Citizens in Public Life · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

The Many Jobs of a Citizen

Civics & Economics · Citizenship in Action · ages 11-14
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which of these is an example of being a taxpayer?

    • Voting in an election
    • Paying taxes
    • Serving on a jury

  2. What does a juror do in a trial?

    • Weighs evidence for the verdict
    • Writes the laws for the country
    • Collects signatures for a petition

  3. A protester's main job is to gather formal evidence for a court case.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Which goal would most likely need more than a local petition to succeed?

    • Changing a country-wide rule
    • Adding a bike rack outside a library
    • Getting a stop sign at a nearby corner

  5. Maya wants her town to add a crosswalk near her school. What's her best first move?

    • Try to get a new national law passed
    • Wait for a court case about it
    • Start a local petition and bring it to the town council

  6. A neighborhood group and one resident both want a park repaired. Who has a better chance of getting the city council's attention?

    • The one resident, because officials always listen to individuals first
    • The neighborhood group, because more voices are harder to ignore
    • Neither, since city councils never consider requests

  7. Two friends disagree: one says a single volunteer can always accomplish as much as a large organized group; the other says a group always achieves more, no matter the goal. Who is more accurate?

    • Neither: small local goals often need one person; large or wide-reaching goals usually need a group.
    • The second friend, since groups are always better no matter what
    • The first friend, since one person's effort is always what matters most

  8. Diego collects 15 signatures from his street and mails them to the national government, expecting a nationwide law to change within a week. What's the most likely problem with his plan?

    • The government doesn't accept petitions at all
    • National laws only change through court cases
    • 15 signatures don't ensure change in a week
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

The Many Jobs of a Citizen W1-mt_G6PCjvFUCO-s1

  1. Paying taxes · Taxes are money citizens pay that governments use to fund shared things like schools and roads.
  2. Weighs evidence for the verdict · A juror listens to the evidence presented in court and helps decide what happened.
  3. False · A protester draws public attention to an issue. Weighing evidence for a case is a juror's job, not a protester's.
  4. Changing a country-wide rule · A country-wide rule affects far more people, so it usually takes a bigger, longer effort than one local petition.
  5. Start a local petition and bring it to the town council · A local, specific problem like this is exactly the kind of goal a local petition and council meeting can handle.
  6. The neighborhood group, because more voices are harder to ignore · Officials tend to notice issues more people care about, so an organized group usually carries more weight than one voice.
  7. Neither: small local goals often need one person; large or wide-reaching goals usually need a group. · What one person versus a group can achieve depends on the size of the goal, not a fixed rule.
  8. 15 signatures don't ensure change in a week · A small petition can influence lawmakers, but it cannot guarantee their decision or timing. National campaigns often take longer and need wider support, so Diego should not count on a change within a week.
Worksheet · LightMySky