Questions 1-5
The reading passage has eight paragraphs labelled A-H.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter A-H in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
The answer is E. Paragraph E discusses the consequence of the status and power of scribes in Babylonian society: "As a result, the scribes were assigned their own goddess, Nisaba, later replaced by the god Nabu of Borsippa, whose symbol is neither weapon nor dragon but something far more fearsome, the cuneiform stick." This sentence explicitly links the power and specialized status of scribes to their being assigned a deity, showing the social consequence of their power.
Associated Text:
As a result, the scribes were assigned their own goddess, Nisaba, later replaced by the god Nabu of Borsippa, whose symbol is neither weapon nor dragon but something far more fearsome, the cuneiform stick.
The answer is F. Paragraph F gives an example of cuneiform texts that provides precise scientific information: "One tablet records the speed of the Moon over 248 days; another documents an early sighting of Halley's Comet, from September 22 to September 28, 164 B.C.E." This provides exact scientific data recorded in cuneiform texts, fulfilling the requirement of the question.
Associated Text:
One tablet records the speed of the Moon over 248 days; another documents an early sighting of Halley's Comet, from September 22 to September 28, 164 B.C.E.
The answer is H. Paragraph H provides reasons why hieroglyphics were not widely used: "Scholars have detected some 6,000 separate hieroglyphic characters in use over the history of Egyptian writing, but it appears that never more than a thousand were in use during any one period. It still seems a lot to recall, but what was lost in efficiency was more than made up for in the beauty and richness of the texts." This explains that the large number of characters and lack of efficiency may have limited widespread use.
Associated Text:
Scholars have detected some 6,000 separate hieroglyphic characters in use over the history of Egyptian writing, but it appears that never more than a thousand were in use during any one period. It still seems a lot to recall, but what was lost in efficiency was more than made up for in the beauty and richness of the texts.
The answer is B. Paragraph B explains that archaeologists' knowledge of the early history of writing relies mainly on Sumerian cuneiform because of the durability of clay tablets: "Though clumsy and bulky, it has a virtue dear to archaeologists: it is durable. Fire, for example, which is death to papyrus paper or other writing materials such as leather and wood, simply bakes it hard, thereby making it even more durable." The passage further clarifies that papyrus and other materials used by Egyptians were perishable, so fewer examples survived.
Associated Text:
Though clumsy and bulky, it has a virtue dear to archaeologists: it is durable. Fire, for example, which is death to papyrus paper or other writing materials such as leather and wood, simply bakes it hard, thereby making it even more durable.
The answer is D. Paragraph D describes how Sumerian languages and cuneiform were adopted and adapted by other civilizations: "The Akkadians conquered the Sumerians around the middle of the third millennium B.C.E., and they took over the various cuneiform signs used for writing Sumerian and gave them sound and word values that fit their own language. The Babylonians and Assyrians did the same, and so did peoples in Syria and Asia Minor." This demonstrates the process of these civilizations using Sumerian language forms via cuneiform signs with their own adaptations.
Associated Text:
The Akkadians conquered the Sumerians around the middle of the third millennium B.C.E., and they took over the various cuneiform signs used for writing Sumerian and gave them sound and word values that fit their own language. The Babylonians and Assyrians did the same, and so did peoples in Syria and Asia Minor.
Questions 6-12
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? In boxes 6-12 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.
The answer is NOT GIVEN. Paragraph B mentions several features of clay as a writing material, such as its durability, cheapness, and ease of use, but does not specify which was the most important feature for users in Mesopotamia. The passage explicitly links durability to its value for archaeologists rather than for the users themselves and never ranks the features in terms of user preference.
Associated Text:
Though clumsy and bulky, it has a virtue dear to archaeologists: it is durable. Clay, moreover, is cheap, and forming it into tablets is easy. These factors allowed the clay tablet to become the preferred writing material, not only throughout Mesopotamia, but far outside it as well.
The answer is TRUE. Paragraph B states that "Clay, moreover, is cheap, and forming it into tablets is easy. These factors allowed the clay tablet to become the preferred writing material, not only throughout Mesopotamia, but far outside it as well." This provides direct confirmation that low cost and ease of use led to clay becoming the preferred medium in Mesopotamia and beyond.
Associated Text:
Clay, moreover, is cheap, and forming it into tablets is easy. These factors allowed the clay tablet to become the preferred writing material, not only throughout Mesopotamia, but far outside it as well.
