2000 year old homework (STAAR 2021)

The word scribe comes from the Latin word scribere, which means "to write." What does scribe mean in paragraph 12?

"History leaps to life from each repaired papyrus. Dr. Hickey and other

papyrologists found a police report to a royal scribe about a missing person. It

reads: “On the 5th of the present month when patrolling the fields near the

village . . . I learn from the villagers that Theodotos son of Dositheos, having set

out in that direction, has not yet returned. I make this report.”"

• A person who records messages

• A book of laws to be followed

• A person who lives in a palace

• A book of unsolved mysteries

What is the most likely reason the author wrote this selection?

• To tell the reader about the way ancient Egyptians communicated using a variety of signs and symbols

• To inform the reader about how the work of papyrologists provides knowledge about an ancient culture

• To explain the mystery surrounding ancient Egyptian papyri found in a tin box

• To highlight the ways civilization has changed throughout history

Which idea about the ancient Egyptians is supported by information in paragraphs 4 and 14?

• They studied a variety of writings while in school.

• They were primarily concerned with maintaining their health and safety.

• They used writing for many different purposes.

• They enjoyed writing for entertainment more than practical reasons.

In paragraph 1, why does the author call the papyri in the box a "rare treasure"?

"Dr. Todd Hickey opens a rusted tin box filled to the brim with tattered pieces of 2‚000-year-old paper from Egypt. Dr. Hickey, a papyrologist (pap-eh-ROL-ah-jist), is excited about this rare treasure. It isn’t covered in gold, but it is priceless. That’s because those tattered pieces of paper are papyrus. Papyrus tells us much about the secrets of life in ancient Egypt."

• To show that they are worth a lot of money to Dr. Hickey

• To suggest that they can provide information about a past time that has many mysteries

• To demonstrate that they contain messages that are hard to decode

• To explain that they are delicate and need to be handled with extreme care

How does the organizational pattern of paragraphs 7 through 10 help convey information?

• It reveals that some papyri scraps are more valuable than others by way of comparison.

• It shows that experts must follow steps in a certain order to read papyri from ancient

  Egypt.

• It lists the various materials needed to unroll and preserve pieces of papyri from ancient

  Egypt.

• It indicates that unrolling papyri is the most difficult task a papyrologist does.