Egypt and the Nile: floods, farming, pharaohs, pyramids and hieroglyphs

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Nile's year in the Egyptian calendar

   Season	What happened
   Akhet (Inundation)	?
   Peret (Growth)	the fields came out of the water and crops grew
   Shemu (Harvest)	crops were harvested and the river was low

   The cell marked ? is blank. Each season had 120 days, and 5 extra days were added, making a 365-day year.

2. 1.

   Pia's chart has a blank: what happened in Akhet, the Inundation?

   • The Nile flooded the fields and left silt
   • Heavy rain fell each day
   • Ripe crops were harvested and carried home
   • Crops grew in the drying fields
3. 2.

   Ren's chart has a blank: what happened in Peret, the Growth season?

   • Fields came out of the water and crops grew
   • Crops were harvested
   • The Nile flooded the fields
   • Snow covered the fields

4. The Nile's year in the Egyptian calendar

   Season	What happened
   Akhet (Inundation)	the Nile flooded the fields and left silt
   Peret (Growth)	the fields came out of the water and crops grew
   Shemu (Harvest)	crops were harvested and the river was low

5. 3.

   Zee reads the word inundation. What does it mean?

   • A heavy rainstorm that soaks the land
   • A flood that covers the land
   • A long dry spell
   • A harvest festival
6. 4.

   Ari reads that the flood left silt. What is silt?

   • Salt carried in from the open sea
   • Sand blown from the desert
   • Fine, rich soil left by water
   • Rain that soaks the fields
7. 5.

   Bo reads about papyrus. What was papyrus?

   • A kind of clay tablet
   • A boat on the Nile
   • A stone used for pyramids
   • A wetland plant made into writing sheets

8. The Nile's year in the Egyptian calendar

   Season	What happened
   Akhet (Inundation)	the Nile flooded the fields and left silt
   Peret (Growth)	the fields came out of the water and crops grew
   Shemu (Harvest)	crops were harvested and the river was low

   Each season had 120 days, and 5 extra days were added, making a 365-day year.

9. 6.

   Each of the three seasons had 120 days. How many days were in the three seasons together, Esme asks?

   • 365 days
   • 360 days
   • 300 days
   • 123 days
10. 7.

    After the three seasons, 5 extra days were added. How long was the Egyptian year, Jun asks?

    • 365 days
    • 360 days
    • 366 days
    • 1,800 days
11. 8.

    A season of 120 days was split into months of 30 days. How many months were in each season, Kira asks?

    • 4 months
    • 3 months
    • 12 months
    • 150 months

12. The Nile's year in the Egyptian calendar

    Season	What happened
    Akhet (Inundation)	the Nile flooded the fields and left silt
    Peret (Growth)	the fields came out of the water and crops grew
    Shemu (Harvest)	crops were harvested and the river was low

13. 9.

    Why did Egyptian farmers plant after the flood went down, Luz asks?

    • The harvest came first
    • The soil was wet and fresh silt covered it
    • Rain had just fallen
    • The river was at its highest
14. 10.

    Why was a calendar useful for Egyptian farmers, Milo asks?

    • To count rainy days
    • To measure the pyramids
    • To make the Nile flood
    • To plan for flood, planting and harvest