Final answer:
The government of Great Britain shared the characteristic of having a two-house legislature with most colonial governments. This bicameral system was present in both British Parliament and colonial legislatures, although the method of selecting governors varied among royal, proprietary, and corporate colonies. The correct answer is option b.
Step-by-step explanation:
The government of Great Britain had a two-house legislature in common with most colonial governments. This bicameral system, present in the British Parliament with the House of Lords and the House of Commons, was emulated in various forms within the colonies. In each colony, a governor shared power with a legislature typically made up of an appointed upper house and a lower house elected by property-holding men. Throughout the colonial period, three models of government emerged: the royal colony, the proprietary colony, and the corporate colony, with the main difference between them being the selection of the governor.
While the crown appointed the governors in the royal colonies, proprietors chose the governors with the crown's approval in the proprietary colonies. In the corporate colonies, voters selected the governors without needing the crown's approval. These systems reflect the mixed government approach that the British and eventually the Americans sought to balance—having elements of monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy.
The American Revolution led to a reevaluation of this system, as the colonists sought a political structure that allowed for greater representation and less aristocracy, thereby rejecting hereditary positions and advocating for elected officials in both houses of the legislature.