Archimedes and the Crown

Which sentence best summarizes a central idea of the text?

• Tricking a king can be dangerous.

• Creating a beautiful object is challenging

• Problems can be solved in unusual ways.

• Kings can solve problems as cleverly as ordinary people.

Read the sentence from the text.

"Anybody can see that I displaced a bulk of water equal to the bulk of my body."

What does the word bulk most likely mean?

• majority

• mass

• part

• segment

Who pointed out the difference in the color of the gold in the crown?

• Archimedes

• The goldsmith

• A courtier

• The king

What did Archimedes discover about the crown using the water displacement method? Use key events from the text to support your summary.

What was the value of Archimedes' discovery compared to Hiero's crown?

• It was less valuable

• It was of no value

• It was equally valuable

• It was more valuable

What was the weight of the finished crown as ordered by the king?

• It was heavier than ordered

• It was lighter than ordered

• It was exactly as ordered

• It was not weighed

Click on the two sentences that best support the conclusion that Archimedes is very observant.

• There was in the king's court a very wise man whose name was Archimedes.

• When he was called in to admire the king's crown he turned it over many times and examined it very closely.

• "True," said Archimedes, "but it does not appear to have the same rich red color that it had in the lump..."

• "Most gold is yellow," said Hiero; "but now that you speak of it I do remember that when this was in the lump it had a much richer color."

• But Archimedes was not the man to say that anything was impossible.