ESL Reading Comprehension (10 marks) — Egyptian History for IB PYP Class 3 (8-year-olds)

Instructions

Read the text carefully and answer all the questions below. Each question has marks written next to it.

Expressing Ideas in Ancient Egypt

Long, long ago, in a hot, sandy land, there was a place called Ancient Egypt. The people who lived there, the Egyptians, had very creative ways to express their ideas, stories, and beliefs.

One way they expressed themselves was through writing. The Egyptians did not write with letters like A, B, C. They used a special kind of picture writing called hieroglyphs. Each small picture could mean a sound, an object, or an idea. They carved these beautiful hieroglyphs on temple walls and wrote them on a special paper called papyrus. This was how they wrote down their history and important messages for others to see.

The Egyptians also expressed their beliefs about life and death through art and big buildings. They built giant, pointed buildings called pyramids for their kings and queens, who were called pharaohs. Inside the pyramids and tombs, they painted wonderful pictures on the walls. These paintings showed everyday life, their gods, and stories about the afterlife. It was their way of telling stories that would last forever.

Part A: Choose the correct answer. (3 Marks)

1. What was the special picture writing of Ancient Egypt called?

   (a) English     (b) Hieroglyphs     (c) Papyrus

2. What were the kings and queens of Egypt called?

   (a) Presidents     (b) Princes     (c) Pharaohs

3. What did the Egyptians paint pictures on inside the tombs?

   (a) The floor     (b) The walls     (c) The ceiling

Part B: Fill in the blanks using words from the text. (3 Marks)

1. Egyptians wrote on a special paper called __________________.


2. They built giant __________________ for their pharaohs.


3. Hieroglyphs could be a sound, an object, or an __________________.

Part C: Write True or False. (2 Marks)

1. The Egyptians used letters like A, B, C for writing. __________________


2. Paintings in the tombs showed stories about the afterlife. __________________

Part D: Answer the question in a full sentence. (2 Marks)

1. Name one way the ancient Egyptians expressed their ideas.

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Answer Key

Part A: Choose the correct answer. (3 Marks)

1. (b) Hieroglyphs
2. (c) Pharaohs
3. (b) The walls

Part B: Fill in the blanks using words from the text. (3 Marks)

1. papyrus
2. pyramids
3. idea

Part C: Write True or False. (2 Marks)

1. False
2. True

Part D: Answer the question in a full sentence. (2 Marks)

1. (Accept any one of the following answers or similar answers based on the text.)
   • The ancient Egyptians expressed their ideas using picture writing called hieroglyphs.
   • The ancient Egyptians expressed their beliefs by building pyramids.
   • The ancient Egyptians expressed their stories by painting on walls inside tombs.