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8th grade · Social Studies · Unit 4 of 7

Forms of Government

Republics, monarchies and more

What your child practices

Practices the main forms of government around the world (democracies and republics, monarchies, dictatorships and others), what a constitution does, and how the US system compares with other countries' systems.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 8.1.2.1; 8.1.4.1 · different systems of government around the world, and how the US compares

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. In a monarchy a king or queen rules; in a republic citizens elect leaders; in a dictatorship one person holds all power.
  2. In a presidential system, the president is elected separately from the legislature; in a parliamentary system, the leader comes from the legislature.
  3. Popular sovereignty means power comes from the people, shown in free and fair elections.

Example: Citizens vote in free and fair elections. Which idea does this show? It shows where power comes from. The people choose their leaders. Power from the people is popular sovereignty. Answer: popular sovereignty

Forms of Government in Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, this is unit 4 of 7 in 8th grade Social Studies, after Maps, Graphs & Data and before Economies & Global Trade.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    The name of the US Senate comes from…

    • the Mongol Empire
    • the Roman Republic
    • ancient Egypt

  2. Question 2

    The Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace set up…

    • rule by the army
    • a council of leaders from several nations
    • a single hereditary king

  3. Question 3

    Consent of the governed means…

    • the government needs no one's agreement
    • government's power comes from the people's agreement
    • only nobles consent

  4. Question 4

    A confederation, like the US under the Articles, has…

    • a weak central government and strong member states
    • a strong central government
    • no member states

  5. Question 5

    A theocracy is ruled by…

    • elected representatives
    • religious leaders or religious law
    • a group of business owners

  6. Question 6

    The idea of separating government powers into branches came largely from…

    • Confucius
    • Machiavelli
    • Montesquieu

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