A Ton of Crap (30 page)

Inventions of the Middle Ages
There were many major technological advancements made during the Middle Ages. Among the most important inventions were the use of gunpowder, vertical windmills, the mechanical clock, the printing press, eyeglasses, and improvements on water mills. Advancements were made in agriculture as well, with the introduction of the heavy plough and three-field crop rotation.

LISTENING

Tips for Being a Good Listener
Here are some helpful tips for being a good listener:

• Pay attention to the speaker, and do not get distracted by outside noises or disturbances.
  
• Don’t interrupt. Let the speaker finish his or her thought before talking and finish listening before speaking. If the whole time the person is talking you’re thinking about what you are going to say, then you’re not listening.
  
• Listen for the main ideas the speaker is trying to get across.
  
• Make sure to ask questions and repeat what you are hearing so that you are truly understanding what is being said.
  
• Give physical cues that you are listening: Maintain eye contact and nod your head, smile, laugh, etc. at the appropriate times.
  

MEASUREMENT

Temperature
Temperature in the United States is measured in degrees Fahrenheit. Both Celsius and Fahrenheit use the same reference points — the boiling point and freezing point of water — to make their measurements. However, in Celsius, the freezing point is 0˚, and in Fahrenheit, 32˚. In Celsius, the boiling point is 100˚, and in Fahrenheit, 212˚. To convert from Fahrenheit to Celsius, subtract the number by thirty-two and then multiply by five, and divide by nine. To convert from Celsius to Fahrenheit, multiply the number by nine, divide by five, and then add thirty-two.

GENETICS

Genetic Mutations
Genetic mutations are permanent changes found in the genetic sequence of an organism that alter the nucleic acids, which alter the DNA. Mutations are the main cause of diversity and can lead to evolution, but they can also lead to genetic diseases and cancers. Mutations can either be inherited by parents, or can occur during an organism’s lifetime.

BULGARIAN

Useful Bulgarian Phrases
Here are some helpful phrases to use when traveling to Bulgaria:

Hello/Hi.
Zdravey/Zdrasti.

Good morning.
Dobro utro.

Good evening.
Dobar vecher.

Yes.
Da.

No.
Ne.

Thank you.
Blagodarya.

I do not understand.
Ne razbiram.

Where is the bathroom?
Kade e baniata?

How much is this?
Kolko struva tova?

Can you help me?
Moje li da mi
pomognete?

Do you speak English?
Govorite li angliiski?

My Bulgarian is bad.
Balgarskiiat mi e losh.

Goodbye.
Chao.

1. Which of the following occurred in the Late Middle Ages?
   

   1. Climate change
      
   2. Famine
      
   3. Disease
      
   4. All of the above
      

2. Which of the following was not invented during the Middle Ages?
   

   1. Gunpowder
      
   2. The mechanical clock
      
   3. The printing press
      
   4. Water mills
      

3. Showing the speaker that you are listening and comprehending what is being said is an example of:
   

   1. Confirmation bias
      
   2. Vividness effect
      
   3. Reflective listening
      
   4. Shift response
      

4. There are three elements involved in active listening: comprehending, retaining, and what?
   

   1. Responding
      
   2. Daydreaming
      
   3. Interrupting
      
   4. Understanding
      

5. In the metric system, what is weight measured in?
   

   1. Liters
      
   2. Meters
      
   3. Degrees Celsius
      
   4. Grams
      

6. What is 50º Celsius in Fahrenheit?
   

   1. 10º
      
   2. 122º
      
   3. -10º
      
   4. -122º
      

7. What does the law of dominance state?
   

   1. In a pair of genes, the one that appears in the offspring is most likely the recessive one because that is passed on more often than the dominant gene.
      
   2. In a pair of genes, only the dominant genes get passed on.
      
   3. In a pair of genes, only the recessive genes get passed on.
      
   4. In a pair of genes, the one that appears in the offspring is most likely the dominant one because that is passed on more often than the recessive gene.
      

