A Well-Kept Secret - Comprehension Questions

According to the text, when did Waldo Wilcox first find Range Creek Canyon?

• A. in the 1950s

• B. in the 1840s

• C. in the 1940s

• D. in the 1330s

When Wilcox discovered an ancient treasure, Wilcox had a problem. He was afraid that if word got out about his discovery, different people would come and damage it. What was his solution?

• A. Wilcox looked around some more and buried all the items he found.

• B. Wilcox disappeared and ransacked other ruins in the Southwest.

• C. Wilcox bought the land and didn't tell anyone about his discovery.

• D. Wilcox put granaries there to protect the food supply.

Archaeologists can use what people leave behind to learn about them. What evidence from the text supports this conclusion?

• A. "Scientists say the Fremont people disappeared about 800 years ago. No one knows exactly why."

• B. "Archaeologists have been learning more about the Fremont by studying the ruins and artifacts at Range Creek Canyon."

• C. "When Wilcox decided to sell his land, he wanted to make sure that whoever bought the property would preserve the site."

• D. "Almost all the sites include granaries, beehive-shaped storehouses for grain. Some granaries are the size of cupboards."

Why did Wilcox most likely sell his land to a local preservation group?

• A. He was good friends with the people in the preservation group.

• B. He believed the local preservation group would protect the land.

• C. The local preservation group offered him a fair price.

• D. The local preservation group had done him a favor.

What is this text mostly about?

• A. how one man bought land in an ancient village of Fremont

• B. how one man helped preserve ancient villages in Range Creek Canyon

• C. the story of the cowboy Waldo Wilcox's life

• D. how to raise cattle on a farm

Read this sentence from the text. Wilcox was afraid that if word got out about his discovery, tourists, collectors, and vandals would ravage the site, as they had done other ancient sites of the Southwest. As used in this sentence, what does the word "ravage" mean?

• A. visit

• B. respect

• C. damage

• D. photograph

Choose the answer that best completes the sentence. The Fremont were hunter-gatherers and farmers who inhabited the Book Cliffs in present-day Utah. they disappeared about 800 years ago.

• A. However

• B. Thus

• C. On the other hand

• D. After

What are three ways Wilcox helped protect Range Creek Canyon?

Explain whether or not the Fremont people only ate the food they farmed. Use evidence from the text to support your answer.