Question

Excerpt from Common Sense
by Thomas Paine
Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer. . . . Men who look upon themselves born to reign, and others to obey, soon grow insolent; selected from the rest of mankind their minds are early poisoned by importance; and the world they act in differs so materially from the world at large, that they have but little opportunity of knowing its true interest, and when they succeed to the government are frequently the most ignorant and unfit of any throughout the dominions.

Multiple Choice Question
Based on the text and your knowledge of social studies, what did Paine advocate?
A.

American independence from Great Britain

B.

the immediate overthrow of the British monarch

C.

Britain's mercantilist policy in the American colonies

D.

loyalty among American colonists to the British crown

Answer 1

A. American independence from Great Britain

Reason: Paine's Common Sense argues against monarchy and hereditary rule ("Men who look upon themselves born to reign..."), portraying government (especially monarchy) as corrupt and unfit to rule. He called for breaking ties with Britain and establishing independent government, not loyalty to the crown or support for British mercantilism.