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)	the Nile flooded the fields and left silt
   Peret (Growth)	?
   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.

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

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

3. 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

4. 2.

   Zee reads the word inundation. What does it mean?

   • A flood that covers the land
   • A harvest festival
   • A long dry spell
   • A heavy rainstorm that soaks the land
5. 3.

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

   • Fine, rich soil left by water
   • Sand blown from the desert
   • Rain that soaks the fields
   • Salt carried in from the open sea
6. 4.

   Bo reads about papyrus. What was papyrus?

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

7. 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.

8. 5.

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

   • 300 days
   • 365 days
   • 123 days
   • 360 days
9. 6.

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

   • 360 days
   • 365 days
   • 1,800 days
   • 366 days
10. 7.

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

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

11. 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

12. 8.

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

    • The river was at its highest
    • Rain had just fallen
    • The harvest came first
    • The soil was wet and fresh silt covered it
13. 9.

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

    • To count rainy days
    • To plan for flood, planting and harvest
    • To make the Nile flood
    • To measure the pyramids
14. 10.

    Shemu was the season of low water. Why did farmers harvest then, Noah asks?

    • The harvest made the river low
    • Rain had stopped the harvest
    • Crops were ripe before the next flood
    • The flood was still covering the farm fields