Question

Which statement explains why landowners began paying wages to peasants who survived outbreaks of the bubonic plague?

• A. There was a shortage of farm labor
• B. Peasants became better educated
• C. Survivors were considered lucky and favored by God
• D. There was less land available to cultivate and more money in circulation

Answer 1

The correct option is A There was a shortage of farm labor

The great population loss as a result of brought favorable results to the surviving peasants in England and Western Europe. There was increased social mobility, as depopulation further eroded the peasants' already weakened obligations to remain on their traditional holdings. Seigneurialism never recovered. Land was plentiful, wages high, and serfdom had all but disappeared. It was possible to move about and rise higher in life. Younger sons and women especially benefited. Hence, Option A is correct.