★Combine Information From Sources
Grade 5 Reading Worksheet
Circle the answer.
Read this first
Two Texts About the Great Wall of China
Text 1: Building the Wall
The Great Wall of China is not one single wall. It is a network of walls built over about 2,000 years by different rulers. Each ruler built walls to guard the northern borders of his kingdom. The walls twist along mountain ridges, cross deserts and climb steep hills. Early walls were made of packed earth. Workers pounded layers of dirt between wooden boards until the earth became hard.
The best-known sections were built during the Ming dynasty, starting in the late 1300s. Ming builders used bricks and cut stone. In some places, workers mixed sticky rice soup into the mortar, which made it extra strong. They added watchtowers every few hundred yards. Guards in the towers could send signals with smoke by day and fire by night. A message could travel hundreds of miles in a few hours.
Building the wall was hard work. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, farmers and other workers did the labor. They carried heavy stones up steep mountains, often by hand or with simple carts. Many workers spent years far from home.
Text 2: Measuring and Protecting the Wall
For centuries, no one knew exactly how long the Great Wall was. In 2012, China finished a survey using maps, satellite images and teams on foot. The survey added up all the sections. Together they stretch about 13,000 miles. That is more than half the distance around Earth. The teams even found some sections hidden under drifting desert sand.
Today, many parts of the wall are in danger. Wind and rain wear away the old earthen sections. Some bricks have been taken by people building houses nearby. Millions of tourists also walk on the most popular parts each year, and their steps slowly wear down the stones. Other sections are so far from any road that hikers rarely see them.
China now has laws that protect the wall. Some sections have been repaired. Others are left alone so that their old look is kept. Guides ask visitors to stay on marked paths and never carry away bricks or stones. In some villages, local people are hired as wall keepers. They walk their section and report any damage.
What does Text 1 mainly describe?
- how long the Great Wall is today
- how the wall is protected now
- how tourists travel to the wall
- how the Great Wall was built over time
What does Text 2 mainly describe?
- how guards sent signals
- how Ming builders made their bricks and cut stone
- who did the hard labor
- how the wall was measured and why it needs care
Which information appears in Text 1 but not in Text 2?
- Visitors are asked to stay on marked paths.
- Wind and rain wear away earthen sections.
- Guards sent signals with smoke and fire.
- The wall stretches about 13,000 miles.
Which information appears in Text 2 but not in Text 1?
- Workers carried stones up mountains.
- Ming builders added watchtowers.
- A survey finished in 2012 measured the wall.
- Early walls were made of packed earth.
Text 1 says early walls were made of packed earth. How does Text 2 connect to this fact?
- It says the wall is 13,000 miles long.
- It says some bricks were taken to build houses nearby.
- It says guides lead tourists on paths.
- It says wind and rain wear away the earthen sections.
Text 1 calls the wall a network of walls. Which detail in Text 2 fits this idea?
- Millions of tourists visit each year.
- Some bricks were used to build houses.
- China has laws protecting the wall.
- The survey added up all the sections.
