Like Black Smoke

Read the following statement:

"We see death coming into our midst like black smoke...[this] rootless phantom which has no mercy."

Which of the following lines best explains the quote.

• Three headstones mentioning the cause of death provide a clue about why so many people died: the plague.

• Sickness was clinging to their every bones.

• The deaths caused by the Black Plague spread quickly.

• No natural disaster before or since has caused such devastation of human life over such a large area.

The author organizes the selection by -

• Comparing the Black Death to other natural disasters.

• Detailing the Black Death by giving examples and recounting stories from witnesses of the plague.

• Describing various problems of the Black Plague and how the plague finally petered out.

• Illustrating a series of causes and effects to show how the disease spread.

The reader can infer that -

• At the time of the Black Plague people were unable to stop or explain how it spread across Europe and Asia.

• The Black Plague was one of the most deadly natural disasters to hit Eastern Europe and Asia.

• Superiority and wealth was not even a deterrent to the plague.

• The disease was not able to move across the seas.

The section Eastern Beginnings was mostly about -

• The earliest evidence of the Black Death

• Why so many people died

• Where the plague originated

• A cemetery near Lake Issyk-Kul where an unusually large number of graves are dated around the time of the Black Death

Which meaning of the word galleys is used in paragraph 8?

• large ships driven by sails and oars

• small, narrow kitchens, such as those in campers

• long, metal trays used to hold type for a printing press

Why did the author include the graphic aid in the section From Asia to the Mediterranean?

• To show the path in which the plague spread

• To indicate the routes travelers took to escape the Bubonic Plague

• To emphasize the fact that the plague was unable to cross the sea

• To explain how the merchants transported the plague in their galleys

Why does the author include the record of events in paragraph 9?

• To indicate that the plague eventually crossed the Mediterranean region

• To show the vast devastation of the plague

• To explain that many Europeans tried to escape the plague by sea

• To emphasize the path of the plague

Based on paragraph 13, the reader can conclude that -

• Fleas aren't as active in warmer weather than colder weather

• Fleas thrive in colder temperatures

• The pneumonic plague was spread by fleas biting humans who were huddled indoors

• Freezing temperatures would have mitigated the number of cases of the plague

Read the following statement:

"As the disease moved northward through England, citizens of Lincoln wrote wills at 30 times the normal annual rate."

Based on the statement, the reader can infer that -

• People presumed that they would catch the plague and eventually die from it

• The death toll was 30% higher than the normal annual rate

• Wills were uncommon prior to the plague

• Not many people wrote wills before the time of the plague

What does the word rampage mean in paragraph 17?

• a tranquil attitude or behavior

• process in which a disease travels

• wild or uncontrollable behavior

• relentless spread