PLEASE HELP: COMMON LIT| DON'T BLAME THE RATS FOR SPREADING THE BLACK DEATH
PART A: Which statement best expresses the central idea of the text?

A. While humans were responsible for spreading plague in the past, it is largely rats that are responsible for plague outbreaks today.
B. The Black Death could have easily been prevented if humans had made a greater effort to keep black rats and their fleas out of their homes.
C. It is likely that human fleas and unclean living conditions were the most responsible for the spread of the Black Death, rather than flea-carrying rats.
D. The Black Death was spread quickly by humans because they didn’t understand that the disease was transmitted through rats.

2.PART B: Which TWO details from the text best support the answer to Part A?

A.“Or they can catch it from another person. Plague can spread from person to person through an infected individual’s cough or vomit.” ( Paragraph 6)
B. “Dean’s team went digging for death records. ‘We were at the library a lot,’ she says. The researchers looked through old books for records of how many people died of plague per day or per week.” ( Paragraph 12)
C. “The model that assumed the disease was spread by human fleas and lice was the winner. It most closely matched the patterns in death rates seen from human transmissions.” ( Paragraph 14)
D. “In 1994, for example, rats and their fleas spread plague through India, killing almost 700 people.”

3. What is the author’s main purpose in the text?
A. to prove that rats are completely free of blame for spreading plagues
B. to propose and provide evidence that humans largely contributed to the spread of the Black Death
C. to show people what they can do to prevent another outbreak of disease from occurring
D. to warn people about the potential dangers of being in close contact with infected animals

4. Which statement best describes the relationship between humans’ cleanliness and preventing the spread of disease?

A. Cleaner living conditions result in stronger human immune systems.
B. People who do not practice good hygiene build up immunities to diseases and are less likely to be infected.
C. Human cleanliness does not prevent the spread of diseases, but the development of vaccines does.
D. Cleaner living conditions can prevent humans from coming in contact with infected animals and insects carrying disease.

5. How does the author’s discussion of different death rates help readers understand the spread of the Black Death? Use evidence from the text in your response.