Read the excerpt from The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone by James Cross Giblin.A few genuine advances in understanding the hieroglyphs were made during the 1700s. The French scholar C. J. de Guignes observed that groups of hieroglyphs in Egyptian texts were often enclosed by an oval outline, which he called a cartouche. "Cartouche" is a French word that originally meant a cartridge, and the line around the hieroglyphs had a similar shape. De Guignes guessed rightly that the cartouches in hieroglyphic inscriptions were intended to draw attention to important names, probably the names of Egyptian rulers.Based on this excerpt, what is the author’s view of the progress made in the 1700s?
Read the excerpt from The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone.Near the entrance to the long, high-ceilinged room stand two magnificent granite statues of Pharaoh Amenophis III, who ruled Egypt about 1400 B.C. Farther on is a colossal head of Pharaoh Ramesses II dating back to 1250 B.C. And beyond it, resting on a simple base, is a slab of black basalt, a colossal rock.Which words in the excerpt best show that Giblin thinks the room is important?
Read the excerpt from The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone.Before the Rosetta Stone was discovered in 1799, no one knew how to read Egyptian hieroglyphic writing. Its meaning had been lost for almost 1400 years. But countless visitors to Egypt over the centuries had tried to decipher the mysterious symbols. This is the story of their attempts, and of how the Rosetta Stone finally enabled scholars to unlock the Egyptian past.The story begins in the seventh century A.D., when Greek scholars visiting Egypt first called the symbols "hieroglyphs." They gave them that name, which means "sacred carvings" in Greek, because they found so many of them on the walls of Egyptian tombs and temples.Which phrase from this excerpt best supports the author’s view that the people who deciphered the Egyptian writing system played an important role in history?
Which sentence from The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone includes an opinion?
Read the excerpt from The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone by James Cross Giblin.Some of these scholars made otherwise significant contributions to the world's knowledge of ancient Egypt. A German priest of the 1600s, Athanasius Kircher, wrote the first grammar and vocabulary of Coptic, the language of Christian Egypt. These books were to prove of great value when the hieroglyphs were eventually deciphered.Which words does Giblin use to show his viewpoint?
Which statement presents a counterclaim to James Cross Giblin’s viewpoint?
Read the excerpt from The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone.Next to the statues and the head, the slab seems unimpressive at first glance. It is roughly the size of a tabletop—three feet nine inches long, two feet four and a half inches wide, and eleven inches thick. But many experts would say that this rather small piece of rock was more valuable than any of the larger objects in the room. For it is the famed Rosetta Stone, which gave nineteenth-century scholars their first key to the secrets of ancient Egypt.Which words in the excerpt best show that Giblin views the Rosetta Stone as very important?
In The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone, James Cross Giblin makes his ideas clear to readers best through his
Read the excerpt from The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone by James Cross Giblin.Some of these scholars made otherwise significant contributions to the world's knowledge of ancient Egypt. A German priest of the 1600s, Athanasius Kircher, wrote the first grammar and vocabulary of Coptic, the language of Christian Egypt. These books were to prove of great value when the hieroglyphs were eventually deciphered.But Kircher's ideas about the hieroglyphs themselves were even farther off the mark than those of Horapollo. Looking at a certain group of symbols—which actually stood for the name of a pharaoh—Kircher let his imagination run wild. Without any evidence to support him, he said that the hieroglyphs meant "The blessings of the god Osiris are to be procured by means of sacred ceremonies, in order that the benefits of the river Nile may be obtained."Which sentence from this excerpt contains evidence that supports the claim?
Read the line of text from The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone.But many experts would say that this rather small piece of rock was more valuable than any of the larger objects in the room.In this line of text, the author makes his viewpoint clear about the
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