People Just Like Us. Grace, my research partner, disagreed with me to say the very least! "This project is going to be great, Zeke!" she enthused.

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1 Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question. People Just Like Us When Mr. Kelly assigned the big Social Studies project for the semester, I just shrugged my shoulders and thought, "Whatever." So far, learning about Egyptians living thousands of years ago held no interest for me. Grace, my research partner, disagreed with me to say the very least! "This project is going to be great, Zeke!" she enthused. "I don't think so," I sneered. "Learning about these ancient people is so dull. They just hunted and farmed and probably went crazy from boredom. I can't imagine the ancient Egyptians had lives that were anywhere near as interesting as ours." "Oh, don't be such a snob," Grace shot back. "Don't judge until you've taken the time to learn something about them." I conceded that Grace had a point, and the next Saturday I found myself accompanying her to the Museum of Natural History. "So the ancient Egyptians were pretty primitive, right?" I asked Grace as we waited in line for our tickets. "I mean, they didn't have much technology or culture, did they? Well, except for the pyramids didn't the Egyptian kings live in the pyramids?" Grace just rolled her eyes and nudged me forward in the line. The first part of the exhibit set me straight about the pyramids without delay. I learned that they were tombs of the ancient kings, not their dwellings. I also found out how massive the pyramids are. The great pyramid at Giza stood 500 feet tall when it was first built! And some of the rooms inside the pyramids were on an equally colossal scale, with one measuring as much as 150 feet long and 30 feet high. Grace smiled at me as we read the information included in the pyramid display. "You know, Zeke, I think those primitive Egyptians must have used just a little technology to construct those!" As I wandered farther into the exhibit, I was startled to stumble into a display on ancient Egyptian sports. I saw images from temple walls showing people wrestling, throwing javelins, and practicing archery. One image even showed people playing a game with a ball. Just for a moment, I could picture ancient Egyptian kids beside the Nile River hitting around Powered by Cognero Page 1

2 a ball, just as I do with my friends. "Zeke, you have got to see this." Grace interrupted my fanciful vision with a tug on my arm. Pulling me into another room, she showed me a series of jars for storing cosmetics. "It says here that ancient Egyptians wore makeup on their eyes, cheeks, lips, and nails." Now I was picturing my mother and older sister sitting in front of the bathroom mirror, patiently applying makeup to their faces before going out. "Speaking of family " I thought to myself as I viewed the next display in the exhibit. The words and images before me were all about how the ancient Egyptians cherished their children. A child was considered a joy and a blessing, and young ones were cared for and protected. Maybe an Egyptian boy back then got embarrassed when his mom dropped him off at school like me. Because, of course, I learned that there were schools in ancient Egypt too! "This is interesting," Grace called, urging me into a new part of the exhibit. "It says here that women could hold important positions in ancient Egyptian society. They could have jobs with prestige, like being a doctor or a landowner. There was even a female pharaoh a ruler of the entire country." My mom is a doctor; it was nice to know she could have practiced in ancient Egypt. "So what do you think of these boring ancient people now?" "You were right. Ancient Egypt is much more interesting than I expected. In fact, I know just what title to give our presentation. We'll call it People Just Like Us'!" 1. The first-person point of view in this passage helps the reader understand a. how the ancient Egyptians really lived. b. why Zeke is eager to study ancient cultures. c. why the ancient Egyptians are so interesting to Grace. d. how Zeke starts to compare the ancient Egyptians to people he knows. Powered by Cognero Page 2

3 2. At the beginning of the passage, how are Zeke and Grace different? a. Zeke is rude, while Grace is very kind. b. Zeke is unhappy, while Grace is cheerful. c. Zeke is lazy, while Grace is a hard worker. d. Zeke is bored, while Grace is enthusiastic. 3. Read this excerpt from the passage. "I don't think so," I sneered. "Learning about these ancient people is so dull. They just hunted and farmed and probably went crazy from boredom." The use of sneered instead of said emphasizes that Zeke a. respects Grace. b. thinks Grace is being fake. c. does not understand Grace. d. thinks Grace is being ridiculous. 4. What does Zeke think of the ancient Egyptians before he visits the exhibit? a. He thinks they all lived in pyramids. b. He thinks they lived very boring lives. c. He thinks they all had advanced technology. d. He thinks they were just like modern people. 5. Which word from the passage has a negative connotation? a. primitive b. massive c. protected d. interesting Powered by Cognero Page 3

4 6. Read this sentence from the passage. And some of the rooms inside the pyramids were on an equally colossal scale, with one measuring as much as 150 feet long and 30 feet high. Which word has a connotation most similar to that of colossal? a. excessive b. large c. mammoth d. modest 7. Read this sentence from the passage. "You know, Zeke, I think those primitive Egyptians must have used just a little technology to construct those!" The origin of the word construct is the Latin root struct, which means "build." The prefix ob- means "against." If you obstruct someone's progress, you most likely a. assemble things. b. put up obstacles. c. tear things down. d. create opportunities. 8. Which word from the passage has a positive connotation? a. ancient b. fanciful c. prestige d. snob Powered by Cognero Page 4

5 9. How do Zeke's feelings about studying ancient Egypt change by the end of the passage? a. He realizes ancient Egyptians were like modern people in many ways. b. He finds that ancient Egyptians are as dull and boring as he expected. c. He decides that the pastimes of ancient Egyptians do not appeal to him. d. He discovers many differences between ancient Egyptians and modern people. 10. Which sentence from the passage best shows how Zeke's feelings about ancient Egyptians change? a. Just for a moment, I could picture ancient Egyptian kids beside the Nile River hitting around a ball, just like I did with my friends. b. "So the ancient Egyptians were pretty primitive, right?" I asked Grace as we waited in line for our tickets. c. "I can't imagine the ancient Egyptians had lives that were anywhere near as interesting as ours." d. A child was considered a joy and a blessing, and young ones were cared for and protected. Powered by Cognero Page 5