RI 5.4

Which statement best expresses the main idea of the entire selection?

• Studying ancient pages of papyrus is a challenging task that can help scientists learn about how people lived in ancient Egypt.

• A box of papyrus scraps from ancient Egypt may have valuable writings mixed in with writings that are considered trash.

• Scientists must understand both Greek and Latin to read the writings on papyrus that come from ancient Egypt.

• People in ancient Egypt often wrote signs and symbols on a type of paper called papyrus using brushes or reed pens.

The word scribe comes from the Latin word scribere, which means “to write.” What does scribe mean in paragraph 12?

• A person who records messages

• A book of laws to be followed

• A person who lives in a palace

• A book of unsolved mysteries

What is the most likely reason the author wrote this selection?

• To tell the reader about the way ancient Egyptians communicated using a variety of signs and symbols

• To inform the reader about how the work of papyrologists provides knowledge about an ancient culture

• To explain the mystery surrounding ancient Egyptian papyri found in a tin box

• To highlight the ways civilization has changed throughout history

Which idea about the ancient Egyptians is supported by information in paragraphs 4 and 14?

• They studied a variety of writings while in school.

• They were primarily concerned with maintaining their health and safety.

• They used writing for many different purposes.

• They enjoyed writing for entertainment more than practical reasons.

In paragraph 1, why does the author call the papyri in the box a “rare treasure”?

• To show that they are worth a lot of money to Dr. Hickey

• To suggest that they can provide information about a past time that has many mysteries

• To demonstrate that they contain messages that are hard to decode

• To explain that they are delicate and need to be handled with extreme care

How does the organizational pattern of paragraphs 7 through 10 help convey information?

• It reveals that some papyri scraps are more valuable than others by way of comparison.

• It shows that experts must follow steps in a certain order to read papyri from ancient Egypt.

• It lists the various materials needed to unroll and preserve pieces of papyri from ancient Egypt.

• It indicates that unrolling papyri is the most difficult task a papyrologist does.

What is the best summary of the selection?

• Dr. Todd Hickey is a scientist who studies the writings of the ancient Egyptians. He has studied hundreds of papyri from a tin box. It will take years for him to study them all.

• Scientists must be careful when they try to read a wad of papyrus from ancient Egypt. First the papyrus must be unrolled. Then it can be read, but there may be missing words.

• The ancient Egyptians wrote on papyrus. Many torn bits of papyrus survive today. Scientists like Dr. Todd Hickey try to put the pieces back together and read them to understand ancient Egyptian society.

• Pieces of papyrus contain the writing of people from ancient Egypt. Many papyri contain spells, directions, or stories. One example of papyrus described a police report about a missing person.