A city-state in ancient Greece that is independent with its surrounding territory is called what?

A city-state in ancient Greece that is independent with its surrounding territory is called what?

• A. Polis
• B. City-State
• C. Empire
• D. State

Answer: (B)

In ancient Greece, the essential unit of political life is the polis: a self-governing urban center and its surrounding countryside, all bound together as one political community. The word polis captures both the city and the territory it controls, with its own laws, government, and institutions. So the best term is the Greek word polis, because it names that specific kind of independent city with its own sovereignty. Saying “city-state” describes the same idea in English, but the question is asking for the ancient term, and polis is the historically precise word used by Greeks. The other options are too broad or misrepresent the structure: an empire implies a larger, centralized realm ruling many cities, and a state is a general term that doesn’t identify the distinctive Greek unit.

In ancient Greece, the essential unit of political life is the polis: a self-governing urban center and its surrounding countryside, all bound together as one political community. The word polis captures both the city and the territory it controls, with its own laws, government, and institutions. So the best term is the Greek word polis, because it names that specific kind of independent city with its own sovereignty.

Saying “city-state” describes the same idea in English, but the question is asking for the ancient term, and polis is the historically precise word used by Greeks. The other options are too broad or misrepresent the structure: an empire implies a larger, centralized realm ruling many cities, and a state is a general term that doesn’t identify the distinctive Greek unit.