Use who made a source, when and why to judge how useful it is
Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Frontinus compares buildings
Who made it: Frontinus, Rome's water commissioner. When: the end of the 1st century CE. Where: Rome. For whom: the emperor and the officials who ran the water system. Why: an official report on Rome's aqueducts. Excerpt (Frontinus, The Aqueducts of Rome, Book I, chapter 16; English translation by Charles E. Bennett (revising Clemens Herschel, 1899), Loeb Classical Library, 1925, pp. 357–359): "With such an array of indispensable [necessary] structures carrying so many waters, compare, if you will, the idle Pyramids or the useless, though famous, works of the Greeks!"
What does this line show about the writer, Esme asks?
- He judges Greek buildings fairly
- He wrote for Greek readers
- He is proud of Rome's aqueducts
- He helped build the Pyramids
Frontinus calls the Pyramids "idle". Is that a fact or Frontinus's opinion, Jun asks?
- A fact: it is in a famous book
- Neither: it is a translation
- His opinion
- A fact: he was Rome's water commissioner
Herodotus on Egyptian farming
Who made it: Herodotus, a Greek writer who traveled in Egypt. When: about 430 BCE. Where: Egypt, which he visited; written in Greek. For whom: Greek readers. Why: to record what he saw and heard on his travels. Excerpt (Herodotus, Histories, Book II, chapter 14; English translation by A. D. Godley, Loeb Classical Library, 1920, p. 291): "…there are no men, neither in the rest of Egypt, nor in the whole world, who gain from the soil with so little labour; they have not the toil [hard work] of breaking up the land with the plough [plow], nor of hoeing, nor of any other work which other men do to get them a crop; the river rises of itself, waters the fields, and then sinks back again; thereupon each man sows his field … and waits for the harvest…"
Herodotus says Egyptians gain a crop "with so little labour". Is that a fact or a view, Kira asks?
- A fact: he was there, so it is right
- Neither: he did not visit Egypt
- A fact: the Greeks farmed the same way
- A visitor's view, to be checked
Frontinus on Rome's water
Who made it: Frontinus, Rome's water commissioner. When: the end of the 1st century CE. Where: Rome. For whom: the emperor and the officials who ran the water system. Why: an official report on Rome's aqueducts. Excerpt (Frontinus, The Aqueducts of Rome, Book I, chapter 15; English translation by Charles E. Bennett (revising Clemens Herschel, 1899), Loeb Classical Library, 1925, p. 357): "The water is taken from the river, which, even without the effect of rainstorms, is muddy and discoloured [stained], because it has rich and cultivated fields adjoining [next to] it, and in consequence loose banks. For this reason, a settling reservoir was put in beyond the inlet of the aqueduct, in order that the water might settle there and clarify [become clear] itself… But even despite this precaution, the water reaches the City in a discoloured condition whenever there are rains."
Luz wants to know how Romans kept aqueduct water clean. How useful is this excerpt?
- Useless: it is a translation
- Useless: he was proud, so it can't be trusted
- Very useful: he ran the system
- Useful about Greek buildings
Frontinus compares buildings
Who made it: Frontinus, Rome's water commissioner. When: the end of the 1st century CE. Where: Rome. For whom: the emperor and the officials who ran the water system. Why: an official report on Rome's aqueducts. Excerpt (Frontinus, The Aqueducts of Rome, Book I, chapter 16; English translation by Charles E. Bennett (revising Clemens Herschel, 1899), Loeb Classical Library, 1925, pp. 357–359): "With such an array of indispensable [necessary] structures carrying so many waters, compare, if you will, the idle Pyramids or the useless, though famous, works of the Greeks!"
Milo wants to know whether Greek buildings were useful. How useful is Frontinus's line?
