Life and Death in the Later Middle Ages

I. Causes of the Great Famine of 1315–1322

What caused the Great Famine of 1315–1322?
- A. Volcanic eruption
- B. Over-farming and climate cooling
- C. War with the Mongols
- D. Collapse of trade routes

II. Effects of the Great Famine

A major effect of the Great Famine was:
- A. Massive urbanization
- B. Malnutrition and weakened population
- C. End of feudalism
- D. Expansion of universities

III. Arrival of the Black Death in Europe

The Black Death arrived in Europe primarily via:
- A. Pilgrims
- B. Ships on trade routes
- C. Crusader knights
- D. Monks

IV. Spread of the Black Death

The Black Death was spread by:
- A. Airplanes (not applicable)
- B. Rats and fleas
- C. Contaminated water
- D. Birds

V. Symptoms of the Bubonic Plague

A characteristic symptom of the bubonic plague was:
- A. Hair loss
- B. Buboes (black cysts in lymph nodes)
- C. Vomiting blood
- D. Yellow skin

VI. Impact on Populations

Which area was hit hardest by the plague?
- A. Countryside
- B. Remote villages
- C. Densely populated cities
- D. Islands only

VII. Jewish Communities and the Plague

Why did some Jewish communities suffer less from plague?
- A. They had better access to medicine
- B. They were wealthy
- C. They lived near rivers
- D. Segregation limited exposure to trade routes

VIII. Antisemitic Responses to the Plague

Antisemitic pogroms increased because:
- A. Jews held political power
- B. Jews were accused of poisoning wells
- C. The Pope ordered it
- D. Kings wanted Jewish lands

IX. Flagellants' Beliefs

Flagellants believed the plague was:
- A. Caused by bacteria (not applicable)
- B. A divine punishment
- C. Spread by foreigners
- D. Caused by astrology

A. Church Opposition to Flagellant Processions

Why did Church leaders oppose Flagellant processions?
- A. They disrupted trade
- B. They challenged Church authority
- C. They were too loud
- D. They cost money

X. Culture of Death

“Ars Moriendi” taught:
- A. How to survive the plague
- B. Proper Christian dying and salvation
- C. How to prepare food during famine
- D. Warfare tactics
“Danse Macabre” emphasized that:
- A. Nobles were superior
- B. Everyone is equal in death
- C. Death can be avoided
- D. Death only affects the poor

XI. Popular Revolts

“Dies Irae” focused on:
- A. Economic policies
- B. The Last Judgment
- C. Royal coronation rituals
- D. Agricultural techniques
Why did medieval people create so many death-themed works after 1350?
- A. Medieval people loved horror
- B. The Black Death made mortality impossible to ignore
- C. The Pope required it
- D. Artists needed money

XII. Economic and Social Consequences of the Black Death

A direct economic result of the Black Death was:
- A. Wage decreases
- B. Labor shortages and rising wages
- C. Expansion of serfdom
- D. Abundance of manufactured goods
Why were peasants able to demand more rights after the plague?
- A. They grew more crops
- B. They were the only survivors in many regions
- C. Lords owed them money
- D. Kings supported their cause
What shut down during the pandemic?
- A. Universities
- B. Trade routes
- C. Architecture
- D. Theater only
The English Peasants’ Revolt began largely because of:
- A. Food shortages
- B. A poll tax affecting rich and poor equally
- C. A royal marriage crisis
- D. A papal decree

XIII. Leadership in Revolts

The leader who invoked Adam and Eve to argue equality was:
- A. Henry V
- B. Boccaccio
- C. Wyatt Tyler
- D. Geoffrey Chaucer
The Jacqueries were uprisings in:
- A. Spain
- B. England
- C. France
- D. Italy
The Ciompi Revolt took place in:
- A. Florence
- B. London
- C. Paris
- D. Milan
The Jacqueries targeted:
- A. Universities
- B. Noble landlords and food warehouses
- C. Churches
- D. Merchants
A common theme in all late medieval revolts was:
- A. Rejection of Christianity
- B. Desire for social equality
- C. Hatred of cities
- D. Wanting more feudal lords

