Final answer:
The answer is A) Punishment; Fleas. People historically misunderstood illness, thinking it was divine punishment rather than caused by fleas spreading disease.
Step-by-step explanation:
People thought they were getting sick as a punishment from their Gods, but it was actually fleas that were spreading the disease. The correct answer is A) Punishment; Fleas. Historically, devastating pathogen-borne diseases like the plague were misunderstood, with many attributing the cause to divine wrath or supernatural forces. It was not until later that people realized the importance of quarantining the sick and practicing good sanitation to prevent the spread of diseases. The plague was primarily spread through fleas that lived on small rodents that traveled with humans and their goods.