[ 583 ] U.S. History GED ® TEST SOCIAL STUDIES FLASH REVIEW _____________ • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Use the passage to answer the following two questions. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness . . . when a long train of abuses . . . evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. —excerpt from the Declaration of Independence Which of the following is a central idea of the Declaration of Independence? a. Governments are stronger than the will of the people. b. Governments are unnecessary if the people are virtuous. c. Governments draw their legitimate power from the people. d. Governments should have the unwavering support of the people. To gain respect for their opinions, the writers of the Declaration of Independence called on a. an appeal to reason. b. a plea for emotional connection. c. a request for partisan feeling. d. a demand for religious faith.