Egypt and the Nile: floods, farming, pharaohs, pyramids and hieroglyphs
Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me
NameDate
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Building the Great Pyramid of Giza
Topic What we know How we know Height about 146.6 m when built; about 138.5 m today, after most of the smooth outer casing was removed measurements of the pyramid Base each side about 230.3 m measurements of the pyramid Stone mostly local limestone; white limestone from Tura for the casing; granite blocks of up to 80 tonnes from Aswan, brought by boat on the Nile study of the stone and quarries Tools hardened copper chisels, wooden mallets, ropes and stone tools tools found beside an unfinished block in a quarry Records a supervisor's log of limestone deliveries from Tura to Giza the Diary of Merer, papyrus rolls found in 2013 How much lower is the Great Pyramid today than when it was built, Kira asks?
- About 8.1 m lower
- About 92 m lower
- It is taller today
- About 285.1 m lower
How did the granite from Aswan reach the building site, Luz asks?
- Carried by hand across the desert
- Dug from the site itself
- By boat on the Nile
- On paved Roman roads
The cell marked ? is blank. Milo's chart has a blank: how do we know about the limestone deliveries?
- Herodotus saw the building
- Tools found beside a block
- The Diary of Merer, found in 2013
- Measurements of the pyramid
Building the Great Pyramid of Giza
Topic What we know How we know Height about 146.6 m when built; about 138.5 m today, after most of the smooth outer casing was removed measurements of the pyramid Base each side about 230.3 m measurements of the pyramid Stone mostly local limestone; white limestone from Tura for the casing; granite blocks of up to 80 tonnes from Aswan, brought by boat on the Nile study of the stone and quarries Tools hardened copper chisels, wooden mallets, ropes and stone tools tools found beside an unfinished block in a quarry Records a supervisor's log of limestone deliveries from Tura to Giza the Diary of Merer, papyrus rolls found in 2013 Why bring heavy granite by boat rather than overland, Noah asks?
- Roads ran straight from Aswan
- Boats were faster than rivers
- Granite floats on water
- The river could carry huge, heavy loads
Historians still debate how the blocks were raised into place. Which claim is careful, Ren asks?
- The blocks were lifted by large steel machines
- Ramps are one idea, but it is debated
- No one moved the blocks
- We know the exact method for certain
Herodotus on the Egyptian calendar
Who wrote it When Excerpt Herodotus, a Greek writer who visited Egypt (English translation by A. D. Godley, 1920, p. 279) about 430 BCE “…their reckoning is, to my mind, a juster [fairer] one than that of the Greeks; for the Greeks add an intercalary [extra] month every other year, so that the seasons may agree; but the Egyptians, reckoning [counting] thirty days to each of the twelve months, add five days in every year over and above the number, and so the completed circle of seasons is made to agree with the calendar.” According to Herodotus, how did the Egyptians make a 365-day year, Tala asks?
- Twelve months of thirty-one days
- Twelve months of thirty days, plus five days
- An extra month added in alternate years to match the seasons
- Ten months of thirty-six days
A real year is about 365¼ days, and the Egyptian year had 365. Was Herodotus right that the seasons stayed matched, Ari asks?
- Not quite: it drifted about a day every four years
- Yes: Greeks added extra days too
- Yes: 365 days matches the seasons exactly
- No: it drifted a month each year
Building the Great Pyramid of Giza
Topic What we know How we know Height about 146.6 m when built; about 138.5 m today, after most of the smooth outer casing was removed measurements of the pyramid Base each side about 230.3 m measurements of the pyramid Stone mostly local limestone; white limestone from Tura for the casing; granite blocks of up to 80 tonnes from Aswan, brought by boat on the Nile study of the stone and quarries Tools hardened copper chisels, wooden mallets, ropes and stone tools tools found beside an unfinished block in a quarry Records a supervisor's log of limestone deliveries from Tura to Giza the Diary of Merer, papyrus rolls found in 2013 Bo's note says, "The Great Pyramid is 146.6 m tall today." Which fix is right?
- Leave it: 146.6 m is in the chart, so it is fine
- Change "today" to "when it was built"
- Change "m" to "km"
- Change "146.6" to "230.3"
Esme's note says, "We know for certain that ramps lifted every block." Which fix is right?
- Change "block" to "boat"
- Change "ramps" to "cranes"
- Leave it: ramps are the answer
- Change it: ramps are one debated idea
Jun's note says, "The granite came from Giza." Which fix is right?
- Change "Giza" to "Aswan"
- Leave it: the pyramid is at Giza
- Change "Giza" to "Rome"
- Change "granite" to "papyrus"
