclamation of Normandy from the French and ultimately lost that land.
B)He deported all the English bishops. 
C) He refused to pay the Church to reinstate England, forcing the barons had to make the arrangements.
D) He did not debate the appointment of a new archbishop with the bishops of England.


6) The word "another" (from paragraph 9, line 2) refers to:

A) loan
B) demand
C) life
D) minor


7) Which word is closest in meaning to "renounced" (from paragraph 12, line 9)?

A) disappeared
B) disputed
C) misinterpreted
D) repudiated


8) Which of the following sentences best paraphrases the sentence, "The barons called a truce when the Magna Carta was reissued under Henry’s name, although with sections removed, notably Clause 61, the “committee of barons” rule."

A) After the Magna Carta was extended to the barons once again, the barons insisted on the removal of several significant sections.
B) Despite offering peace to the barons, they still demanded that Henry remove a number of important sections from the Magna Carta.
C) When Henry removed a number of sections from the Magna Carta, the barons called for peace.
D) The Magna Carta was used to forge a peace treaty with the barons on the condition that some sections be removed.


9) Choose three sentences that summarize main points from the article.

A) Angry at the loss of their land in Normandy, the barons joined forces and demanded that King John accept the Magna Carta.

B) King John accepted the demands that the barons made on the Magna Carta and his son, Henry III, continued to respect its clauses.

C) The Magna Carta played a significant role in the build up to the American Revolution and the construction of the American government.

D) King John's dispute with the Catholic Church led to his country's ejection from the institution, which caused the barons to reject his authority.

E) Clause 39 states that you the government cannot unjustly imprison anyone or hold their property.

F) William the Conquerer took advantage of the lack of an English heir and took the English throne.