Grade 8 · Social Studies · Unit 1 of 6
Medieval Europe
Feudalism, towns and the Black Death
What your child practises
How medieval Europe was organized (kings, nobles, knights and peasants), the role of the Church and guilds, the Magna Carta, the Black Death, and how change came to the feudal system.
BC Curriculum learning standard: Social, economic and political structures of medieval Europe: feudalism, the Church, towns and the Black Death
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
What was the main role of the Christian Church in medieval Europe?
- It ruled only in Asia.
- It only built castles.
- It guided religious life and also had great influence in politics, education and daily life.
- It had little influence.
Show answer
It guided religious life and also had great influence in politics, education and daily life.
Hint: The Church owned land, ran schools and hospitals, and advised rulers.
Question 2
Put the feudal pyramid in order, from the most powerful to the least.
- 🛡️Knights
- 👑King
- 🌾Peasants and serfs
- 🏰Nobles (lords)
Show answer
King → Nobles (lords) → Knights → Peasants and serfs
Hint: In the feudal system the king was at the top, followed by nobles, then knights, then peasants who worked the land.
Question 3
How did the growth of towns change life in medieval Europe?
- Everyone became a knight.
- People could earn money from trade and crafts instead of farming only.
- People stopped trading.
- Castles disappeared overnight.
Show answer
People could earn money from trade and crafts instead of farming only.
Hint: Towns grew with markets, guilds and new jobs.
Question 4
Why did the growth of trade help weaken feudalism?
- Peasants gave up all their rights.
- Trade stopped towns from growing.
- Merchants and townspeople gained wealth and independence outside the lord-peasant system.
- Trade made lords richer than kings.
Show answer
Merchants and townspeople gained wealth and independence outside the lord-peasant system.
Hint: Money and towns offered new ways to earn a living apart from the manor.
Question 5
Why were monasteries important for learning?
- Monks burned all books.
- They were only farms.
- Monks copied and kept books, and some ran schools.
- They banned reading.
Show answer
Monks copied and kept books, and some ran schools.
Hint: Before the printing press, books were copied by hand, often in monasteries.
Question 6
What did the Magna Carta (1215) establish?
- That the Church can tax the king
- That even the king must follow the law
- That the king rules by himself
- That peasants own land
Show answer
That even the king must follow the law
Hint: English nobles forced King John to accept limits on royal power.