"Unearthing the Arabia"

Which choice summarizes the text?

• In the 1980s, Dave Hawley heard the story of the Arabia shipwreck and decided to find the sunken steamboat. He believed it would contain many treasures. When he finally found the boat, he uncovered even more treasure than he expected.

• In September 1856, a steamboat called the Arabia sank in the Missouri River. Although all the passengers were rescued, the boat and its treasure were lost for over 100 years. A group of friends worked together and eventually found the Arabia buried in a Kansas cornfield.

• The Arabia was a steamboat that sunk in the Missouri River in 1856 and contained thousands of objects. After years of searching for different sunken steamboats, a team of treasure hunters found and dug up the Arabia. The treasure hunters decided to display the Arabia and its treasures in a museum for all to enjoy.

• After hitting another boat and springing a leak, a steamboat called the Arabia sank many years ago with its large load of cargo. The steamboat remained underwater until the 1980s when four treasure hunters discovered it. The group spent many years digging out the boat and removing all of its expensive cargo.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.9

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

What does the phrase “left them empty-handed” mean as it is used in paragraph 7?

• The treasure hunters had not located a sunken steamboat yet.

• The treasure hunters had found a sunken steamboat but no gold or silver.

• The treasure hunters had lost their map showing the locations of sunken steamboats.

• The treasure hunters had not asked the right people where to find sunken steamboats.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.4

How were the treasure hunters different from Norman Sortor?

• The treasure hunters had heard the story of how the Arabia sank in the river, but Norman Sortor had not.

• The treasure hunters wanted to keep all of the items found on the Arabia, but Norman Sortor thought he deserved some as well.

• The treasure hunters wanted to begin digging for the Arabia later, but Norman Sortor wanted them to start immediately.

• The treasure hunters thought they could find the Arabia under the land, but Norman Sortor had doubts.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

Part A

What point does the author make about why Dave Hawley wanted to get a group together to find sunken steamboats?

• Sunken steamboats could help people learn about travel in the past.

• Sunken steamboats could have treasure worth a great deal of money.

• Sunken steamboats could be put on display in museums for many people to see.

• Sunken steamboats could be found more quickly with a new tool that was created.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Part B

Which quotation from the text supports the answer to Part A?

• “Sunken steamboats loaded with gold, silver, and valuable cargo could make them rich!” (paragraph 5)

• “Records showed that 289 steamboats had sunk on the Missouri River.” (paragraph 6)

• “Three other treasure-hunting teams had tried to reach it but failed.” (paragraph 9)

• “After hiking through rows of corn with his magnetometer, a device used to find metal, Dave got a reading.” (paragraph 10)

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Which phrase from paragraph 12 helps the reader understand the meaning of the word emerged?

• “…was just the beginning.”

• “…artifact appeared…”

• “…kept digging…”

• “…still good enough…”

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

Which quotation supports the inference that finding a sunken steamboat takes patience?

• “Maps revealed that the Arabia lay buried in a Kansas cornfield on Norman Sortor’s property.” (paragraph 9)

• “So when the four men asked Sortor for permission to search on his land, he warned, ‘You can try to dig the Arabia, but you won’t reach her.’” (paragraph 9)

• “The men were not discouraged. They agreed to give the landowner a percentage of any artifacts found.” (paragraph 10)

• “But they had to wait until the corn was harvested before they could stake out the boat’s dimensions. Finally, they began digging.” (paragraph 11)

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.6.1

How does the photograph help the reader better understand the text?

• The reader is able to see how food items were carefully removed from the Arabia.

• The reader is able to see that there were many types of artifacts found aboard the Arabia.

• The reader is able to see an example of what was found aboard the Arabia.

• The reader is able to see why food items were protected by the mud around the Arabia.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.7

CCSS.RI.5.7

CCSS.RL.4.7

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RL.6.7