7th grade Social Studies Skills and Big Ideas

Gabriele de' Mussi most likely wrote this passage in order to:

"Alas! our ships enter the port, but of a thousand sailors hardly ten are spared. We reach our homes; our kindred and our neighbours come from all parts to visit us. Woe to us for we cast at them the darts of death! Whilst we spoke to them, whilst they embraced us and kissed us, we scattered the poison from our lips. Going back to their homes, they in turn soon infected their whole families, who in three days succumbed, and were buried in one common grave. Priests and doctors visiting the sick returned from their duties ill, and soon were numbered with the dead. O death! cruel, bitter, impious death! which thus breaks the bonds of affection and divides father and mother, brother and sister, son and wife. Lamenting our misery, we feared to fly, yet we dared not remain."¹

—Gabriele de' Mussi, 1348

• explain the role of doctors in the 14th century.

• criticize people for abandoning their sick relatives.

• describe the effects of a deadly disease.

• help other people deal with diseases in the future.

Which statement is a fact rather than an opinion?

• Kublai Khan established the Yuan dynasty in 1271.

• Kublai Khan weakened an Empire because of his greed.

• Kublai Khan was a better military strategist than Genghis Khan.

• Kublai Khan was the greatest emperor in Chinese history.

True or False

A historian would most likely question the credibility of Marco Polo's description of Basma when he describes fantastical animals like unicorns?

When you quit the kingdom of Ferlec you enter upon that of Basma. This also is an independent kingdom, and the people have a language of their own; but they are just like beasts without laws or religion. . . . There are wild elephants in the country, and numerous unicorns, which are very nearly as big. They have hair like that of a buffalo, feet like those of an elephant, and a horn in the middle of the forehead, which is black and very thick. . . . The head resembles that of a wild boar, and they carry it ever bent towards the ground. They delight much to abide in mire and mud. 'Tis a passing ugly beast to look upon."²

—Marco Polo, The Travels

• True

• False

Why is it important to understand historical context when analyzing a source?

• Historical context only matters for primary sources, not secondary ones.
• Historical context explains the events taking place when the source was created.

• Understanding historical context complicates the source's validity

• Historical context is irrelevant to modern interpretations.

What is bias?

• Bias is a scientific method for data analysis.
• Bias refers to a neutral viewpoint in discussions.
• Bias is the process of making decisions based on random chance.
• A person's preferences or prejudices. Basically a tendency to favor one perspective or outcome over others, often leading to unfairness.

Historians use the skill of historical causation to:

• 
  determine which events caused later events to occur.

• organize a list of events in chronological order.

• group periods of time together based on shared features.

• identify the most important event during a historical period.

Answer explanation

• Examples of historical causation:

• Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression:

  The stock market crash in 1929 is widely considered the primary cause of the Great Depression, as it triggered widespread economic instability and mass unemployment. 

• Civil War and Slavery:

  The issue of slavery, particularly its expansion into new territories, was a major contributing factor to the American Civil War. 

Which statement would be most helpful in determining a cause of the Byzantine Empire's shrinking territory between 1020 and 1360?

• The Mediterranean Sea was a vital waterway for trade during the Byzantine Empire.

• The Byzantine Empire is sometimes known as the Roman Empire.

• The Byzantine Empire reached its greatest extent around 550.

• The Ottoman Empire conquered much of Asia Minor around 1300.

Which event best completes the cause-and-effect diagram?

• Christian merchants begin traveling to Axum.

• Architects in Axum build huge obelisks called stelae.

• A new language is developed in Axum.

• The Red Sea is controlled by Axum

Which events could have a cause-and-effect relationship, based on the timeline?

• The collapse of the Inca Empire caused the collapse of the Aztec Empire.

• Pizarro's arrival caused the collapse of the Maya civilization.

• Cortés's arrival caused the collapse of the Aztec Empire.

• The collapse of the Aztec Empire caused the collapse of the Maya civilization.

A civilization is likely to engage in trade when it:

• the trade routes are dangerous to travel on

• isolates itself from neighboring civilizations.

• engages in frequent wars with other civilizations.

• has a surplus of valuable natural resources.