Page 245 - Balancing between the present and the past

Appendix E: Pre- and post-test example items (historical contextualization)
Item (pre-test)
Instruction: Read the following historical source describing a day program of the games in Ancient Rome.
“The gladiator fighting constituted the highlight of the day. First, the hunters demonstrated their expertise with different weapons. In the afternoon, prisoners were thrown to the wild animals. After that, adventurous gladiators began fighting. If there was no decisive victor in the fight, the people who witnessed the fight could decide which gladiator might live.”
Choose the statement that best matches this source:
O People should not have the power to decide on life and death.
O Gladiator games were common entertainment for the Roman people.
Item (pre-test)
Instruction: Read the following historical source about marriage in the Middle Ages. “In the Middle Ages, girls were sometimes married at the age of eleven. The family arranged the marriage. After her marriage, her inheritance was automatically transferred to her husband. Therefore, knights often sought a rich heir.”
Choose the statement that best matches this source:
O Women have the right to choose their own husbands.
O These were marriages of convenience that often did not involve much love.
Appendices
A 243