7th Grade Reading Quiz
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READING LITERATURE
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PASSAGE
Fiction (story excerpt)
When the bell rang again, Marta did not look up from the bucket. The sound had become part of the air, like smoke. She carried vinegar-soaked cloths to the doorway, because the old women said sourness chased sickness away. On the street, a cart creaked past, and the man driving it did not meet anyone's eyes.
"Don't touch the coins," her father warned, pushing their last bread across the table. His hands shook. Marta watched her little brother sleep, his cheeks too hot, and tried to remember the last time the house smelled like anything but fear.
At dusk, a priest walked by with a mask that looked like a bird's beak. Marta whispered a prayer anyway, even though she was not sure who was listening. She had heard the plague came from far-off ships, from rats, from punishment. All she knew was the quiet after the bell.
Historical Account (factual)
The Black Death was a terrible pandemic that spread across Europe in the mid-1300s, especially from 1347 to 1351. It is widely believed to have been caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which spread in part through fleas that lived on rats, although transmission could happen in several ways. The pandemic caused an enormous loss of life, and estimates suggest that about one-third to one-half of Europe's population died. Many people at the time did not understand the true cause, so they used various remedies and explanations, including religious interpretations. Public health measures were very limited compared with modern standards.
Why might an author include details like the vinegar cloths, the fear at the table, and the rumors about the plague's cause?
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