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Like Black Smoke

Total questions: 11

Worksheet time: 33mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

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.

a)

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

b)

Sickness was clinging to their every bones.

c)

The deaths caused by the Black Plague spread quickly.

d)

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

2.

The author organizes the selection by -

a)

Comparing the Black Death to other natural disasters.

b)

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

c)

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

d)

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

3.

The reader can infer that -

a)

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

b)

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

c)

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

d)

The disease was not able to move across the seas.

4.

The section Eastern Beginnings was mostly about -

a)

The earliest evidence of the Black Death

b)

Why so many people died

c)

Where the plague originated

d)

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

5.

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

a)

large ships driven by sails and oars

b)

small, narrow kitchens, such as those in campers

c)

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

6.

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

a)

To show the path in which the plague spread

b)

To indicate the routes travelers took to escape the Bubonic Plague

c)

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

d)

To explain how the merchants transported the plague in their galleys

7.

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

a)

To indicate that the plague eventually crossed the Mediterranean region

b)

To show the vast devastation of the plague

c)

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

d)

To emphasize the path of the plague

8.

Based on paragraph 13, the reader can conclude that -

a)

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

b)

Fleas thrive in colder temperatures

c)

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

d)

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

9.

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 -

a)

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

b)

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

c)

Wills were uncommon prior to the plague

d)

Not many people wrote wills before the time of the plague

10.

What does the word rampage mean in paragraph 17?

a)

a tranquil attitude or behavior

b)

process in which a disease travels

c)

wild or uncontrollable behavior

d)

relentless spread

11.

The account told in paragraph 7 best supports the idea that -

a)

No one could explain the relentless spread of the plague

b)

Very few were able to recover from the plague

c)

Soldiers often spread the disease through their travels

d)

It was easier to catch the plague at night rather than the day