WorksheetsTowns and Their Histories Quiz
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 10mins
In the Pompeii section, why is the city called a “time-capsule” of Roman life?
Its buildings and streets were frozen in time after a sudden disaster
Romans buried treasure there for later generations
The city was rebuilt to look like ancient Rome
Scientists hid artifacts there on purpose
Which detail best shows Pompeii’s disaster was unexpected?
People were doing normal morning routines when it happened
The city had planned escape routes
Shops had been closing for days
Residents wore protective masks
What most likely caused the people of Shi Cheng to leave?
A drought made wells dry up
A war destroyed city walls
A new highway cut through the town
An artificial lake and power project flooded the area
What evidence suggests people in Shi Cheng did not move by choice?
They left notes saying “We don’t want to go.”
The town disappeared under a lake created for electricity
Divers found locked doors underwater
Residents moved to a bigger, nearby city for fun
Why do divers visit Shi Cheng today?
To search for gold mines
To map secret tunnels
To rescue trapped animals
To see stone lions and dragons from old temples
In the Bodie passage, which factor first drew many people there?
Wide, safe roads across the mountains
A chance to make money from gold
A nearby port for shipping
Good weather for farming
Which sentence best captures what everyday life in Bodie felt like at its peak?
Busy and risky, with banks, a jail, and frequent fights
Quiet and peaceful, with few rules
Slow and sleepy, with little to do
Fancy and elegant, with theaters and museums
What finally caused Bodie to become nearly empty?
A volcano covered it in ash
A dam break washed it away
Fires and the closing of mines and key buildings
A law forced everyone to move
Which detail shows Bodie still interests people now?
It was renamed after a famous miner
It is used for movie sets all year
People commute there for school
Tourists visit even though most residents are gone
What was special about Pripyat before 1986?
It was a modern, well-planned city with many services
It was known for gold mining and banks
It was a small fishing village
It had ancient stone temples
After the nuclear plant accident, why did people leave Pripyat so quickly?
A huge storm destroyed roads
Wild animals entered the city
Dangerous radiation made it unsafe
A new law banned living in cities
Which detail shows people in Pripyat did not plan their move ahead of time?
They took long road trips first
Many left their personal things behind
They sold their homes months earlier
They built new houses nearby
Which pair of towns became empty mainly because of human projects, not natural disasters?
Shi Cheng and Pripyat
Pompeii and Bodie
Pompeii and Pripyat
Bodie and Shi Cheng
Which town’s end was most sudden?
Shi Cheng
Bodie
Pripyat
Pompeii
Which town changed slowly over many years rather than all at once?
Pompeii
Bodie
Pripyat
Shi Cheng
Which question in the margins asks readers to use evidence from the text about Shi Cheng?
“What does ‘wipe out’ mean?”
“What are two synonyms for ‘hastily’?”
“Did people relocate from Shi Cheng willingly? How do we know?”
“Which town had the first school?”
Across all four towns, which idea best connects the passages?
Every town was rebuilt exactly the same
Rich people always stayed behind
Places can become “time-capsules” when people suddenly leave
Tourists always avoid dangerous places
Which pair matches the town with something visitors might see or learn today?
Shi Cheng – divers photograph carved lions under a lake
Pripyat – miners teach how to pan for gold
Pompeii – a working nuclear plant tour
Bodie – new shopping centers
Which cause-and-effect is supported by the Bodie text?
The first fire caused the volcano to erupt
The mines closing led to people moving away
The jail closing made gold easier to find
The post office closing brought more schools
What do the authors want readers to think about by showing different reasons towns were abandoned?
Only natural disasters can empty a city
People always know disasters are coming
Many forces—nature, business, or big projects—can change places
Old towns are less interesting than new ones
