Multiple Choice
What Caused the Black Death?
a) A virus
b) The bacterium Yersinia pestis
c) A fungal infection
d) Poisoned water
b) The bacterium Yersinia pestis
True/False
The Black Death arrived in Europe in the year 1400.
False – it arrived in 1347
Short Answer
Describe two symptoms of the Black Death.
Fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, blackened skin, vomiting, etc.
Short Answer
How did the Black Death impact the power of the Church?
Many people lost faith in the Church because priests and prayers could not stop the plague.
How did the Black Death primary spread?
a) Through the air like a cold
b) Through fleas on rats
c) Through eating contaminated food
d) By drinking unclean water
b) Through fleas on rats
True/False
The bubonic plague was the most common form of the Black Death.
True
Short Answer
How did the plague impact the population of Europe?
It killed between 30-60% of the population.
What did plague doctors wear to protect themselves?
a) Metal armor
b) Plague masks with long beaks
c) Silk robes
d) Wooden shoes
b) Plague masks with long beaks
What Were the Three Main Types of the Plague?
a) Bubonic, Pneumonic, Septicaemic
b) Viral, Bacterial, Fungal
c) Flea-borne, Airborne, Waterborne
d) Red, Black, Green
a) Bubonic, Pneumonic, Septicaemic
True/False
Many people believed the plague was caused by "bad air" (miasma).
True
Short Answer
Name one way people in the 14th century tried to cure or prevent the Black Death.
Carrying herbs, self-flagellation, running away, praying, bloodletting.
Which European city was one of the first to be affected by the Black Death in 1347?
a) London
b) Venice
c) Constantinople
d) Messina
c) Constantinople
Which trade route helped Spread the Black Death to Europe?
a) The Viking Route
b) The Atlantic Trade Route
c) The Silk Road
d) The Trans-Saharan Route
c) The Silk Road
True/False
Doctors at the time understood that bacteria caused the disease.
False – they did not know about germs
Short Answer
Why did people blame the Jewish community for the Black Death?
People were looking for a scapegoat, and false rumours spread that Jews poisoned wells.
Tue/False
The Black Death only affected Europe and did not spread to Asia or Africa.
False – it also spread through Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa.
What was one major economic effect of the Black Death?
a) Increase in feudalism
b) Higher wages for workers
c) Increased trade and travel
d) Greater power for the Church
b) Higher wages for workers
True/False
The Black Death led to the collapse of the feudal system.
True – due to labour shortages
Short Answer
Explain how the Black Death led to higher wages for workers.
With so many people dead, there were fewer workers available, so surviving workers could demand better pay.
Short Answer
What role did trade routes play in the spread of the Black Death?
Trade routes, especially the Silk Road and sea routes, allowed infected rats and fleas to travel with merchants, spreading the disease quickly across different regions.