Chapter 1: Times of Change

Three (3) of the choices below identify changes in medieval society that caused a significant result. Identify the change that was a result of the other (3).

• The growth of towns offered more options for peasants than manors.

• The Black Death reduced the number of workers on manors, leading to a rise in wages.

• The feudal system began to weaken as the dominant force in society.

• The increased use of gunpowder reduced the need for armored knights.

Life for serfs living under the manorial system in the medieval period would have been dominated most by the importance of:

• seeking educational opportunities

• showing obedience to the lord of the manor

• expanding knowledge of the world through travel

• enjoying material possessions and wealth

Which of the following activities of the Christian Church during the medieval period would have been most criticized by those who held the changing worldview of the later Middle Ages?

• Monasteries preserved books and became centres of learning during the medieval period.

• Priests performed religious services for members of their congregations.

• Churches and monasteries would often care for the sick, the poor and the hungry.

• Land ownership and the collection of the tithe made the Church very wealthy.

In Chapter One (1), you learned about cooperative organizations called "guilds" that controlled goods, standards, training and work in specific areas. These guilds could best be described as early forms of:

• labour unions

• community leagues

• parliament

• educational associations

Which factor below describes an important difference in worldview between people in medieval Europe and in modern Canada?

• Technology today allows us to know what is occurring in other parts of Canada and the world.

• People in the medieval period spent much of their time working in order to take care of their families.

• Canadians are concerned about the amount of taxes they pay to the institutions that govern them.

• Agriculture in the Middle Ages was aimed at producing the largest crop in each season.

The pyramid used to show the feudal hierarchy of medieval Europe indicates that society in the Middle Ages was based upon:

• equality of social and economic status

• even division of political authority throughout the hierarchy

• distribution of power through a democratic process

• ranking of people according to their level on the hierarchy

In 2005, there was a 45.9% drop in watch sales in the US. This drop is most strongly explained as a shift in:

• changes to time zones

• demands for a less time-oriented society

• reliance on cellular phones and other hand-held electronic devices

• reliance on clocks displayed prominently in businesses and institutions

Sumptuary laws were enacted in medieval Europe to control how people could spend their money. A modern Canadian equivalent to the medieval sumptuary laws is the:

• Goods and Services Tax (GST)

• rise in the minimum wage

• Alberta Health Care (AHC) premiums

• user fees for parks and recreation facilities

A historian once observed that in many societies, the tallest buildings in a community tell us a great deal about what people value the most. For example, in a medieval town the tallest building would usually have been a cathedral, indicating the high value people of the time placed on religion.

What is the tallest structure in your community? What does this structure tell you about the values of our present-day society?

A historian once observed that in many societies, the tallest buildings in a community tell us a great deal about what people value the most. For example, in a medieval town the tallest building would usually have been a cathedral, indicating the high value people of the time placed on religion.

In your opinion, how accurate is the "tallest building" theory in identifying the values most important to a society? Can you think of examples from other societies?