Castle

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/castle

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the architectural evolution?Transitioned from wooden motte-and-bailey structures to sophisticated stone fortifications
2. What is the primary role?Served as military strongholds, administrative centers, and residences for nobility
3. Why did castles become made of stone instead of wood?Stone was stronger against siege weapons and showed power, so builders switched from wood to stone.
4. How did castles help the people living nearby?They protected the local people during war, and the lord ran the land, collected taxes, and held feasts inside the castle.

Keep: The central, strongest tower of a castle, often serving as a final refuge.
Machicolations: Overhanging projections on castle walls with openings to drop projectiles onto attackers.
Concentric Defense: A castle design with multiple rings of defensive walls, one inside the other.