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

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Card A (sources about Socrates). Socrates lived in Athens in the 400s BCE and wrote no books. Source 1: Plato, born about 428 BCE, was his student and wrote dialogues (written conversations) in which Socrates asks questions. Source 2: Xenophon, another follower, wrote his memories of Socrates. Source 3: Aristophanes, a comedy writer, made fun of Socrates in a play, The Clouds, shown in 423 BCE.

2. 1.

   Socrates wrote no books. What does that mean for what we know about him, Kira asks?

   • Socrates lived in Athens in the 400s BCE and asked people many questions
   • Plato's books are Socrates' own words copied exactly, so no other view is in them
   • We learn about him through other writers, so we should ask who wrote and why
   • We know nothing about him, because people who write books are the ones who can be known
3. 2.

   Aristophanes makes fun of Socrates, but Plato praises him. What best explains the difference, Bo asks?

   • A comedy writer wants laughs, while a student wants to honor a teacher
   • Plato wrote for laughs, and Aristophanes wrote to honor a teacher he admired
   • Aristophanes wrote after Plato, so he copied Plato's view and then reversed it
   • They describe two different men named Socrates, so neither is our Socrates
5. 3.

   How old was Aristotle when he joined the Academy, Ari asks?

   • 384 years old
   • About 17 years old
   • 367 years old
   • 751 years old
6. 4.

   Which came first, the Academy or the Lyceum, and by how many years, Luz asks?

   Use the picture in question 3.

   • The Academy, by 52 years
   • The Lyceum, by 52 years
   • The Academy, by 722 years
   • The Academy, by 17 years
7. 5.

   A student claims: "Aristotle learned from Plato." How well does Card B support that, Pia asks?

   Use the picture in question 3.

   • Poorly: Aristotle was born before Plato, so he had nothing to learn from him
   • Well: Aristotle joined the Academy about 367 BCE, while Plato still led it
   • Fully: that shows Aristotle agreed with everything Plato taught him
   • Poorly: Aristotle founded the Academy, which Plato later joined as a student

8. Use this

   Card C (chart, Greek words in English). philosophia: "love of wisdom," which gives philosophy. demokratia: "rule by the people" (demos is people, kratos is power), which gives democracy. theatron: "a place for seeing," which gives theater. historia: "inquiry, finding out," which gives history. geometria: "earth measuring," which gives geometry.

9. 6.

   What does Card C show about Greek ideas and English today, Esme asks?

   • Greek speakers borrowed these words from English long ago, then changed them
   • Greek words fill English today, since English has no other words for ideas
   • English still uses Greek words for ideas such as philosophy, history and theater
   • Demokratia joins demos, meaning people, with kratos, meaning power, to form democracy
10. 7.

    A student claims: "English took 'philosophy' from Greek, so Greeks were the first people to ask big questions." How strong is that, Tala asks?

    • Strong: if a word comes from Greek, the idea must have started with Greeks long ago
    • Strong: Card C lists philosophia first, so it must be the oldest Greek idea
    • Weak: a word's origin shows where English got it, not who first asked big questions
    • Weak: English words are borrowed back into Greek, so Greek did not start them

11. Use this

    Card D (fact card, Greek theaters). Greek theaters were built into hillsides, so the audience sat on rising rows around a flat circle where the chorus performed. Plays were shown at festivals in the open air, in daylight. Actors wore masks. At the theater of Epidaurus (built in the 300s BCE), the stone seats curve around the stage, and an actor speaking in a normal voice on the stage can be heard in the top rows, with no microphone.

12. 8.

    Why would seats built into a hillside help an audience, Jun asks?

    • Plays were shown at festivals in the open air, in daylight
    • The hill kept the chorus out of sight, so the audience could focus on the actors
    • Crowds climbed the hill each day, so builders added seats where they stopped
    • Rising rows let people in the back see and hear over the heads in front
13. 9.

    A student claims: "Greek plays were shown indoors at night." How does Card D bear on that, Ren asks?

    • It weakens the claim: Greek plays were shown indoors in the daytime, under a roof
    • It supports the claim: the card says the theaters had rows of stone seats
    • It weakens the claim: Card D says plays were shown in the open air, in daylight
    • It supports the claim: the card says actors wore masks, so the room was dark
14. 10.

    At Epidaurus an actor's normal voice reaches the top rows. What does that suggest about the seats, Milo asks?

    • Crowds made the stone seats curve over time by sitting in the same places
    • The actors must have shouted every line, since only a shout carries that far
    • The curved stone seats help sound from the stage reach the top rows
    • The builders must have used scientific tools like ours to measure sound