TKA Z02

​TKA
Bahasa Inggris Tingkat Lanjut

By Ari H

[1] The definition of what makes a civilization is vague, but generally, a culture has to achieve several hallmarks, notably urbanism — that is, cities — irrigation and writing; and the Sumerians had all three. After about 2000 B.C., the Sumerian civilization led directly to the Babylonian civilization in Mesopotamia, which is credited with discovering mathematical truths such as trigonometry and prime, square, and cube numbers — concepts further developed by the ancient Greeks more than 1,000 years later.

[2] Some scholars argue that other civilizations may be as old or even older than that of the Sumerians. An excavation of archeological sites in Egypt has now discovered writings just as early as the earliest writings from Sumer, which suggests the oldest phase of the ancient Egyptian civilization emerged at roughly the same time as the earliest phase of the Sumerian civilization: about 4000 B.C.

[3] Still another possibility is the Indus Valley civilization, which arose in parts of what is now Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northwestern India, and dates from at least 3300 B.C., according to the earliest artifacts found there. But "we might find very early stuff in the Indus Valley," said Philip Jones, the associate curator and keeper of collections at the Babylonian section of Philadelphia's Penn Museum. "It wouldn't surprise me if we dug up something that was just as early."

[4] Jones suspects that early trade along the edges of the Indian Ocean helped these earliest civilizations — the Egyptian beside the Red Sea, the Sumerian at the north end of the Persian Gulf, and the Indus Valley civilization further east — develop from the pre-civilized people who lived there before them, by bringing them resources and ideas from further afield.

[5] "My gut feeling is that there was probably some trade networking going on the Indian Ocean," he said.
Source: Live Science

Multiple Choice

The author includes information about Babylonian civilization (paragraph 1) to ….

• explain the concept of early civilization

• showcase an example of the development of early civilization

• elaborate on the development of the Sumerian civilization

• lay the framework for understanding how early civilization developed

• provide more information about the Sumerian civilization

Multiple Choice

What conclusion can be drawn from the writings discovered in the ancient Egyptian civilization?

• The finding supports the assertion that ancient Egyptian civilization might be as old as Sumerian civilization.

• Such discovery further proves that there were other civilizations that are older than the Sumerian civilization.

• The finding shows that the Sumerian civilization predated all other known early civilizations.

• Sumerian and ancient Egyptian civilization shared many similarities in terms of technology usage.

• There might have been interactions between the ancient Egyptian civilization and the Sumerian civilization.

Multiple Choice

According to Philip Jones’ impression, what was the significance of the early trade around the edges of the Indian Ocean?

• It improved the life quality of the pre-civilized people that lived in the area.

• It helped spread the technology and resources from ancient Egyptian civilization.

• It helped spread the development of civilization around the area.

• It was the ground for the discovery of similar relics from the three civilizations.

• It helped determine the age of the civilizations in that area.

Multiple Choice

What can we infer from the assertion that the Indus Valley civilization might be just as old as the Sumerian civilization?

• Currently, there is no proof supporting the hypothesis, but there might be some in the future.

• There are pieces of evidence that support the assertion, and there will be more in the future.

• Considering the projection of future findings, it is certain that the Indus Valley is the oldest civilization.

• The Indus Valley might not be the earliest civilization, given the lack of findings to support the claim.

• It wouldn’t be a surprise should there be more findings from the Indus Valley civilization.

Multiple Choice

In context, the phrase “further afield” suggests the resources and the ideas mentioned in paragraph 4 ….

• are from the primitive people that lived in the area

• are from some areas distant from these civilizations

• come directly from these civilizations

• are from the neighborhood adjacent to these civilizations

• are invented by the people from neighboring areas

Multiple Choice

What is the significance of the information described in paragraph 2?

• To provide proof of the first emergence of ancient Egyptian civilization.

• To argue that ancient Egyptian civilization might be the oldest civilization to date.

• To give an example of a culture that predates Sumerian civilization.

• To demonstrate that both civilizations developed at the same time.

• To suggest that the Sumerian might not be the oldest civilization.

Multiple Choice

The word “vague” in line 1 could be best replaced by ….

• unfocus

• speculative

• sketchy

• inadequate

• unclear

[1] Vincent Van Gogh was obsessed with the pigments in his paints, and he knew as much or more about their composition and vulnerability as many of his contemporaries. So it is a tragic irony that many of the bright red and yellow pigments van Gogh used on his masterpieces are fading or changing color with time.

[2] Pigment breakdown is, of course, not just a problem with van Gogh’s oeuvre: He used many of the same pigments as other late-19th-century Northern European artists such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir or James Ensor. “You can safely say that many works from that period have probably been affected in some way by similar pigment issues,” says Ella Hendriks, senior conservator at the Van Gogh Museum, in Amsterdam.

[3] Yet the artwork of van Gogh has become a lens through which scientists study pigment degradation. He was a prolific painter—in the 10 years he was active as an artist, van Gogh produced nearly 1,000 paintings.

[4] As a result, van Gogh’s canvases have led to multiple discoveries about the breakdown of fragile—or what conservators call “fugitive”—pigments. What follows is a series of vignettes about how analysis of his paintings has helped illuminate chemical degradation pathways in age-old pigments and how this research informs display and conservation practices for van Gogh’s inimitable masterpieces and other artworks of his time. Source:

www.cen.acs.org

Multiple Choice

What is the relation between paragraph 3 and paragraph 4?

• Paragraph 3 introduces the grounds of the concepts developed in paragraph 4.

• Paragraph 4 summarizes the analysis presented in paragraph 3.

• Paragraph 4 highlights the significance of the information presented in paragraph 3.

• Paragraph 4 enlarges on the outturn from the information mentioned in paragraph 3.

• Paragraph 3 illustrates the importance of the information in paragraph 4.

Multiple Choice

According to the passage, the apprehension of pigment breakdown ….

• is applicable to indicate the authenticity of paintings

• can help establish the model for painting analyses

• helps construct an understanding of chemical degradation

• is crucial to help find similar paintings to van Gogh’s

• helps determine the preservation of artwork

Multiple Choice

Which of the following phrases can best express the topic of the passage?

• Paintings made by Vincent van Gogh

• The prolificacy of Vincent van Gogh

• Pigment degradation in artworks

• Paintings from well-known artists

• Research on pigments