Name __________________________________________________ Date ______________________________
Assessment: Life in Medieval Towns
Mastering the Content
Circle the letter next to the best answer.
1. How did new farming methods contribute to the growth of medieval European towns?
A. People who lived in towns could start to raise their own food.
B. Towns became less crowded as families moved to the country.
C. Enough crops were grown to sell to people who lived in towns.
D. Factories were set up in towns to make agricultural equipment.
2. Which term describes these relationships?
• Flanders: woolen cloth
• Venice: glass
A. imports
B. consumers
C. competition
D. specialization
3. In addition to new farming methods, another reason for the growth of towns was the
A. fall of the Roman Empire.
B. revival of long-distance trade.
C. technology to build stone walls.
D. discovery of better medicines.
4. Why did towns buy royal charters?
A. to keep goods at a stable price
B. to set up schools and universities
C. to gain independence from feudal lords
D. to avoid being overrun by the army
5. Which word belongs in the blank box below?
A. serfs
B. knights
C. bishops
D. merchants
6. If you were a customer who bought shoes from a cobbler, a guild might help you by making sure that
A. the business was in a home.
B. the members paid their dues.
C. the workers were paid fairly.
D. the shoes were of good quality.
7. Which word belongs in the empty box
A. customer
B. journeyman
C. money lender
D. merchant seaman
8. How did the nature of trade goods change over the course of the Middle Ages?
A. from imported luxury goods to more local items
B. from food and clothing to precious metals
C. from farm equipment to tools for building houses
D. from one-of-a-kind homemade items to factory products
9. Which occupation was more open to Jews than to Christians?
A. banker
B. landlord
C. entertainer
D. shopkeeper
10. Which question would best help you predict the job a medieval boy would do when he grew up?
A. Where does he live?
B. What does his father do?
C. How well does he do in school?
D. How strong are his arm muscles?
11. Which of these did a girl’s education most often include?
A. logic
B. cooking
C. astronomy
D. mathematics
12. One of the biggest causes of disease in medieval towns was
A. unsanitary conditions.
B. poison in community wells.
C. refusal to use herbal medicines.
D. lack of care by family members.
13. Which of these eventually replaced trial by ordeal or combat?
A. royal rulings
B. court trials
C. church rulings
D. economic studies
14. Common law developed out of a growing body of
A. jury trials.
B. royal edicts.
C. decisions by judges.
D. pronouncements by the pope.
15. Which game played today was popular in medieval towns?
A. lacrosse
B. basketball
C. badminton
D. ice hockey
16. Which guild would be most likely to put on a mystery play about the Last Supper, the final meal Jesus ate
with his followers?
A. the Bakers Guild
B. the Goldsmiths Build
C. the Stone Carvers Guild
D. the Cloth Merchants Guild
Applying Social Studies Skills
Use the map and your knowledge of history to complete the sentences below.
17. Four cities directly involved in Mediterranean trade were
18. A geographic feature that contributed to the growth of Lisbon, London, and Danzig was their location on or
near
19. Trade between Africa and Europe likely contributed to the growth of the North African city of
Exploring the Essential Question: What was life like in medieval Europeans towns?
20. Suppose a medieval town council has hired you to write a set of four persuasive paragraphs to post on a
cathedral door encouraging people to visit or live in the town. These paragraphs will give the following
information:
• the town’s name and a slogan
• descriptions of two types of housing—one for wealthy people and one for common people
• descriptions of at least two kinds of job opportunities in the town
• descriptions of at least two kinds of leisure activities in the town
Taken as a group, the paragraphs should state a clear position, describe points in support of the position, and
address concerns people might have about moving to the town.
Town name and slogan
Housing
Job opportunities
Leisure activities