Think As Historian: THINK AS A HISTORIAN: IDENTIfY AND DESCRIBE A HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Suppose the topic you have just read was the only topic you have read so far. What would you make of it? Without a context, it would be hard to appreciate fully. Chances are, though, that you have read some topics before this one, so you do have a context in which to situate this information. To understand context, first simply identify it—in this case, an era of the expansion of trade and empires. Then, to understand the context as fully as possible, describe it. In this case, you might describe the context as one of ambitious rulers eager to stake out territory for both trade and political control, centralizing political states, religious differences so strong that they led to warfare, and an interest in humanism and the natural world. Finally, among all the descriptors you thought of, narrow the context down to the most relevant. For example, if you are trying to contextualize humanism, you would focus on the context of philosophy and ideas rather than that of expanding trade.

In three or four sentences, identify and describe a historical context for each of the following.

1. The magnetic compass

2. The introduction of gunpowder

3. The invention of the printing press

4. Knowledge of monsoon winds