When Plague Crossed a Continent · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

When Plague Rode the Trade Roads

History · World History · ages 12-13
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Why did rich trade roads spread the plague faster?

    • Bad smells alone carried it town to town
    • Rats and fleas rode with the goods
    • Loud markets scared people sick

  2. Where did the plague begin its journey west?

    • Western Europe
    • Central Asia
    • West Africa

  3. After the plague, wages rose because fewer hands were left to work.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. A port grows rich on trade yet begs for fewer ships. Why?

    • Ships bring plague as well as profit
    • Ships drink all the water
    • Ships block the sun

  5. Which regions did the plague cross on its way to western Europe?

    • Iceland and Greenland
    • Mexico and Peru
    • The Middle East and North Africa

  6. The plague of the 1340s was a European event only.

    Circle one:   True   False

  7. Two towns face the plague. One shuts its port, one holds a fair. Which fares better?

    • The port shutting town, since fewer ships mean fewer fleas
    • Both fare exactly the same
    • The fair town, since crowds heal

  8. A village loses half its workers but keeps all its fields. What follows?

    • Wages fall since work is easy
    • Fields plough themselves
    • Wages rise since hands are scarce
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

When Plague Rode the Trade Roads W1-mt_852vI5oN6Y-s1

  1. Rats and fleas rode with the goods · Fleas on ship rats hopped to new ports with every cargo.
  2. Central Asia · The sickness left central Asia in the 1340s and rode west.
  3. True · Workers grew scarce, so their work cost more.
  4. Ships bring plague as well as profit · The same hulls that carry silk can carry rats and fleas.
  5. The Middle East and North Africa · It moved from central Asia through the Middle East and North Africa first.
  6. False · It crossed Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa before Europe.
  7. The port shutting town, since fewer ships mean fewer fleas · Fewer arriving ships means fewer rats and fleas landing.
  8. Wages rise since hands are scarce · With half the hands for the same land, each worker can ask for more.
Worksheet · LightMySky