Brainpop! Black Death

What has to happen for a disease to become a pandemic?

• It has to kill one thousand people

• It has to originate in Asia

• It has to be able to be transmitted from person to person

• It has to spread over a large portion of the world

Place the following events in sequence: A) The Black Death hits China; B) Plague-infested ships land at Messina, Italy; C) The Black Death hits the Middle East

• A, B, C

• A, C, B

• B, C, A

• C, A, B

What was the relationship between the famine that struck Europe in the 14th century and the spread of the Black Death?

• Famine and hunger caused more people to get sick and die

• The plague was spread through infected crops

• The same bad weather that caused famine caused the Black Death

• Imported crops from Asia caused the Black Death to spread to Europe

How much of the population of Europe died during the Black Death?

• Between half and three-quarters

• Between one-quarter and one-half

• Between one-third and two-thirds

• Between one-tenth and two tenths

Which term describes medical practices as they existed in the 14th century?

• Sophisticated

• Modern

• Primitive

• Effective

What effect did bloodletting have on plague patients?

• It made them sicker, if it had any effect at all

• It helped the disease leave their bloodstreams

• It prevented new infections from taking hold

• It prolonged their lives

How could people in the 14th century have best prevented the spread of plague?

• By seeing doctors more often

• By using folk remedies

• By avoiding travel

• By practicing basic hygiene and sanitation

What type of illness is the bubonic plague?

• A viral illness

• A bacterial illness

• A miasmal illness

• A food-borne illness

How can you catch the bubonic plague?

• By being bitten by a rat

• By being bitten by a flea

• By being bitten by a mouse

• By shaking hands with an infected person

Why were peasants able to demand more money and more freedom in the aftermath of the Black Death?

• Because there was a shortage of laborers

• Because there was a shortage of farmland

• Because there was a shortage of food

• Because there was a shortage of water