Black Death

Question 1

What was the Black Death?

Answer 1

A devastating disease that swept across Asia, Europe, and Africa in the mid-fourteenth century.

Question 2

What percentage of Europe’s population perished due to the Black Death?

Answer 2

About 60 percent.

Question 3

What is the estimated death toll from the Black Death?

Answer 3

75 million.

Question 4

How did the Black Death spread to Europe?

Answer 4

Mainly through trade and travelling pilgrims.

Question 5

What was the death toll in Egypt during the Black Death?

Answer 5

40 percent of its population.

Question 6

What was the average life expectancy of a medieval woman?

Answer 6

30 years.

Question 7

What was the average life expectancy of a medieval man?

Answer 7

44 years.

Question 8

What did most people in the medieval age lack?

Answer 8

Education and understanding of hygiene.

Question 9

How often did peasants typically bathe?

Answer 9

Once or twice a year.

Question 10

What was a common practice among wealthy Muslims in terms of hygiene?

Answer 10

Public sweating rooms, similar to saunas.

Question 11

What medical knowledge was lost after the fall of the Roman Empire?

Answer 11

Much of the medical knowledge used by the Romans.

Question 12

What was the role of the clergy in medieval medical care?

Answer 12

They were the main caregivers for the sick.

Question 13

True or False: The Catholic Church encouraged doctors to use dead bodies for medical research.

Answer 13

False.

Question 14

What did medieval doctors believe caused illnesses?

Answer 14

Bad smells, the wind, and sins.

Question 15

What is the Silk Road?

Answer 15

A trade route that connected Asia and Europe.

Question 16

What were the most prized goods traded from Asia to Europe?

Answer 16

• Silks
• Spices
• Skins
• Precious gemstones

Question 17

What were the two types of plagues associated with the Black Death?

Answer 17

• Bubonic plague
• Pneumonic plague

Question 18

How is the bubonic plague transmitted to humans?

Answer 18

Through fleas that have bitten infected rats.

Question 19

What are buboes?

Answer 19

Swellings in the lymph glands caused by the bubonic plague.

Question 20

How quickly can pneumonic plague kill an infected person?

Answer 20

Within 2 days.

Question 21

What ineffective treatment involved draining blood from the body?

Answer 21

Bleeding or leeching.

Question 22

What did flagellants do in response to the Black Death?

Answer 22

Inflicted pain on themselves to atone for sins.

Question 23

What was the impact of the Black Death on the feudal system?

Answer 23

It changed dramatically due to worker shortages.

Question 24

What was one outcome of the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381?

Answer 24

The government reduced taxes to normal standards.

Question 25

How did the Black Death affect the Catholic Church's authority?

Answer 25

People became disillusioned with the Church.

Question 26

What did the Black Death inspire a search for?

Answer 26

Answers about life, the universe, and knowledge, especially in science and medicine.

Question 27

Fill in the blank: The Black Death's origins are believed to be in _______.

Answer 27

Asia.

Question 28

How many people in Europe were killed as a result of the Black Death?

Answer 28

Estimates range from 75 to 200 million.

Question 29

What did Ibn Battuta record about the Black Death?

Answer 29

He documented the high daily death tolls in various cities.

Question 30

How many graveyards in London became full due to the Black Death?

Answer 30

Multiple graveyards filled within months.

Question 31

What did a merchant in Siena, Italy, write down about the plague and its results?

Answer 31

The merchant documented the devastating effects and the high mortality rate due to the plague. ## Footnote This account provides insight into the social and economic impacts of the Black Death in Italy.

Question 32

What evidence is used to support the idea that hundreds of skeletons found in London were victims of the Black Death?

Answer 32

Archaeological findings, such as mass graves and skeletal remains showing signs of plague. ## Footnote Studies of the skeletons reveal characteristics consistent with plague victims, such as lesions and trauma.

Question 33

How many graveyards in the city of London became full as a result of a few months of the plague?

Answer 33

Several graveyards, with some reports indicating up to 50 became full. ## Footnote The rapid accumulation of bodies overwhelmed burial sites during the peak of the epidemic.

Question 34

Within 6 months of plague how many people had died in the city of London?

Answer 34

Estimated deaths were around 100,000 people. ## Footnote This figure reflects the severe impact of the Black Death on London's population.

Question 35

What did scientists name the disease known as the Black Death?

Answer 35

Bubonic plague. ## Footnote This term is derived from the buboes, or swollen lymph nodes, characteristic of the disease.

Question 36

In 1894 where did a similar plague to the Black Death break out?

Answer 36

In Hong Kong. ## Footnote The outbreak in Hong Kong led to further studies on the plague and its transmission.

Question 37

How did scientists discover the connection between rats, fleas and the Black Death?

Answer 37

Through epidemiological studies and the examination of infected fleas and rats. ## Footnote Research identified that fleas on rats were primary vectors for the disease transmission.

Question 38

What has led modern investigators to consider the Black Death may not be the Bubonic Plague?

Answer 38

Variability in symptoms and historical accounts suggesting different disease patterns. ## Footnote Some researchers propose that other diseases may have contributed to the high mortality rates.

Question 39

What other ways can bubonic plague spread besides fleas on rats?

Answer 39

Direct contact with infected individuals and respiratory droplets. ## Footnote These alternative transmission routes highlight the complexity of the disease's spread.

Question 40

What symptoms were commonly referred to in medieval texts that are not features of bubonic plague?

Answer 40

Symptoms such as severe coughing and respiratory distress. ## Footnote These symptoms suggest the presence of other diseases or conditions during the plague period.

Question 41

What modern day disease has been linked to the Black Death from the 14th century?

Answer 41

The Plague. ## Footnote Ongoing studies continue to explore the genetic and historical connections between the Black Death and contemporary plague cases.

Question 42

Where did the Black Death originate?

Answer 42

The Black Death started in Central Asia and spread to Europe in the 1340s.

Question 43

How was the Black Death transmitted?

Answer 43

The plague was spread by fleas that lived on rats, which then transmitted the disease to humans.