XIV. New Forms of Expression

The Decameron is about:
- A. The Crusades
- B. Wealthy Florentines fleeing the plague to tell stories
- C. The Fall of Constantinople
Boccaccio criticized those who:
- A. Stayed to help the city
- B. Fled Florence and abandoned civic duty
- C. Prayed too much
- D. Built churches
Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales is mainly important because it:
- A. Was written in Latin
- B. Used vernacular English
- C. Defended the nobility
- D. Explained farming
Christine de Pizan is known for:
- A. Anti-church writings
- B. Early feminist ideas
- C. Being a plague doctor
- D. Leading a revolt

XV. Hundred Years’ War

The Hundred Years’ War was fought between:
- A. Italy and Spain
- B. Byzantines and Turks
- C. England and France
- D. France and Germany
At the start of the war, the dominant warriors were:
- A. Cannons
- B. Infantry
- C. Knights on horseback
- D. Archbishops
Joan of Arc convinced the French king because:
- A. She bribed him
- B. She recognized him without seeing him
- C. She was nobility
- D. She threatened England
Joan of Arc was eventually:
- A. Crowned queen
- B. Given land
- C. Executed as a heretic
- D. Made pope
A major long-term effect of the war was:
- A. The collapse of France
- B. The rise of national identity
- C. Abolition of kings
- D. End of Christianity

XVI. End of the Middle Ages / Fall of Constantinople

Constantinople fell in:
- A. 1300
- B. 1453
- C. 1500
- D. 1204
Constantinople was conquered by:
- A. Mongols
- B. Franks
- C. Ottoman Turks under Mehmet II
- D. English crusaders
A major cultural effect of the city’s fall was:
- A. End of trade
- B. Greek scholars and manuscripts fled to Italy
- C. Muslims adopted Latin
- D. The Crusades restarted

XVII. Renaissance Art

The “firstborn of modern Europe” refers to:
- A. Charlemagne
- B. The Renaissance man
- C. Emperor Justinian
- D. The Pope
Petrarch believed renewal came from:
- A. Forgetting the past
- B. Rediscovering classical learning
- C. Obeying kings
- D. Collecting taxes
The key shift in Renaissance humanism was:
- A. Focus on theology alone
- B. Focus on human potential and improvement
- C. Abandoning reading
- D. Rejecting cities
Pico della Mirandola argued in Oration on the Dignity of Man that humans:
- A. Are sinful and helpless
- B. Have no free will
- C. Can rise to the level of angels or fall to beasts
- D. Should abandon cities
Neoplatonism taught that humans:
- A. Cannot improve
- B. Are perfectible
- C. Should avoid philosophy
- D. Should submit to armies

XVIII. Artistic Techniques

Linear perspective creates:
- A. Mathematical proportion and depth
- B. More religious symbolism
- C. Brighter colors
- D. Fast painting techniques
Contrapposto refers to:
- A. A style of writing
- B. A sculptural pose with weight shifted onto one leg
- C. A type of cathedral
- D. A type of warfare
Masaccio’s Tribute Money is famous for:
- A. Contrapposto
- B. Use of vanishing point perspective
- C. Being life-size
- D. Use of gold leaf
Botticelli’s Birth of Venus reflects:
- A. Medieval theology only
- B. A return to classical mythology
- C. Ottoman influence
- D. Biblical exile
Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper uses:
- A. No perspective
- B. Jesus as the central vanishing point
- C. Only bright gold backgrounds
- D. Sculptural techniques

XIX. Printing Revolution

Gutenberg’s greatest achievement was:
- A. Inventing banking
- B. Movable-type printing
- C. Discovering America
- D. Creating universities
The printing press is considered the start of the modern age because it:
- A. Encouraged mass literacy and the spread of individual reading
- B. Destroyed Latin
- C. Ended warfare
- D. Replaced religion