The Black Death: how plague spread along trade routes, and what changed after

Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Counting the losses and the false blame (cards A to C; summaries in our words). Card A, a 2002 article in a United States health journal: the plague spread across Europe from 1347 to 1351, and Europe lost about a quarter to a third of its people. Card B, a 2020 medical journal article: at least a third of Europe's people were lost, which it puts at more than 25 million, and waves of plague lasted until 1352. Card C, Pope Clement VI, in 1348: he wrote that the plague was also striking Jewish people, and that blaming them was wrong. Even so, in many towns Christians falsely blamed their Jewish neighbors, and historians count at least 235 Jewish communities that were persecuted and destroyed.

2. 1.

   Card B puts the loss at more than 25 million, about a third of Europe's people. About how many people lived in Europe before the plague, Ari asks?

   • About 100 million
   • About 8 million
   • About 28 million
   • About 75 million
3. 2.

   Card A says a quarter to a third were lost and card B says at least a third. How do they fit, Bo asks?

   • They agree, so the exact toll is now settled and can be stated as one number
   • They contradict each other, so one of the articles must be false
   • They cannot be compared, because one was written in 2002 and one in 2020
   • They meet near one third, a fair guide, though the exact toll is unknown
4. 3.

   A student says, "Cards A and B prove that exactly 25 million people were lost." How strong is that claim, Esme asks?

   • Strong: card B gives 25 million, so the toll is exact and settled
   • Weak: card B says "more than 25 million" and card A gives only a range
   • Strong: card A gives 25 million and card B agrees with that figure
   • Weak: figures from centuries ago cannot be used as evidence of anything
5. 4.

   What does card C show about opinion in 1348, Jun asks?

   • The blame was partly true, but the towns went too far
   • The pope supported the blame and urged towns to act on it
   • The pope rejected the blame, while crowds in many towns accepted it
   • The whole of Europe agreed that Jewish communities had caused the plague
6. 5.

   Which belief does card C say was wrong, Kira asks?

   • That the pope should write letters about the plague
   • That the plague reached many towns in Europe
   • That the plague also struck Jewish people
   • That Jewish neighbors were to blame for the plague
7. 6.

   Suppose Europe had about 75 million people. What range does card A's quarter to a third give, Luz asks?

   • About 50 million to 56 million
   • About 19 million to 25 million
   • About 25 million to 37 million
   • About 7 million to 10 million
8. 7.

   Which card was made closest to the events, and what is its limit, Milo asks?

   • Card B, from 2020, because it is the newest and so the most accurate
   • No card, because no source from 1348 can be trusted
   • Card C, from 1348; it shows one leader's view, not a whole society's
   • Card A, from 2002, because it counts the toll for the whole of Europe
9. 8.

   A student says, "Cards A and B prove Europe's population fell by exactly one third." How strong is that claim, Noah asks?

   • Weak: card A gives a range, and card B says at least a third
   • Weak: historians cannot know how many people lived centuries ago
   • Strong: both cards mention one third, so the share is exactly that
   • Strong: card B says exactly a third and card A agrees
10. 9.

    Card A dates the spread 1347 to 1351 and card B says waves lasted until 1352. What does that show, Ren asks?

    • The two dates are the same year, so there is no real difference between the two
    • Sources mark the period differently, so historians give a range
    • The plague began a year earlier in the second article than the first
    • One of the articles is wrong and should be thrown out of the discussion
11. 10.

    Card C says "at least 235" Jewish communities were persecuted. Why does it say "at least", Zee asks?

    • Records are incomplete, so some cases may be missing from the count
    • The number is invented, so no one knows how many were affected
    • The count includes towns that blamed no one for the plague at the time
    • Exactly 235 communities were persecuted, no more and no fewer