Question

reading passage
feudalism was primarily a political system, while manorialism was primarily an
economic system. both systems existed in europe and offered protection to serfs and
peasants. in feudal society, kings were the most powerful, followed by lords, then
knights, and serfs were the least powerful. the crusades were a series of battles
between muslim and christian forces for control of the holy land. the bubonic plague
caused the power of the roman catholic church to decrease because church leaders
were unable to stop its spread. the fall of rome in 476 ad caused borders to break
apart and led to political fragmentation and instability. one important legal principle that
developed in medieval england was the right to a trial by a jury of one’s peers. mongol
invasions caused changes in regions they conquered, such as increased trade or new
systems of rule, which affected daily life for people living there by being introduced to
new religions and goods.
comprehension questions

1. which system was mainly political, and which was mainly economic?
2. in feudal society, who held the most power and who held the least?
3. what best describes the crusades?
4. how did the bubonic plague affect the power of the catholic church?
5. how did the fall of rome affect western europe’s boundaries?
6. what evidence best supports the idea that rome’s fall caused political

fragmentation?

1. where did the idea of a trial by a jury of one’s peers originate?
2. identify one change caused by mongol invasions.
3. explain one effect that change had on people living in that region.

Explanation:

These questions are about historical and social - political aspects of medieval Europe. The subfield of Social Science that best applies here is History, as the questions revolve around historical events (like the Crusades, fall of Rome, Mongol invasions), social systems (feudalism, manorialism), and their impacts on society, which are core topics of History.

For question 24: From the passage, "Feudalism was primarily a political system, while manorialism was primarily an economic system." So we can directly get the answer from this sentence.

For question 25: The passage states "In feudal society, kings were the most powerful, followed by lords, then knights, and serfs were the least powerful." So we extract this information to answer.

For question 26: The passage says "The Crusades were a series of battles between Muslim and Christian forces for control of the Holy Land." This gives the description of the Crusades.

For question 27: According to the passage, "The Bubonic Plague caused the power of the Roman Catholic Church to decrease because church leaders were unable to stop its spread." So we use this to answer how the plague affected the Church's power.

For question 28: The passage mentions "The fall of Rome in 476 AD caused borders to break apart and led to political fragmentation and instability." This tells us about the impact on Western Europe's boundaries.

For question 29: The relevant part is "The fall of Rome in 476 AD caused borders to break apart and led to political fragmentation and instability." This evidence supports the idea of political fragmentation after Rome's fall.

For question 30: The passage says "One important legal principle that developed in medieval England was the right to a trial by a jury of one's peers." So the idea originated in medieval England.

For question 31: The passage states "Mongol invasions caused changes in regions they conquered, such as increased trade or new systems of rule". We can pick one of these, like increased trade.

For question 32: If we take the change of increased trade from Mongol invasions, the effect is that people living in the conquered regions were introduced to new goods, as mentioned in "which affected daily life for people living there by being introduced to new religions and goods" (and increased trade would facilitate the introduction of new goods).

Answer:

1. Feudalism was mainly political, and manorialism was mainly economic.
2. In feudal society, kings held the most power and serfs held the least.
3. The Crusades were a series of battles between Muslim and Christian forces for control of the Holy Land.
4. The Bubonic Plague caused the power of the Roman Catholic Church to decrease because church leaders were unable to stop its spread.
5. The fall of Rome in 476 AD caused borders to break apart.
6. The fall of Rome in 476 AD caused borders to break apart and led to political fragmentation and instability.
7. The idea of a trial by a jury of one's peers originated in medieval England.
8. One change caused by Mongol invasions was increased trade (or new systems of rule).
9. If the change is increased trade, the effect is that people in the conquered regions were introduced to new goods (based on "which affected daily life for people living there by being introduced to new religions and goods").