Guardian on the Plateau--RI 7.5, RI 7.6

8. 8. According to the selection, the Sphinx is carved into stone and measures 235 feet long

by 66 feet tall. Which sentence states two central ideas from the selection that these

details support?

• The Great Sphinx was painted, and paint can still be seen on the face of

  the statue.

• The ancient Egyptians worshipped the sun, and the Sphinx was connected to

  the sun.

• The Great Sphinx was a powerful symbol, and creating it was a significant

  achievement.

• The ancient Egyptians repaired damage to the Sphinx, and more repairs were

  made recently.

9. 9. In paragraph 2, how does referring to the stone as “living rock” impact meaning?

• It emphasizes how the Sphinx is connected to and grows from the earth.

• It stresses the effects on the lives of the workers who built the Sphinx.

• It shows how the Sphinx has grown larger and changed over time.

• It describes how the surface of the Sphinx provides a home for plant life.

10. 10. Which sentence from the selection shows that the material used for building was not

    entirely durable?

• “The Sphinx is actually limestone that is still attached to the ground along its

  belly and legs.”

• “The blue was probably made from azurite, a mineral found in the Sinai

  Peninsula.”

• “Some layers, known as strata, are soft and crumbly, while others are harder

  and stronger.”

• “The nose is missing, but this is because it was destroyed on purpose long after

  the time of the pharaohs.”

11. 11. What sentence from the selection helps to develop the idea that the Sphinx is a

“guardian” of the pyramids?

• “Just outside the city of Cairo lie the pyramids of Giza—three of the best-known

  monuments in the world.”

• “The ancient Egyptians believed this snake protected the king and was always

  ready to spit fire and poison at his enemies.”

• “The ancient Egyptians believed this snake protected the king and was always

  ready to spit fire and poison at his enemies.”

12. 12. Which sentence from the selection best supports the authors’ belief that the Sphinx

    was an important part of Egyptian culture?

• “The Sphinx was carved with very simple tools.”

• ”To paint, Egyptian artists would have used very large brushes that were made

  of reeds or palm fibers.”

• ”For thousands of years, people have been fascinated by this curious creature.”

• ”It represented the king as a god, with the wisdom of a human and the power of

  a lion, the mightiest of all beasts.”

13. 13. Which sentence from the selection supports the idea that the authors consider the

information in paragraph 9 less valuable than the rest of the selection?

• “This type of headcloth is called a nemes and was worn only by kings.”

• “The temple was never completely finished, and some scholars think that it was

  never actually used.”

• “Whether it was Khufu or Khafre who had the Sphinx carved is not as important

  as the message the statue was meant to convey.”

• “At the same time, the Sphinx might have represented the king praising his

  spiritual father, the sun god, for eternity.”

14. 14. How do paragraphs 3 and 5 contribute to the reader’s understanding of the selection?

• They list the steps it took to plan for and complete the Sphinx.

• They explain the reasons why it was important to build the Sphinx.

• They describe tools that were used to create and decorate the Sphinx.

• They illustrate the solutions workers came up with to complete the Sphinx.

15. 15. What does the word quarry mean in paragraph 2?

• a place where building materials come from

• a person who specializes in building monuments

• a place where buildings are planned and designed

• a person who finds special materials for building

16. 16. Which best summarizes the selection in the correct order?

• The Great Sphinx sits at the base of the plateau near the pyramids of Giza. The

  statue has the head of a human and the body of a lion. The statue’s head has a

  headcloth worn only by kings. This world-famous statue fascinates people not

  only because of its great size but also because of its symbolic power.

• The Great Sphinx is a huge statue of a half-human, half-lion figure that sits near

  the pyramids of Giza. The statue was carved into limestone rock using simple

  tools. Over time the statue has needed repairs to the softer limestone. The

  statue was built around 2550 b.c. for Khafre, an Egyptian king, and has a temple

  for worshipping the sun.

• The Great Sphinx, a statue that sits near the pyramids of Giza, is the largest

  statue ever created. Carved directly into limestone, the Sphinx is 235 feet long

  and 66 feet tall. Workers used simple tools like chisels and pounders to carve

  the statue around 2550 b.c. Final shaping and sanding of the statue was done

  with sand and sandstone.

• Near Cairo, Egypt, stand some of the world’s most famous monuments: the

  pyramids of Egypt and the Great Sphinx. The Sphinx was carved into limestone

  around 2550 b.c., most likely under the direction of a king named Khafre. In

  front of the statue is the Sphinx temple. The temple would most likely have

  been used to worship the rising and setting sun.