Mary Toft

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/mary-toft

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 date of public outcry?1726
2. What is the geographic origin of the hoax?Godalming, Surrey, England
3. Who was Mary Toft and what did she say she could do?Mary Toft was a woman from Godalming, Surrey, who claimed she was giving birth to baby rabbits.
4. Why did doctors think Mary might really have rabbits?A local surgeon, John Howard, examined her and found pieces of animal flesh, which made people think her story could be true.

Gullibility: The tendency to be easily persuaded or tricked.
Empirical Evidence: Information gained through observation and experimentation.
Scientific Method: A systematic process for acquiring knowledge through observation and experimentation.