8. What does Mendel’s principle of segregation state?
   

   1. An individual inherits an allele from one parent, and during the formation of the gamete, the allele segregates from itself.
      
   2. An individual inherits an allele from both parents and during the formation of the gamete, these alleles segregate from one another.
      
   3. An individual inherits three alleles from both parents and during the formation of the gamete, these alleles segregate from one another.
      
   4. An individual inherits five alleles from both parents and during the formation of the gamete, these alleles segregate from one another.
      

9. What was the official language used in the administration of the Second Bulgarian Empire?
   

   1. Old Bulgarian
      
   2. Middle Bulgarian
      
   3. Modern Bulgarian
      
   4. Old Slavonic
      

10. How do you say “Can you help me?” in Bulgarian?
    

    1. Kade e baniata?
       
    2. Kolko struva tova?
       
    3. Govorite li angliiski?
       
    4. Moje li da mi pomognete?
       

ANSWER KEY: d, d, c, a, d, b, d, b, b, d

HISTORY:
The Crusades
The First Crusade, The Second Crusade, The Third Crusade, The Fourth and Fifth Crusades, The Sixth and Seventh Crusades, The Eighth and Ninth Crusades

LANGUAGE ARTS:
Thinking
Cognition, The Brain, Sentience, Consciousness, Imagination, Creativity

MATH:
Graphs
Line Graphs, Bar Graphs, Pie Charts, Flow Charts, Organizational Charts, Pictographs

SCIENCE:
The Earth’s Layers
The Crust, The Upper Mantle, The Lower Mantle, The Outer Core, The Inner Core, The Atmosphere

FOREIGN LANGUAGE:
Albanian
The Origins, Influences, Dialects, The Albanian Alphabet, Grammar, Useful Albanian Phrases

THE CRUSADES

The First Crusade
The First Crusade lasted from 1096 to 1099. It was an attempt by Western Christians to recapture Jerusalem, the Holy Land, from the Muslims. Fearing that his country would fall to the Muslims, Alexius I of Constantinople called on Pope Urban II for help. The pope urged people to volunteer and repel the invading Turks, and the armies consisted of knights and, largely, of peasants. Eventually, Jerusalem was captured and the Kingdom of Jerusalem was created.

THINKING

Cognition
Cognition refers to the mental processes or functions involved in thinking, gaining and comprehending knowledge, remembering, problem solving, and judging. Cognitive processes can be conscious or unconscious, natural or artificial. Cognition is related to abstract ideas such as intelligence, the mind, memory, perception, and imagination.

GRAPHS

Line Graphs
Line graphs are useful for showing data that changes over a period of time. By plotting the dips and peaks on the graph and then connecting them to make a line, you are able to compare, monitor, and analyze improvement and decline of the data. Line graphs use an
x
axis and a
y
axis, the
x
axis going horizontally, and the
y
axis going vertically.

THE EARTH’S LAYERS

The Crust
The outermost layer of the Earth, the layer we are living on, is called the crust. It is the thinnest layer of the Earth, and is composed of two types of rock: granite (otherwise known as the continental crust) and basalt (also known as oceanic crust). Basalt is found underneath the oceans, and granite is the crust of the continents. Granite is also older than basalt.

ALBANIAN

The Origins
Albanian does not belong to any other family of the Indo-European languages. The vocabulary of Albanian is distinct, though the language does borrow from Germanic, Balto-Slavic, and Greek. Albanian is believed to have originated from Illyrian, a language spoken in the Western Balkans until the sixth century; however, others believe it is a descendent from Dacian or Thracian, languages spoken in the Balkans until the fifth century. Albanians call their language Shqip.

THE CRUSADES

The Second Crusade
The Second Crusade took place from 1145 to 1149, and occurred after the County of Edessa, a Crusader state established in the First Crusade, fell. This Crusade was announced by Pope Eugene III, and it was led by European kings from France and Germany. The armies of the two kings marched separately and were each defeated by the Seljuk Turks and the Crusade was considered a failure.