Daily Life in Ancient Egypt

Why are Egypt's social classes represented using a pyramid?

• The triangle represented the three seasons of the Nile.

• Most people were in the bottom classes, and the fewest people were at the top.

• Scientists like to use a pyramid to keep the layers apart.

• Pyramids were already in Egypt anyway.

Who built the giant temples of the pharaohs?

• scribes who kept poor records

• government officials hated by the pharaoh

• peasant farmers when it was too wet to grow crops

• priests hoping to get jobs at the temples

Which sentence best describes the role of women in religion?

• They were worshiped as gods.

• They could become priestesses.

• They ran all religious ceremonies.

• They were not allowed in temples.

How did most government officials get their jobs?

• They attended school to learn how to govern.

• People voted for them.

• Priests relied on signs from the gods to choose them.

• They inherited the position from a family member.

Which of these activities was permitted only to men?

• owning land

• running a business

• working as a scribe

• asking for a divorce

Why did Egyptians bury some bread and beer with their dead?

• to show them respect

• to avoid the risk of poison

• to feed them in the afterlife

• to perform a sacrifice to the gods

What was an important duty of the vizier?

• to collect taxes

• to lead the army

• to decide court cases

• to help make alliances

Why did it take many years to become a scribe?

• Papyrus was very difficult to write on.

• There were hundreds of hieroglyphs to learn.

• Students had to save money to buy a position.

• Teachers so mean to their students that they ran away from school.

How did many farmers pay their taxes?

• grain

• paper money

• copper coins

• music at banquets

How does the work of ancient Egyptian artisans help us learn about ancient Egypt today?

• They left behind their tools made out of reeds.

• They carved and painted scenes of everyday life.

• They passed on their skills to sons and daughters.

• They wrote histories of events on rolls of papyrus.