Greek ideas that last: philosophy, mathematics, theater and buildings

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Card E (fact card, Euclid). Euclid worked in Alexandria about 300 BCE. He gathered earlier Greek mathematics into one book, the Elements, in 13 parts. It starts with simple definitions and a few basic rules, then proves each new statement step by step from the ones before. The Elements was used to teach geometry for more than 2,000 years.

2. 1.

   Why did Euclid begin with simple definitions and basic rules, Bo asks?

   • Basic rules make a book short, so Euclid left out most other ideas from the Elements
   • The Elements was used to teach geometry for more than 2,000 years in many lands
   • Each new statement could be proved from earlier ones, so readers could check each step
   • Readers checked the proofs, so Euclid then added definitions to the start of the book
3. 2.

   A student claims: "Euclid invented all of geometry himself." How well does Card E support that, Tala asks?

   • Well: Card E says Euclid wrote the book, so each idea in it is his
   • Poorly: Euclid copied his book from the 2,000 years of teachers who came after
   • Well: the Elements has 13 parts, which is too much for anyone to gather
   • Poorly: Card E says Euclid gathered earlier Greek mathematics into one book

4. Use this

   Card F (fact card, measuring Earth; as later Greek writers described it). About 240 BCE, Eratosthenes, who led the library at Alexandria, compared shadows. At noon on the summer solstice, the Sun shone straight down a well at Syene, so there was no shadow. At the same moment in Alexandria, a pole made a shadow showing an angle of about 1/50 of a full circle. He took the distance between the two cities as 5,000 stadia (a Greek unit of length). Greek thinkers already knew Earth was round; Aristotle pointed to Earth's round shadow on the Moon in an eclipse.

5. 3.

   The shadow angle is 1/50 of a circle, and the cities are 5,000 stadia apart. How far is it around Earth, Ari asks?

   • 5,050 stadia
   • 5,000 stadia
   • 100 stadia
   • 250,000 stadia
6. 4.

   Why did the shadows differ at the two cities, Zee asks?

   • Earth curves, so the Sun's rays hit the two places at different angles
   • The shadows differed, which made Earth curve between the two cities
   • Alexandria is closer to the Sun, so its shadow is longer than the one at Syene
   • Syene's well was deeper, so the Sun reached the bottom and left no shadow
7. 5.

   A student claims: "Eratosthenes was the first to show Earth is round." How does Card F bear on that, Jun asks?

   • It supports the claim: his shadow measurement shows Earth curves, so he showed it first
   • It weakens the claim: Greeks already knew Earth was round, and he measured its size
   • It supports the claim: Card F says he used shadows, which no one had used
   • It weakens the claim: Aristotle came after him and was the first to see the shadow

8. Use this

   Card G (fact card, Greek medicine). Hippocrates (about 460 to 370 BCE) and his followers taught doctors to watch patients closely, keep notes, and look for natural causes of illness. A collection of about 60 medical works carries his name, but many different authors wrote them.

9. 6.

   How could watching patients closely and keeping notes improve medicine, Kira asks?

   • Notes let doctors copy each other's cures without ever seeing a patient
   • Notes let doctors compare patients, spot patterns, and look for natural causes
   • A collection of about 60 medical works carries the name of Hippocrates
   • Medicine improved first, so doctors then had time to watch patients and keep notes
10. 7.

    A guide says, "Hippocrates wrote all 60 of these books." How should you treat that claim, Luz asks?

    • As certain, because the collection carries his name and a name shows who wrote
    • As doubtful, because Card G says many different authors wrote the works
    • As certain, because Card G says Hippocrates lived about 460 to 370 BCE
    • As false, because Hippocrates wrote nothing and so cannot be an author

11. Use this

    Card H (chart, three column styles). Doric: a thick, plain column with a plain top and no base; used on the Parthenon in Athens, built 447 to 432 BCE. Ionic: a slimmer column with scroll-shaped curls at the top and a base. Corinthian: a slim column topped with carved leaves; it came into wide use later than the other two.

12. 8.

    How many years did building the Parthenon take, from 447 to 432 BCE, Pia asks?

    • 879 years
    • 15 years
    • 15 years later than it began, so the building ended in 462 BCE
    • 432 years
13. 9.

    A visitor looks for the plainest column on Card H. Which style is that, and how can they tell, Ren asks?

    • The Parthenon, because it was built from 447 to 432 BCE
    • Corinthian, because carved leaves make it plain compared with the other two
    • Ionic, because its scroll-shaped curls make it the simplest to carve
    • Doric, because it is thick and plain, with a plain top and no base
14. 10.

    Card H says the Corinthian style came into wide use later. What does that suggest about Greek building, Milo asks?

    • Corinthian was the finest style, since it came last and so improved on the others
    • Corinthian was used on the Parthenon, since it was built in the later years
    • Builders dropped Doric and Ionic when Corinthian came, since new styles replace old ones
    • Greek builders kept the older styles but added a richer one over time