Where and when Christianity began, and what its followers believe and practice

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   How Christianity spread and grew (cards A to D). Card A, the first centuries, in our words: missionaries such as Paul traveled along Roman roads and sea routes. By the end of the 1st century CE, Christian groups met in homes in cities such as Rome, Corinth and Ephesus. Card B, officials and emperors, in our words: at times Roman officials punished Christians who refused to honor the empire's gods. In 313 CE the emperors Constantine and Licinius agreed that Christians could worship freely, and Constantine became the first Roman emperor to profess Christianity. In 380 CE the emperor Theodosius I made Nicene Christianity the official faith of the empire. Card C, beyond the empire, in our words: according to tradition, the kingdom of Armenia took up Christianity about 301 CE. The kingdom of Aksum, in what is now Ethiopia, did so in the 300s CE. From the 1400s, missionaries carried Christianity to the Americas, Africa and Asia. Card D, today: the Pew Research Center estimated that about 28.8 percent of the world's people were Christian in 2020, and that 30.7 percent of Christians lived in sub-Saharan Africa, more than in any other region.

2. 1.

   Card B says Constantine and Licinius agreed to tolerate Christians in 313 CE, and Theodosius made it the official faith in 380 CE. How many years passed, Ari asks?

   • 77 years
   • 380 years
   • 67 years
   • 693 years
3. 2.

   Card B says that in 313 CE emperors agreed Christians could worship freely. What could follow for the movement, Bo asks?

   • Christianity became the empire's official faith in the same year
   • The whole empire became Christian at once
   • Christians had to meet in secret from then on
   • Christians could meet openly, and the movement could grow
4. 3.

   Card C says Armenia took up Christianity about 301 CE by tradition. Card B says Theodosius made it the official faith of the empire in 380 CE. How many years later was that, Esme asks?

   • 79 years later
   • 301 years later
   • 681 years later
   • 69 years later
5. 4.

   Card C says Armenia took up Christianity about 301 CE by tradition, and Aksum in the 300s CE. What do the two cards together suggest, Jun asks?

   • Armenia and Aksum took up Christianity at exactly the same time
   • Christianity spread through Roman emperors' orders
   • Christianity spread beyond the empire in the early 300s
   • Constantine's tolerance in 313 CE was the cause of both
6. 5.

   Card D says 30.7 percent of Christians lived in sub-Saharan Africa. About how many of every 10 Christians is that, Kira asks?

   • About 3 of every 10
   • About 1 of every 10
   • About 30 of every 10
   • About 7 of every 10
7. 6.

   A Roman official and a Christian leader each described the same period of punishment. How might their accounts differ, Milo asks?

   • The accounts would match exactly, since both writers lived in the same empire
   • The Christian leader's account is correct and the official's is false
   • Each would write from a different position and for a different purpose
   • The official would have a purpose, because he wrote the letters that survive
8. 7.

   Card B says Theodosius made Nicene Christianity the empire's faith in 380 CE. Which source is best for what was decided then, Noah asks?

   • No source, since a decision is not recorded in writing
   • A report by a missionary such as Paul, written in the 1st century CE
   • A modern textbook that summarizes the history of the empire
   • The emperor's own decree from 380 CE
9. 8.

   Card C says Armenia took up Christianity about 301 CE by tradition. Which find would best test that date, Pia asks?

   • A church built in Aksum in the 300s CE
   • A list of Roman emperors who ruled before 301 CE
   • A dated record made in Armenia around 301 CE
   • A history written in the 1800s that repeats the date
10. 9.

    Card B says Constantine and Licinius agreed that Christians could worship freely. What might they have hoped for, Ren asks?

    • Peace in the empire and the loyalty of Christians
    • To drive Christianity out of the empire for good
    • To make each Roman a Christian within a single year
    • To show their respect for the Armenian king
11. 10.

    Card B says officials sometimes punished Christians. Which statement is the most careful, Zee asks?

    • Roman officials punished Christians in each year of the first three centuries
    • Roman officials punished Christians at times, in some places and periods
    • The punishments are not a matter for historians to study
    • Constantine started the punishments in 313 CE