Reading SOL - The Evolution of Timekeeping

In paragraph 1, the expression "rhythm of their lives" suggests that people's lives were filled with --

• A. tedium and consistency

• B. patterns and routines

• C. difficulties and changes

• D. pleasure and seriousness

Answer explanation

Explanation: They had set patterns and routines in accordance with whether the sun was in the sky, or it had set for the night.

Evidence: "The rhythm of their lives was basically determined by the rising and setting of the sun. When the sun was in the sky, they could work; when the sun had set, they rested."

Paragraph 1 supports the belief that thousands of years ago, people used​ ​ (a)   in order to​ (b)  

• natural cycles
• keep time.
• special events
• complex devices
• make appointments.
• improve accuracy.

Answer explanation

Explanation: The solar cycle is what they relied on to keep track of their waking and resting hours.

Evidence: "When the sun was in the sky, they could work; when the sun had set, they rested. For the past 5,000 years, however, humans have spent a great deal of energy working to organize time more accurately and in smaller increments."

Based on paragraph 4, the reader can determine that the sundial was the first timekeeping device to --

• A. measure time more accurately than an obelisk.

• B. have a rod that indicated the location of the sun.

• C. make timekeeping more accessible.

• D. divide the day into specific hours.

Answer explanation

Explanation: People did not need to search out an obelisk in order to know what time it was.

Evidence: "Sundials were usually portable and allowed people to know what time it was even if they were far from an obelisk."

The main idea of paragraph 5 focuses on the concept that water clocks were --

• A. important technology of the ancient world.

• B. first developed by Egyptians and then improved by Greeks.

• C. developed so that people could tell time without relying on the sun.

• D. known as "water thieves" by the Egyptians and the Greeks.

Answer explanation

Explanation: People needed a way to tell the time when the sun was not shining.

Evidence: "Although sundials allowed people to measure time with a fair amount of accuracy when the sun was shining, these instruments did not give people the ability to measure time at night or on cloudy days."

Which word best describes the movement of water in a water clock?

• A. Intermittent

• B. Turbulent

• C. Rapid

• D. Regulated

Answer explanation

Explanation: There is a consistent drip of water.

Which sentence from paragraph 6 of the passage best supports the answer to number 5?

• A. "Outflow clocks had sloping sides and a small hole in the bottom."

• B. "Water would drip through the hole in the bottom of the container at a constant rate."

• C. "As the water drained out, markings on the side of the clepsydra would be revealed, telling the observer how much time had passed."

• D. "As water filled the container and reached the marks on the inside of it, the observer could tell how much time had elapsed."

Answer explanation

Explanation: The constant rate of the water dripping was how they regulated it.

Which two phrases from this sentence in paragraph 8 convey the most positive connotation?

Answer explanation

Explanation: Both of these phrases are positive in nature, specifically how they use "remarkable" and "increasing."

Which idea from the selection helps explain why people developed means of keeping time?

• A. Modern civilizations want to understand the evolution of time devices.

• B. Daily activities require people to be places at specific times.

• C. Present timekeeping mechanisms are based on clocks of the 14th century.

• D. Populations could organize their days if they knew when it was 12:00 noon.

• E. Sundials were clever and more accurate than previous time mechanisms.

Answer explanation

Explanation: Without a way to keep time, it was harder to organize daily activities.

Evidence: "Without these timekeepers, our modern world would be chaotic, causing people to show up late for movies, meetings, and appointments."

This selection supports all these statements about timekeeping EXCEPT--

• A. timekeeping divides moments into segments.

• B. timekeeping relies on observable movement.

• C. timekeeping requires functioning mechanical parts.

• D. timekeeping satisfies a human need for order.

Answer explanation

Explanation: There were methods of keeping time before mechanical parts existed/were used.

Based on information in the selection, which statement represents the author's opinion?

• A. The most precise clock now uses an aluminum ion for accuracy.

• B. Life in ancient times was simpler because people relied on nature to organize their days.

• C. Sundials are smaller versions of the obelisks used by an ancient civilization.

• D. By the end of the 16th century, mechanical clocks were used in many homes.

Answer explanation

Explanation: There are no solid facts in the statement to support that life was simpler in ancient times. It is purely opinion based, while the others are evidence based.