Part 1- An Introduction to Elizabethan England

Which detail from the excerpt best supports the inference that food was more consistently available in larger towns?

Large towns are less vulnerable, being part of an international market that sees preserved foods traded long-distance; but much of the countryside is dependent on fresh food.

Which detail from the text best supports the inference that farm animals were very valuable in Elizabethan England?

Taking livestock is theft, and theft is a felony which carries the death sentence.

Which detail from the text best supports the inference that transportation was more difficult in the winter months?

"Only in summer is sea fish carried to markets that far inland"

What inference can be made about transportation, based on this passage?

Transportation was more difficult in the winter months than the summer months.

Which details are stated explicitly? Check all that apply.

1. A flock of sheep in Elizabethan England was more valuable than a modern house. 2. Transportation was difficult in Elizabethan England. 3. The food supply in Elizabethan England depended on what was grown locally.

Which details are stated explicitly? Check all that apply.

". . . storage of food is most important. The principal rule is to have separate places for different types of commodity: dry things can be kept in a pantry with bread and dry linen; wet things are normally stored in the buttery. Wine and meat must be kept apart, and cellars should be avoided on account of their dampness. Meat should be seethed in summer to keep it fresh, then kept in a cool cellar, soaked in vinegar with juniper seeds and salt. Most yeomen will have vats and presses for making cheeses—a valuable source of protein in the long winter season."

What inference can be made about the availability of food, based on this passage?

Which detail from the text best supports the inference that winter months produce less food?

1. Storage of food was important. 2. Wine and meat needed to be stored apart. 3. Most yeomen had vats and presses to make cheese The winter months produced less food. "Most yeomen will have vats and presses for making cheeses—a valuable source of protein in the long winter season."

Which statement is a logical inference based on details in the passage?

"In London you can buy ready-made marmalade imported from the Continent, as well as dates and figs; but these are for the tables of the wealthy. For the vast majority of yeomen in the country, it is vitally important to store hard fruit through the whole year."

Imported marmalade was expensive.

Which details give explicit information about Elizabethans’ beliefs about health? Check all that apply.

1. "Elizabethan people also consider their health when choosing what to eat." 2. "Elizabethans use [sage] because it is thought to sharpen the brain." 3. "[Sir Thomas Elyot] declares that mutton is the most wholesome meat you can eat"

Which detail from the text best supports the inference that many Elizabethans could not afford to buy grain during some years?

Other bad years—when the price of grain is 20 percent or more above the rolling average—are 1573, 1586, and 1600.

Which detail gives implicit information about the modern view of the Elizabethan landscape?

Ranges of hills and mountains are obstacles to Elizabethan travelers and very far from picturesque features you go out of your way to see.

What is the effect of the second-person point of view in this excerpt?

But be careful if you adopt a partial regime: heavy fines are levied for eating meat on nonmeat days. The standard fine is £3 or three months imprisonment, but in 1561 a London butcher slaughtering three oxen in Lent is fined £20. Fines can be levied on the head of a household for every single member who breaks the fast, so if you have lots of servants, make sure they all obey the law.

It puts the reader in the place of the Elizabethan who has to pay fines for eating meat.

Why does the author use third-person point of view in this excerpt?

The purpose of fasting on Wednesdays is specifically to encourage the eating of fish, to support the fishing industry. People therefore respond differently. Some households uphold the old religious fasts during Advent and Lent, as if they are still observing the religious law; others ignore Advent but observe the Lenten fast. Still others ignore Wednesdays and just fast on Fridays and Saturdays.

The author wants to present factual information effectively.

Which detail from the text best supports the inference that one bad apple can spoil all the others?

. . . make sure they are not touching each other . . .