The Black Death

Which statement best expresses the central idea of the text?

• Scientists continue to study the plague’s spread through Europe in the 14th century because they can’t understand how it spread so aggressively.

• Upper-class people lost their influence over lower classes of people as it became clear that even they would not be spared from the plague.

• The plague modernized health and medicine in Europe as people realized that doctors were unintentionally spreading the plague rather than treating it.

• While the plague was devastating to Europe’s population, it also reshaped their social order to allow for greater equality.

Which detail from the text (Evidence) best supports the Central Idea Answer?

• “Common medicinal practices of the time period, like bloodletting, would have also contributed to the spread of the disease. For example, high standards of hygiene were not practiced; physicians didn’t even wash their hands.”

  (Paragraph 7)

• “Many lost faith in the Catholic Church as people continued to die from the plague. Some converted to Protestantism, while others became more interested in secular ideas about the world.” (Paragraph 13)

• “Scientists and historians today still study the Black Death. They continue to develop vaccines, but with our current knowledge of bacteria, it is no longer the threat it once was.” (Paragraph 16)

• “The plague upended traditional structures like religion and feudalism that were once the cornerstones of medieval life. It redirected the path of European history, propelling it towards the modern age, though at the cost of millions of lives.” (Paragraph 17)

Which of the following is the text structure of “The Black Death” article.

• Problem and Solution

• Cause and Effect

• Compare and Contrast

• Chronological

Which detail from the text (Evidence) best supports the claim that the text structure is Cause and Effect?

• The text shares details of the arrival of the Black Plague and then shares the effects of the Plague such as devastation, societal effects like better social status, changes in religion, and then the legacy it left (Gushue 1-3).

• The text shares details that the Black Plague caused people to get sick and die. (Gushue 1-3).

• The text states that, “There weren’t enough jobs, and many people struggled to find work” (Gushue 2).

• The author states that, “There were corpses with swellings on their bodies and black spots on their skin” (Gushue 1).

Which of the Following is the best explanation after this claim and piece of evidence: The text structure of "The Black Death" is cause and effect. The text shares details of the arrival of the Black Plague and then shares the effects of the Plague such as devastation, societal effects like better social status, changes in religion, and then the legacy it left (Gushue 1-3).

• The evidence reveals that “The Black Death” is a cause and effect text structure.

• The evidence reveals that “The Black Death” is about what caused the Plague and the results.

• Cause and Effect text structures present an event and then the results that follow just like the evidence shares “The Black Death” presents.

• Cause and Effect text structures present and event and then the results that follow.

Which of the following is the best evidence for the claim that the plague devastated life in Europe?

• The plague was transported by fleas on rats which grew to large populations.

• The plague spread from east (China) to west (Europe) and got virulent as it evolved.

• The plague killed so many people that Europe’s population took 200 years to rebound.

• The plague ended the practice of “serfdom”, changing Europe forever

Which of the following is the best evidence for the claim that the plague improved life in Europe?

• “But by the 1340s demand for foreign goods had risen, and travel between the East and West was fairly common.”

• The plague upended traditional structures like religion and feudalism that were once the cornerstones of medieval life.”

• “It infected people with no clear pattern; the Black Death hit the poor and rich, the healthy and unhealthy.”

• Scientists believe that “the disease was eventually wiped out as rats and fleas died off, ironically from the very same plague they were carrying.”

Which of the following is best evidence for the claim that the plague led to more freedoms in Europe?

• For the first time people in Western Europe had greater choices. They were able to move to different lands and, in many cases, find better working conditions.

• Religion, especially Catholicism, was central to the lives of many Europeans before the Black Death struck.

• Many lost faith in the Catholic Church as people continued to die from the plague.

• In 1349, King Edward III tried to freeze wages in England to pre-plague rates, but employers were so desperate for help they ignored his decree.

What is the overall tone of this text?

• Questioning

• Gloomy

• Reflective

• Speculative

Which of the Following is the best explanation after this claim and piece of evidence: The plague led to more freedoms in Europe. The text states that, For the first time people in Western Europe had greater choices. They were able to move to different lands and, in many cases, find better working conditions.

• This evidence directly states that the people had more choices like the freedom to choose their own jobs and where they wanted to live.

• This evidence directly states that the people had more choices.

• People had the opportunity to be more free.

• This evidence proves that people had the opportunity to be more free in Europe.