Name: __________________________________ Class: _____________ Date: _____________
Lesson Assessment: Causes of the American Revolution
1. Which of the following BEST describes the reason why Parliament began taxing the American
colonists in the late eighteenth century?
a) They were collecting on debts the American colonists had acquired while fighting in the
French and Indian War.
b) They needed revenue to pay back the debts they had acquired during the French and Indian
War.
c) They felt that the colonists owed them financially for all the support England had given
them.
d) They realized that people in England were paying higher taxes than the American colonists.
2. Which of the following BEST describes a key difference between the Sugar Act and the
Stamp Act?
a) The Sugar Act imposed a tax on molasses and sugarcane, while the Stamp Act introduced a
tax on games.
b) The Sugar Act primarily affected those in trade, while the Stamp Act affected almost
everyone in the colonies.
c) The Sugar Act was a direct tax on the American colonists, while the Stamp Act was a law
that affected those in the British West Indies.
d) The Sugar Act was the first law of its kind, while the Stamp Act was the last of several
similar laws imposed by Great Britain over many years.
3. Why did the American colonists believe they should not have to pay taxes to England?
a) They thought Parliament was getting enough money from the taxes that English citizens
paid.
b) The British army had not properly defended the colonies during the French and Indian War.
c) They had paid enough money to England over the years.
d) The colonies had no representation in Parliament.
4. How did the American colonists react to the Tea Act of 1773?
a) They assembled a congress to discuss how to handle the new law.
b) They stole all of the tea off ships that entered American harbors.
c) They destroyed tea that was shipped to the American colonies.
d) They requested that tea no longer be shipped to the colonies.
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Name: __________________________________ Class: _____________ Date: _____________
Lesson Assessment: Causes of the American Revolution
5. How did the outcome of the French and Indian War change Britain’s attitude toward their
North American colonies?
a) They won Canada from France, so they felt they needed to send more colonists to live
there.
b) They had more territory and subjects, so they felt they needed to govern and protect the
area more closely.
c) They lost a lot of their territory to France, so they felt they needed to tighten control on the
colonies they had left.
d) They gained many Native American subjects as a result of the war, so they felt they needed
to set up a local government to manage them.
6. What idea of philosopher John Locke was MOST similar to how American colonists felt about
Great Britain?
a) People should have more power than their government.
b) Kings should rule their people with a strong hand.
c) Good rulers establish strong governments.
d) Power belongs to the people, not a king.
7. Which four laws made up the Coercive Acts?
a) the Massachusetts Government Act, the Quartering Act, the Intolerable Act, and the Tea
Act
b) the Intolerable Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Boston Port Act, and the
Quartering Act
c) the Administration of Justice Act, the Tea Act, the Boston Port Act, and the Massachusetts
Government Act
d) the Boston Port Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act,
and the Quartering Act
8. Which of the following was a resolution of the First Continental Congress in 1774?
a) The colonies would only trade with the West Indies.
b) Colonists would only obey two of the Coercive Acts.
c) Colonists would elect militia officers and learn the art of war.
d) The colonies would train for war and prepare to launch an offensive against Britain.
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Name: __________________________________ Class: _____________ Date: _____________
Lesson Assessment: Causes of the American Revolution
9. Which of the following is NOT a reason that some American colonists remained loyal to the
British Crown?
a) They did not think the colonies would win a war against Britain.
b) They wanted the freedom to return to Britain whenever they pleased.
c) They feared they would lose their religious freedom under majority rule.
d) They felt as though the opposition did not represent the majority of the colonists.
10. Which law was passed when the Stamp Act was repealed?
a) the Tea Act
b) the Quartering Act
c) the Boston Port Act
d) the Declaratory Act
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Name: __________________________________ Class: _____________ Date: _____________
Lesson Assessment: Causes of the American Revolution
ANSWER KEY
1. b 3. d 5. b 7. d 9. b
2. b 4. c 6. d 8. c 10. d
COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1 Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and
to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to
support conclusions drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.10 Read and comprehend complex literary and
informational texts independently and proficiently.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough evidence to support analysis of
what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined
by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.3 Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of
ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced
and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.10 By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literary
nonfiction in the grades 9–10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at
the high end of the range. By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at
the high end of the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including
determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.2 Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze
their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one
another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.3 Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and
explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the
text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.10 By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary
nonfiction in the grades 11–CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as
needed at the high end of the range. By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literary
nonfiction at the high end of the grades 11–CCR text complexity band independently and
proficiently.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.3 Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text;
determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are
used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of
history/social science.
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Name: __________________________________ Class: _____________ Date: _____________
Lesson Assessment: Causes of the American Revolution
COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS (CONTINUED)
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.10 By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend
history/social studies texts in the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and
proficiently.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend
history/social studies texts in the grades 11–CCR text complexity band independently and
proficiently.
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