The Black Death: how plague spread along trade routes, and what changed after Worksheet, Grade 7 (Free Printable)

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

Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

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How plague spread (cards A to C; summaries in our words). Card A, what we know now: plague is caused by a bacterium, Yersinia pestis. It lives in rodents, and fleas that bite infected rodents can pass it to people. Today it is treated with antibiotics. Card B, the route, 1346 to 1351: the plague reached the Crimea, by the Black Sea, in 1346 and spread on trading ships. It came to Messina, a port in Sicily, in October 1347, to France and Spain by 1348, and across northern Europe in the following years. Card C, doctors at the University of Paris, in a report of 1348: they explained the sickness as bad air linked to the position of the planets. No one knew about bacteria or fleas as a cause until centuries later.
1.
Which order of the chain matches card A, Ari asks?
- A flea makes the bacterium, and rodents then carry it to people
- A rodent carries the bacterium and passes it straight to a person by biting
- A person carries the bacterium, a flea bites it, and the flea then bites a rodent
- A rodent carries the bacterium, a flea bites it, and the flea then bites a person
2.
Cards A and C both explain the cause. Why do scientists rely on card A, Bo asks?
- It was written by doctors, and doctors are right about most illnesses
- It is shorter and simpler than card C, so it is easier to follow
- It was written first, in 1348, and earlier reports are usually more accurate
- It rests on later evidence about bacteria and fleas that the Paris doctors lacked
3.
Using card B, which list puts these places in the order the plague reached them, Jun asks?
- Northern Europe, then France and Spain, then Messina, then Crimea
- Crimea, then Messina, then France and Spain, then northern Europe
- Messina, then Crimea, then northern Europe, then France and Spain
- Crimea, then France and Spain, then Messina, then northern Europe
4.
A student says, "Card B proves ships were the only way the plague spread." How strong is that claim, Kira asks?
- Strong: card B says the plague began in Messina and moved outward
- Weak: ships cannot carry fleas, so card B is not usable
- Weak: card B says ships carried it to new ports, but does not rule out other routes
- Strong: card B says the plague spread on trading ships, so no other way is possible
5.
Why did port cities such as Messina meet the plague first, Milo asks?
- Bad air blows in from the sea and settles in port cities first
- Port cities were poorer, so more people there were bitten by fleas
- Port cities had many doctors, who carried the plague from house to house
- Trading ships docked there, and could carry infected rodents and fleas
6.
What changed between the doctors' report of 1348 and what we know now, Noah asks?
- Evidence about bacteria and fleas replaced bad air linked to planets
- Doctors stopped trying to explain illnesses once plague was understood
- Planets are now thought to carry the fleas from port to port
- Nothing changed, because both cards blame bad air for the plague
7.
Which statement could a Paris doctor of 1348 agree with, going by card C, Pia asks?
- Plague first reached the port of Messina in October 1347
- Plague comes from bad air, linked to the position of the planets
- Plague is caused by a bacterium named Yersinia pestis
- Plague is carried by fleas that bite infected rodents
8.
A ship's record of 1347 says rats were found on board when it docked at Messina. How does it relate to cards A and B, Ren asks?
- It contradicts card C, which says rats carried the plague by ship from Messina to France
- It shows rats alone caused the plague, with no part for fleas or for ships
- It is of no use, because a ship's record is not a doctor's report from Paris
- It fits: rats on a ship could carry fleas to a port, as the cards suggest
9.
A student says, "Card A shows people in 1348 could have stopped the plague with antibiotics." How strong is that claim, Tala asks?
- Strong: card A says antibiotics prevent each case of plague
- Weak: card A says plague cannot be treated with any medicine
- Weak: card A says antibiotics treat plague today, and no one in 1348 had them
- Strong: card A shows antibiotics work, so people in 1348 should have used them
10.
Cards A and B together support which statement, Zee asks?
- Trading ships could carry infected rodents and fleas from port to port
- The plague spread because ships carried the Paris doctors from port to port
- The plague spread faster inland than along the coast
- Antibiotics carried on the ships stopped the plague in 1347

About this worksheet

The Black Death: how plague spread along trade routes, and what changed after. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

I can follow the plague's cause from a bacterium to rodents, fleas and trading ships, and say why the Paris doctors of 1348 blamed bad air without calling them foolish.

I can compare two sourced estimates of Europe's losses, say what a range and a minimum allow, and say plainly that blaming Jewish communities was wrong and was false.

I can follow how a labor shortage in England led to an ordinance on wages (1349), a statute (1351) and the rising of 1381, and weigh how far the evidence links them.

Standard: D2.His.14.6-8

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with the black death: how plague spread along trade routes, and what changed after?

Your child slipped in the arithmetic. Redo the calculation one step at a time.

Are these 7th grade social studies worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

7th grade The Black Death: how plague spread along trade routes, and what changed after worksheet