Font size
WorksheetsUnit 2: The High Middle Ages – Comprehensive Review Summative
Total questions: 59
Worksheet time: 32mins
What event marks the beginning of the Middle Ages?
The fall of Rome
The start of the Renaissance
The invention of the printing press
The Crusades
Why did some people call this time the “Dark Ages”?
There was war, little trade, and loss of learning
People lived in total darkness
It was the coldest time in history
Kings outlawed education
Which statement best reflects how modern historians view this era?
It was only decline and chaos
It also had progress and growth
It was peaceful and advanced
It was identical to the Roman Empire
What role did monks play during this time?
They copied books and preserved knowledge
They led knights in battle
They built castles
They ruled as kings
What innovation helped improve farming in the early Middle Ages?
Heavy plow
Wooden tools
Steam tractors
Horse saddles
What building became both a place of worship and learning?
Cathedrals and monasteries
Armories and barracks
Markets and farms
Inns and taverns
What was one reason trade slowed after Rome fell?
Roads were unsafe and wars disrupted travel
People refused to use coins
There were too many merchants
Ships could not cross the ocean
How did Christianity influence European unity?
It brought people together under shared beliefs
It ended all kingdoms
It started civil wars
It replaced all languages
What did the term “medieval” come to mean?
Middle period between ancient and modern times
A place of war and destruction
Early Roman life
A Greek invention
Which of the following shows progress during the so-called “Dark Ages”?
New tools, towns, and learning spread
Cities vanished completely
Trade disappeared
People stopped farming
What was the main purpose of feudalism?
To protect people and keep order after Rome fell
To expand cities and trade
To end kingship
To promote equality
What was exchanged under feudalism?
Land for loyalty and service
Gold for crops
Taxes for travel
Freedom for weapons
A fief was:
Land given to a vassal by a lord
A group of knights
A castle tax
A church tithe
Who was at the top of the feudal hierarchy?
The king
The knight
The lord
The merchant
What did lords provide to their knights?
Land and protection
Books and education
Horses and money
Titles and crowns
What was a knight’s moral code called?
Chivalry
Feudalism
Loyalty
Nobility
Which group worked the land for protection?
Peasants and serfs
Merchants
Nobles
Soldiers
What did serfs gain in exchange for their labor?
Shelter and protection
Freedom and wealth
Castles and titles
Schooling and trade
Why was it hard to move up in feudal society?
People were born into their social class
Kings encouraged new nobles
Knights could easily become kings
Education was free for everyone
How were vassals and lords connected?
Vassals received land and promised loyalty to lords
Lords worked for vassals
Vassals ruled over kings
Both groups were peasants
What was at the center of most medieval communities?
The Church
The castle gate
The town wall
The river
Why did nobles build castles?
For safety and to show power
To farm crops
To trade with peasants
To collect books
What farming method increased food production?
The three-field system
Crop burning
The barter system
The one-field rotation
What best describes the life of most peasants?
Long workdays and few rights
Comfortable and free
Full of travel
Spent in cities
Who received the most education during this period?
A. Church officials
B. Peasants
C. Soldiers
D. Farmers
What was the purpose of a guild?
To set prices and protect craftsmen’s work
To collect church taxes
To train knights for battle
To farm large lands
Why did many towns grow in the later Middle Ages?
Increased trade and safer travel
Decline of farming
Wars forced people to move
Lords banned castles
What new invention helped merchants trade more easily?
Use of coins and money systems
Stone roads
Ships with sails
Horse collars
What role did women often have in peasant families?
Farm work and caring for home
Joining the army
Preaching sermons
Traveling to other towns
What was one reason people moved from manors to towns?
Freedom and better work opportunities
To become knights
To avoid learning trades
To live in castles
What was the main goal of the Crusades?
To capture the Holy Land from Muslim control
To end trade with Asia
To expand the feudal system
To stop disease
Who called for the First Crusade?
