Hatshepsut: His majesty herself

According to paragraph 2, which of the following best describes why the death rate was so high in Hatshepsut’s family?

Fatal diseases were common, deadly creatures such as scorpions flourished in the Egyptian desert, accidents happened, and a doctor’s treatment was often more superstitious than scientific.

• They were an unhealthy family line

• If a family member fell ill or had an accident, there was little doctors could do to help them.

• They were a violent family.

• Poor ruling caused a war to break out and most of Hatshepsut’s siblings died.

What does the following passage mainly reveal about Hatshepsut (paragraph 11)?

At first, little Tuthmosis III was considered the pharaoh, with Hatshepsut just his second-in-command. But a small child could not be an effective ruler. As Hatshepsut settled into her role as regent, she gradually took on more and more of the royal decision-making. She appointed officials and advisors; dealt with the priests; appeared in public ceremonies first behind, then beside, and eventually in front of her nephew. Gradually, over seven years, her power and influence grew. In the end, Hatshepsut was ruling Egypt in all but name.

• She was afraid of becoming powerful.

• She wished to marry Tuthmosis III.

• She immediately became pharaoh.

• She slowly and strategically took on more power.

Which of the following statements is best supported by evidence in the text?

• Hatshepsut was conflicted about whether, as a woman, she deserved to lead.

• Historians were confused by Hatshepsut’s use of both “he” and “she” when referring to herself.

• Hatshepsut made a point of only using the pronoun “he” when referring to herself.

• Historians are still unsure whether Hatshepsut was a woman.

The following passage (paragraph 15) adds to the development of the excerpt mainly by .

“Since Hatshepsut could not marry a queen, her daughter Neferure acted as God’s wife in public rituals. It was good training for Neferure, who in time would be expected to marry her half brother, Tuthmosis III, and be his royal consort. But Hatshepsut never seems to have considered that her daughter could succeed her as pharaoh.”

• demonstrating that marrying siblings was common for people of all classes in ancient Egypt

• showing that Hatshepsut did not believe her daughter would be a good ruler

• revealing that Neferure resented her mother

• explaining that despite being a female ruler herself, Hatshepsut had no plans to ensure there would be female rulers in the future

Which of the following inferences is best supported by the excerpt?

• Hatshepsut’s rise to power was incredibly unprecedented for the time, so much so that some aspects of her rule remain a mystery.

• Hatshepsut, like many rulers, was a pharaoh first and her maternal duties came second.

• The use of harems often caused problems in the royal lineage and succession in ancient Egypt.

• Hatshepsut wished she lived a normal life.

Which sentence from the excerpt most strongly supports the correct answer to Question 5?

• “At first, little Tuthmosis III was considered the pharaoh, and Hapshetsut just his second-in-command.”

• “It was a job Hatshepsut, perhaps just fifteen years old, had been training for since her earliest days at her father’s side.”

• “There is no reliable record of exactly when or how it happened, but at some point, Hatshepsut took a bold and unprecedented step: She had herself crowned pharaoh with the large, heavy, red-and-white double crown of the two Egypts, north and south.”

• “There was no word in the language of ancient Egypt for a female ruler; a queen was simply the wife of a king.”

Which of the following inferences is best supported by the excerpt?

• Royal-commissioned art was often made to convey a particular message.

• The gods decided who would or would not be pharaoh.

• Hatshepsut rose to power because Tuthmosis III proved to be a terrible ruler.

• No woman had ever ruled ancient Egypt before.

Which passage from the excerpt most strongly supports the correct answer to Question 7?

• “Her masterpiece was the magnificent temple at the site known today as Deir el-Bhari.”

• “Perhaps, even after years on the throne, she felt a need to justify a woman’s right to rule.”

• “On the walls of this temple, Hatshepsut had artists carve and paint her biography. According to the story told on the walls of Djeser-Djeseru, she had been chosen as pharaoh by the gods themselves, even before her birth.”

• “Hatshepsut might have had to look and act like a man in public, but she never gave up feminine pleasures.”