The answer is NOT GIVEN. The passage does not mention whether Sumerians preferred clay tablets over papyrus. In fact, it states that papyrus was not available in Mesopotamia but was used by Egyptians. There is no information about the Sumerians' preference regarding papyrus versus clay.
Associated Text:
Mesopotamia’s rivers boasted no such useful reeds, but its land did provide good clay, and as a consequence the clay tablet became the standard material.
The answer is NOT GIVEN. The passage mentions that clay was available in Mesopotamia and that papyrus plants grew along the Nile in Egypt, but it does not state whether clay was or was not available in Egypt. Therefore, there is no information to answer this question.
Associated Text:
In ancient times, the banks of the Nile were lined with papyrus plants, and from the papyrus reeds the Egyptians made a form of paper; it was excellent in quality but, like with any paper, it was fragile. Mesopotamia’s rivers boasted no such useful reeds, but its land did provide good clay, and as a consequence the clay tablet became the standard material.
The answer is FALSE. Paragraph C states that "the Sumerians perfected a style of writing suited to clay. This script consists of simple shapes, which are basically just wedge shapes and lines...Although the ingredients are merely wedges and lines, there are hundreds of combinations of these basic forms that stand for different sounds or words. Learning these complex signs required long training and much practice; inevitably, literacy was largely limited to a small professional class, the scribes." This means that while the shapes were simple, understanding cuneiform was limited to a specialized class, not the majority of Sumerians.
Associated Text:
The Sumerians perfected a style of writing suited to clay. This script consists of simple shapes, which are basically just wedge shapes and lines that could easily be incised in soft clay with a reed or wooden stylus; scholars have dubbed it cuneiform from the wedge-shaped marks (cunei in Latin) that are its hallmark. Although the ingredients are merely wedges and lines, there are hundreds of combinations of these basic forms that stand for different sounds or words. Learning these complex signs required long training and much practice; inevitably, literacy was largely limited to a small professional class, the scribes.
The answer is TRUE. Paragraph D states, "The Akkadians conquered the Sumerians around the middle of the third millennium B.C.E., and they took over the various cuneiform signs used for writing Sumerian and gave them sound and word values that fit their own language." This indicates that Akkadians assigned their own sound and word values to cuneiform signs.
Associated Text:
The Akkadians conquered the Sumerians around the middle of the third millennium B.C.E., and they took over the various cuneiform signs used for writing Sumerian and gave them sound and word values that fit their own language.
The answer is NOT GIVEN. Paragraph D states that scribes working with cuneiform for non-Sumerian languages had to know the values of the various cuneiform signs for both Sumerian and their own language: "For the scribes of these non-Sumerian languages, training was doubly demanding since they had to know the values of the various cuneiform signs for Sumerian as well as for their own language." However, it does not state that they had to learn all the languages that used cuneiform, only the Sumerian and their own language.
Associated Text:
For the scribes of these non-Sumerian languages, training was doubly demanding since they had to know the values of the various cuneiform signs for Sumerian as well as for their own language.
Questions 13-14
Choose two letters A-E.
Write your answers in boxes 13-14 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO of the following are stated about hieroglyphic writing?
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The glyphs used as symbols for individual words in texts were sometimes chosen for their particular shapes.
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Up to a 6,000 characters used during a given period
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Written on papyrus only.
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The symbols for individual words were sometimes moved around in a text, regardless of these words' meaning
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Associated with buildings that had a religious function
The answer is D. (A) is correct because paragraph H states: "Egyptologists have noticed that the glyphs that constitute individual words were sometimes shuffled to make the text more pleasing to the eye with little regard for sound or sense," showing the shapes of glyphs were sometimes chosen for visual reasons. (D) is correct because the same sentence demonstrates that the symbols for individual words were sometimes moved around in a text regardless of meaning.
Associated Text:
Egyptologists have noticed that the glyphs that constitute individual words were sometimes shuffled to make the text more pleasing to the eye with little regard for sound or sense.
The answer is E. (E) is correct because paragraph G states: "This, they thought, was language fit for the gods, which explains why it was carved on the walls of pyramids and other religious structures." This shows that hieroglyphic writing was associated with religious buildings, confirming option (E).
Associated Text:
This, they thought, was language fit for the gods, which explains why it was carved on the walls of pyramids and other religious structures.