- Useless: it is from Rome
- Strong: it is a primary source
- Strong: an expert said so
- Weak: it is one proud Roman's opinion
Herodotus on Egyptian farming
Who made it: Herodotus, a Greek writer who traveled in Egypt. When: about 430 BCE. Where: Egypt, which he visited; written in Greek. For whom: Greek readers. Why: to record what he saw and heard on his travels. Excerpt (Herodotus, Histories, Book II, chapter 14; English translation by A. D. Godley, Loeb Classical Library, 1920, p. 291): "…there are no men, neither in the rest of Egypt, nor in the whole world, who gain from the soil with so little labour; they have not the toil [hard work] of breaking up the land with the plough [plow], nor of hoeing, nor of any other work which other men do to get them a crop; the river rises of itself, waters the fields, and then sinks back again; thereupon each man sows his field … and waits for the harvest…"
Noah wants to know how hard Egyptian farm work was over a whole year. How useful is Herodotus's excerpt?
- Limited: one visitor's view
- Useless: a visitor can't be trusted
- Complete: he saw the whole year
- Useless: it is very old
Herodotus on the Great Pyramid
Who made it: Herodotus, a Greek writer who traveled in Egypt. When: about 430 BCE. Where: Egypt, which he visited; written in Greek. For whom: Greek readers. Why: to record what he saw and heard on his travels. Summary in our words, not a quotation: He tells who built the Great Pyramid and how, from what he was told in Egypt. The pyramid was built more than 2,000 years before his visit.
Herodotus wrote about who built the Great Pyramid. How should Pia judge that part of the Histories?
- With care: he heard stories
- As an eyewitness: he stood beside it
- As a replica of the pyramid
- As useless: he was Greek
Frontinus on the Aqua Appia
Who made it: Frontinus, Rome's water commissioner. When: the end of the 1st century CE. Where: Rome. For whom: the emperor and the officials who ran the water system. Why: an official report on Rome's aqueducts. Summary in our words, not a quotation: He describes Rome's first aqueduct, the Aqua Appia, begun in 312 BCE, about 400 years before his own time.
Frontinus also wrote about the Aqua Appia, begun in 312 BCE. How did Frontinus know about it, Ren asks?
- From older records, not his own eyes
- From the 1925 English book
- He watched it being built
- He built it himself
The 1925 English book of Frontinus
Who made it: C. E. Bennett, translating Frontinus's Latin. When: 1925. Where: London and New York. For whom: English readers. Why: to put Frontinus's report into English. Source card "Frontinus on Rome's water". Who made it: Frontinus, Rome's water commissioner. When: the end of the 1st century CE. Where: Rome. For whom: the emperor and the officials who ran the water system. Why: an official report on Rome's aqueducts. Excerpt (Frontinus, The Aqueducts of Rome, Book I, chapter 15; English translation by Charles E. Bennett (revising Clemens Herschel, 1899), Loeb Classical Library, 1925, p. 357): "The water is taken from the river, which, even without the effect of rainstorms, is muddy and discoloured [stained], because it has rich and cultivated fields adjoining [next to] it, and in consequence loose banks. For this reason, a settling reservoir was put in beyond the inlet of the aqueduct, in order that the water might settle there and clarify [become clear] itself… But even despite this precaution, the water reaches the City in a discoloured condition whenever there are rains."
Ari's note says, "Frontinus made the 1925 English book." Which fix is right?
- Change "English" to "Greek"
- Leave it: his name is on the cover
- Change "1925" to "100 CE"
- Change "Frontinus" to "C. E. Bennett"
Herodotus on the Great Pyramid
Who made it: Herodotus, a Greek writer who traveled in Egypt. When: about 430 BCE. Where: Egypt, which he visited; written in Greek. For whom: Greek readers. Why: to record what he saw and heard on his travels. Summary in our words, not a quotation: He tells who built the Great Pyramid and how, from what he was told in Egypt. The pyramid was built more than 2,000 years before his visit.
Bo's note says, "Herodotus watched the Great Pyramid being built." Which fix is right?
- Leave it: he wrote about it, so he saw it
- Change "Pyramid" to "aqueduct"
- Change "Herodotus" to "Frontinus"
- Change it: he came long after