From the Middle Ages through the Renaissance — Test
Question 21 • Senior English
Read the excerpt from The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England. Simon Forman, who does attend plague sufferers, is a rare exception: this is because he has himself survived the disease and believes he cannot catch it again. However, his remedy amounts to little more than avoiding eating onions and keeping warm. He has a recipe for getting rid of the plague sores that will afflict you afterward if you survive the disease; but that is a very big "if.” It seems the best advice is provided by Nicholas Bownd in his book Medicines for the Plague: "In these dangerous times God must be our only defense.” Which lines best summarize the excerpt?
Answer
A
While doctors like Simon Forman tried to help, others such as Nicholas Bownd relied on their faith in God.
B
Some Elizabethans believed that diet caused the plague. Nicholas Bownd suggested praying to God as the only cure.
C
Keeping warm and eating onions was the only way to avoid the plague. This treatment was recommended by Nicholas Bownd.
D
Writer Simon Forman believed that God was the only answer to the plague. He survived the disease and ate warm onions to treat his sores.
Explanation
The excerpt contrasts Simon Forman, who tried to treat plague sufferers with limited remedies, with Nicholas Bownd, who said God must be their defense. Choice A captures both points. Choice B incorrectly says Bownd recommended prayer as a cure and that Elizabethans believed diet caused the plague; neither claim is stated in the excerpt.
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