History Quizzes

• 1. What percentage of Elizabethan society lived in poverty?

  20-30%
• 2. Who were nobles and lords?

  Rich landowners, about 50 families in England
• 3. Who were the Gentry?

  Lesser rich landowners, about 10,000 families
• 4. Who were wealthy merchants?

  Successful businessmen buying and selling goods, about 30,000 families 
• 5. Who were professionals?

  Emerging middle classes, educated, e.g. lawyers
• 6. Who were yeomen?

  Had own property, servants, some land 
• 7. Who were tenant farmers?

  They rented land to farm, about 100,000 families 
• 8. Who were cottagers?


  Had small gardens to farm, may spin cloth to sell 
• 9. Who were skilled artisans?

  Craftsmen with a trade
• 10. Who were landless unskilled laborers?

  Seasonal workers, unemployed at times 
• 11. Why did the rich land-owning classes increase their wealth during Elizabeth’s reign?

  Sheep farming, mining, marriages  
• 12. Homes were built and improved, give 3 features of the age of ‘Great rebuilding’.

  Symmetrical design, gallery for socializing, large glass windows 
• 13. Describe the lifestyle of Nobles.

  Fashion was important, sons educated at home in the classes and languages, daughter taught how to run a household, wives ran the day-to-day household 
• 14. Describe the lifestyles of the gentry

  Modern homes, windows, large fireplaces, modern fashion, sons went to grammar school and often universities 
• 15. Describe the lifestyle of the lower classes

  Owned few clothes, houses were small and often just one room, shared with animals, wattle and daub walls, thatched roofs, little education, socialised at the local inn, gambled, sports
• 16. How were the poor categorized?

  Deserving poor – those who were genuinely unable to work and in need of poor relief, the undeserving poor - those who were able bodied who were unable or unwilling to find work
• 18. Give 4 examples of vagrants / vagabonds / sturdy beggars 

  1. Abraham man 
  2. Counterfeit crank 
  3. Doxy 
  4. Angler 
• 19. What did the 1601 Act for Relief of the Poor set up

  A legal framework to tackle poverty, ‘’The Poor Law” 
• 20. Was it and other laws to tackle poverty effective?

  Yes and no, helped some people, helped reduce social unrest, the system of poor relief existed for over 200 years, the government started to look after the poor BUT poverty increased 
• 21. Did the lifestyle of the noble and gentry classes improve?

  yes
• 22. Did the lifestyle of the lower classes improve?

  No, inflation caused issues
• 23. True or false – the issue of vagrants / vagabonds / wandering beggars declined?

  False, they increased, crime increased, houses of correction were built, and poor relief issued