Pope Urban II
King Richard I
Saladin
Charlemagne
What reward did Pope Urban II offer Crusaders?
Forgiveness of sins and a place in heaven
Gold from the Church
Free land in Europe
Noble titles
What was one positive effect of the Crusades?
Trade and knowledge spread between Europe and Asia
Cities lost power
Peasants gained no benefit
Kings weakened
What was one negative effect of the Crusades?
Increased hatred between religions
End of feudalism
Rise of peace across all kingdoms
End of trade routes
Who led Muslim forces during the Crusades?
Saladin
Pope Urban II
Richard the Lionheart
King John
What religion did the Crusaders fight to defend?
Christianity
Islam
Judaism
Buddhism
What did many nobles lose during the Crusades?
Land and wealth
Peasants and crops
Castles and books
Church support
Which of the following was a cultural effect of the Crusades?
What caused the Black Death?
Fleas carrying bacteria from rats
Bad air and curses
Poisoned food
Drinking dirty water
How did the plague spread so quickly?
Along trade routes and ships
Through letters
From kings to nobles
By the wind
What fraction of Europe’s people died from the plague?
About one-third
About one-tenth
About one-half
About two-thirds
What happened to wages after the plague?
Wages rose because workers were scarce
Wages stayed the same
Wages dropped
People stopped working
Why did people question the Church after the plague?
The Church could not stop the disease
The Church banned farming
The Church became stronger
The pope healed everyone
What happened to feudalism after the plague?
It weakened as peasants gained more freedom
It grew stronger
It spread to Asia
It became law
Which of the following is a social effect of the Black Death?
People began to doubt old traditions and beliefs
More knights were trained
How did art and writing change after the plague?
They focused more on death and religion
They stopped completely
They became about travel
They praised war
Which group suffered major losses during the plague?
Farmers, traders, and townspeople
Sailors only
Priests only
Nobles only
What was one economic result of the plague?
Decline in trade and abandoned villages
Growth of new cities
Increase in feudal taxes
Rise in farming profits
Feudalism was based on an exchange of _________ for __________.
land; service (or protection)
money; goods
titles; taxes
labor; food
A knight’s moral code was known as __________.
chivalry
alchemy
heraldry
feudalism
53. The Crusades were a series of wars fought to reclaim the __________.
Holy Land
Silk Road
New World
Roman Empire
54. The bacteria that caused the Black Death was called __________.
Yersinia pestis
Escherichia coli
Staphylococcus aureus
Bacillus anthracis
55. The Church collected money from people in the form of a __________.
tithe
tribute
fine
rent
Historians no longer call this time the “Dark Ages” for which two reasons?
Because there were significant cultural and scientific advancements and the term is considered misleading.
Because the period was marked by complete chaos and no progress was made.
Because historians prefer to use only modern terms for historical periods.
Because the era was entirely peaceful and prosperous.
The feudal system organized power and land in which of the following ways?
Lords granted land to vassals in exchange for loyalty and service.
Peasants owned all the land and distributed it to nobles.
Kings directly managed all land without intermediaries.
Merchants controlled land and power through trade.
One cause of the Crusades was the desire to reclaim the Holy Land, and one effect was increased trade between Europe and the Middle East.
One cause was the desire to reclaim the Holy Land, and one effect was increased trade between Europe and the Middle East.
One cause was the invention of gunpowder, and one effect was the fall of the Roman Empire.
One cause was the search for gold in Africa, and one effect was the spread of the Black Death.
One cause was the signing of the Magna Carta, and one effect was the rise of feudalism.
The Black Death weakened the feudal system by:
causing a labor shortage that gave peasants more power
increasing the wealth of the nobility
strengthening the control of kings over peasants
encouraging the growth of large cities
One way daily life for peasants differed from life for nobles was that:
peasants worked the land while nobles managed estates
peasants lived in castles while nobles lived in huts
peasants had more political power than nobles
peasants wore expensive clothing like nobles
