A History of the World in 6 Glasses

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“A History of the World”

In this activity, students will construct an essay to track the historical significance of a specific product, drawing comparisons to Standage’s look at beverages throughout history.

Standage develops a glimpse of world history by exploring the significance of six beverages that aided in constructing the world. Use Standage’s formula to construct your own history of the world based on a product that has been consumed throughout history. Consider these points in your written response:

• What product spans a significant historical period and has played an important role in history?
• What influential people have promoted or popularized your product?
• What is the economic impact of your product on various civilizations?
• What cultural norms have been associated with your product?
• How has the product played an important role in shaping the world as a whole?

Share your chosen product with peers, briefly outlining the significance of your product and its consumption throughout history.

Teaching Suggestion: To generate ideas, students may find it beneficial to discuss the impacts of various products and how their use and consumption have evolved throughout history. Consider encouraging students to draw comparisons to Standage’s work by identifying patterns from their researched product that reflect the text. Students can consider technological inventions, such as the lightbulb and the telephone, along with products such as spices.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. In the 17th century, men often met in coffeehouses.

• What is the significance of teahouses in Britain for women? (topic sentence)
• Describe the difference between the admittance of women in coffeehouses versus teahouses and speculate as to why women were permitted in teahouses.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how the admittance of women in teahouses impacted the purpose and function of the teahouses.

2. Consider the economic, intellectual, and scientific contributions of China and the Arab world in Standage’s book.

• How have the Arab and Chinese cultures influenced the West? (topic sentence)
• Describe the intellectual, economic, and scientific contributions of Arab and Chinese communities to the West.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain how the West may have been different had it not benefited from these contributions.

3. Coca-Cola is the only brand name mentioned by Standage in the book.

• What are the historical and contemporary objections to the consumption of Coca-Cola? (topic sentence)
• Name three objections to the consumption of Coca-Cola in America and around the world.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain what Coca-Cola represents to America today.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by textual details, and a conclusion.

1. Consider the six drinks discussed by Standage in his exploration of beverages throughout history. Select a beverage discussed by Standage and, in an essay of at least three main points, explain the cultural, economic, and political significance of this beverage in modern society. Cite examples from the text to support your analysis.  

2. In the Epilogue, Standage discusses the importance of water and the devastating effects of the lack of water in cultures. Discuss in two or three paragraphs the importance of water for health, the economic impact of water, and its political impact on the world. Use evidence from the book to support your response.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What initially caused beer to become prevalent in ancient cultures?

A)  Agricultural settlements

B) Increased trade

C) Religious rituals

D) Medical practices

2. What was the social significance of beer in ancient civilizations?

A) It prevented the spread of infectious disease.

B) It served as the primary source of macronutrients.

C) It became a means of building interpersonal connections.

D) It emboldened individuals to discuss important political topics.

3. Which of the following factors significantly increased the sale of wine in Mesopotamia?

A) A merging of Greek and Roman cultures

B) An inauguration ceremony with expensive imported wine

C) The conquering of Rome by the Northern tribes

D) The birth of Christianity and the sacred significance of wine

4. What was the quality of wine indicative of?

A) Agricultural experience

B) Religious significance

C) Socioeconomic status

D) The wine’s vintage

5. What did beer symbolize in Sumerian culture, as depicted in a drawing of two individuals drinking from the same container with two straws?

A) Scarcity

B) Water quality

C) Friendship

D) Agriculture

6. Based on the history in the text, what is one way a drink may become popularized in culture?

A) Limiting the supply of the drink to religious organizations

B) Marketing the drink as a status symbol

C) Increasing the quality and availability of water sources

D) Increasing production of the drink so it is widely available to a population

7. What did Coca-Cola symbolize after World War II?

A) The economic impact of sugar on society

B) The negative impact of war on the economy

C) A healthy beverage for businessmen

D) The freedoms that are denied by communism

8. How did coffeehouses function during Cromwell’s ministry?

A) Coffeehouses provided opportunities for men and women to comingle.

B) Coffeehouses served as an alternative to taverns.

C) Coffeehouses were primarily places for the wealthy to spend time.

D) Coffeehouses were used to garner information for a penny.

9. Which beverage, according to Standage, is more responsible for the Revolutionary War in America than tea?

A) Rum

B) Water

C) Wine

D) Beer

10. Which of the following portrays a connection between ancient and modern views on beer?

A) Both ancient and modern civilizations view beer as having health consequences.

B) Beer is seen as a status symbol in both ancient and modern civilizations.

C) Beer is a necessity to both modern and ancient civilizations because of agricultural practices.

D) Both ancient and modern civilizations draw associations between beer and community.

11. Which beverage is most associated with social upheaval and rebellion against authority figures?

A) Coffee

B) Rum

C) Wine

D) Beer

12. What is the difference between the use of coffeehouses and teahouses in England in the mid-17th century?

A) Teahouses were used for intellectual pursuits.

B) Coffeehouses were used as gathering places for men and women.

C) Coffeehouses were viewed as more civilized.

D) Women were permitted to enter teahouses.

13. How did agriculture impact the spread of alternative drink products?

A) Agricultural inventions made water consumption obsolete.

B)  Agricultural practices made water unsafe to drink.

C) Agriculture enabled the mass production of grapes.

D) Agriculture provided more opportunities to refine goods.

14. Which of the following posed a threat to the production of Coca-Cola when it was first developed?

A) Cocaine

B) Prohibition

C) World War II

D) Sugar sanctions

15. According to Standage, what beverage determines the economic well-being of a country?

A) Wine

B) Beer

C) Coca-Cola

D) Water

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating textual details to support your response.

1. How are beverages tied to social status, and what marketing strategy might you propose to increase the sale of a beverage based on Standage’s A History of the World in 6 Glasses?

2. Cite one example of supply and demand in the text to explain how the value of a given product is determined by culture.