Changes in social history

Exploring how everyday life, transport, school and work have changed from Victorian times to today

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Try each question. If you're stuck, leave it and come back. The answer key is on the last page.

1
Which of these is a way people travel today that Victorians did NOT have? A) Aeroplanes B) Steam trains C) Horse and carriage D) Walking
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2
How did most people travel long distances in Victorian times? A) By steam train B) By car C) By aeroplane D) By spaceship
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3
True or false? All children in Victorian times went to school until they were 16. A) True B) False
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4
What does 'social history' mostly look at? A) How ordinary people lived day to day B) Only kings and queens C) Only battles D) Only sports
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5
Fill in the blank: Today many people talk to each other quickly using ___ phones.
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6
Match each item to the time it became common. Match each item on the left to one on the right. Left: Steam train, Car, Internet, Horse and carriage Right: Victorian times, 20th century, Late 20th and 21st centuries, Before the 20th century
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7
What is one big change in school life today compared to Victorian times? A) All children must go to school B) Children write only with chalk and slate C) Children learn in groups of one D) Schools are not allowed
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8
Which of these is a modern way of sending a message that Victorians did not have? A) Email B) Letter C) Spoken words D) Hand-written note
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9
Fill in the blank: Many modern jobs use computers, but Victorian jobs were often in ___ or on farms.
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10
Put these forms of transport in order, from earliest to latest in everyday use. Put these in order: Car, Horse and carriage, Aeroplane, Steam train
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Answer key

Changes in social history · for parents and teachers

1
Aeroplanes
Aeroplanes were not invented until 1903, after the Victorian period. Victorians used trains, horses and carriages and walking.
2
By steam train
Most people travelled long distances by steam train. Cars only became common much later.
3
False
False. Many Victorian children worked instead of going to school. Going to school until 16 is a much more modern change.
4
How ordinary people lived day to day
Social history is about how ordinary people lived: their homes, jobs, food, schooling and free time.
5
mobile
Mobile phones let people speak and send messages quickly from almost anywhere. Victorians did not have these.
6
Steam train → Victorian times; Car → 20th century; Internet → Late 20th and 21st centuries; Horse and carriage → Before the 20th century
Steam trains were Victorian, cars became common in the 20th century, the internet later still, and horses and carriages were used before all that.
7
All children must go to school
Today, all children in the UK must go to school. In Victorian times, many poor children never went, or stopped to work.
8
Email
Email needs computers and the internet, which did not exist in Victorian times. They sent letters or telegrams instead.
9
factories
Many Victorians worked in factories or on farms. Modern jobs often use computers and technology instead.
10
Horse and carriage, Steam train, Car, Aeroplane
Horses and carriages came first, then steam trains in Victorian times, then cars and finally aeroplanes in the 20th century.