PR AC TICE R E ADING
To get practice with reading, read the passage, and
then answer the questions that follow. You may write
your answers in the spaces provided or on a separate
sheet of paper.
Submerged Histories
Marine archeologists study shipwrecks, towns, and buildings underwater to learn more about
human history. This excerpt is from Timed Readings Plus in Social Studies, Book 4, Jamestown
Education (Columbus: Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2003), 51.
Some scholars who study human history examine objects from the past.
In order to study these ancient artifacts, they must first find and retrieve
items. Experts must excavate them with great care. As these archaeologists
dig the objects out, they map each step of the process. One such area of
study is marine archaeology, the study of underwater artifacts.
The process of finding and retrieving artifacts buried under water pres2
ents unique challenges. Marine archaeologists work on the sea floor. Divers and deep-sea robots unearth, record, and collect artifacts buried in the
deep.
Many kinds of ancient remains are found under water. They include
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ships, cargo, buildings, ports, and even whole towns. Through the study of
these remains, scholars learn about the human past. The study of ancient
ships reveals data about shipbuilding, trade, and warfare. Cargo and other
objects found on sunken ships reveal much about how people lived at a certain time. Because water and silt guard against decay, submerged remains
are often well preserved. Shoes, jewelry, combs, dishware, furniture, tools,
and weapons provide an idea of what life was like in the past. Submerged
towns reveal data about flood patterns and Earth’s changes in addition to
data about ancient human life.
One of the first finds in this field took place in 1958, off the coast of
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Turkey. It was a 3,000-year old ship. Two experts, Peter Throckmorton and
George Bass, led the team that studied this wreck. In contrast to old methods, the team did not immediately remove objects from the site. First, using
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CHAPTER 8 PRACTICE PAGES
high-technology equipment, they recorded and mapped each detail. By
studying the remains in this way, the experts determined where the ship
had come from. They also discovered what had caused it to sink. In addition, the cargo aboard the ship revealed that people of this region were
engaged in trading much earlier than scholars had thought.
Although some finds change scholars’ ideas of history, other finds may 5
confirm theories. In recent times, a team exploring the Black Sea found an
underwater site that suggested that human beings once lived on the nowsubmerged land. The find suggested that a great flood created the Black Sea
thousands of years ago. Some scholars believe that this ancient flood may
relate to the story of Noah and the flood mentioned in the Bible. The underwater finds of expert Robert Ballard and his team in the Black Sea support
this theory.
AC T I V E R E A D E R S R E S P O N D
After you’ve finished reading, use these activities to respond to “Submerged Histories.” You may write
your answers in the spaces provided or on a separate sheet of paper.
VITAL VOCABULARY
Some words in this reading may be unfamiliar to you. Use the methods of Strategy 3 to explain what the listed
words mean.
USE CONTE X T CLUES
a.
retrieve (paragraph 1)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
b. excavate (paragraph 1)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
U S E WO R D PA R T S
a.
unearth (paragraph 2)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
b. shipbuilding (paragraph 3)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
c.
now-submerged (paragraph 5)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
U S E T H E D I C T I O N A RY
Choose the correct definition of each word as it is used in the context of this reading.
a.
artifacts (paragraph 2)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
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b. unique (paragraph 2)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
c.
silt (paragraph 3)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
OBJECTIVE OPERATIONS
1. Who is the writer’s intended audience?
a. students
b. marine biologists
c. general audience
d. marine archaeologists
2. What is the author’s purpose?
a. to inform
b. to persuade
c. to entertain
3. What is the tone of the passage?
a. objective
b. questioning
c. subjective
d. empathetic
4. A marine archaeologist studies artifacts found
buried
c. Marine archeologists explore shipwrecks
with the hope of understanding human
culture.
d. Marine archeology is the study of underwater artifacts.
7. What is the stated main idea of paragraph 3?
a. “Many kinds of ancient remains are found
under water.”
b. “They include ships, cargo, buildings, ports,
and even whole towns.”
c. “The study of ancient ships reveals data
about shipbuilding, trade, and warfare.”
d. “Submerged towns reveal data about flood
patterns and Earth’s changes in addition to
data about ancient human life.”
8. Archaeologists study ancient artifacts on the
sea floor to
a. learn about the human past.
a. under water.
b. find valuable treasures.
b. near the ocean.
c. discover marine life forms.
c. in the desert.
d. in a lake.
5. The word “marine archaeologist” in paragraph
2, line 2, most nearly means
a. someone who studies fossils.
d. to make recommendations to help the
environment.
9. Which sentence provides support for this
sentence (paragraph 3, line 1): “Many kinds of
ancient remains are found under water.”?
b. someone who studies rocks under water.
a. “They include ships, cargo, buildings, ports,
and even whole towns.”
c. someone who studies objects from the past
found under water.
b. “Through the study of these remains, scholars learn about the human past.”
d. someone who studies.
6. Which sentence states the implied main idea of
the passage?
a. Marine archeologists study submerged
ships.
b. Marine archeologists study underwater
artifacts to understand more about human
history and culture.Marine archeologists
explore shipwrecks with the hope of understanding human culture.
c. “The study of ancient ships reveals data
about shipbuilding, trade, and warfare.”
d. “Cargo and other objects found on sunken
ships reveal much about how people lived
at a certain time.”
10. The authors’ claim that it is challenging to find
artifacts underwater is
a. adequately supported with details.
b. inadequately supported with details.
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CHAPTER 8 PRACTICE PAGES
11. What is the topic of paragraph 4?
a. one of the first finds of marine archaeology
b. a 3,000 year-old shipwreck
c. Throckmorton and Bass
d. a cargo ship
12. By mapping and recording the site of an
ancient shipwreck before removing objects,
Throckmorton and Bass learned
a. how many people had been on board.
b. where the ship had come from and why it
had sunk.
c. from what types of metals ancient coins
were made.
d. how far the ship had traveled across the
ocean.
13. Identify the relationship between the following
sentences from paragraph 3.
“Because water and silt guard against decay,
submerged remains are often well preserved.”
(lines 6–7)
c. uncover objects.
d. remove a cavity.
17. What is the relationship between the following
sentences (from paragraph 2)?
“The process of finding and retrieving artifacts buried under water presents unique challenges. Marine archaeologists work on the sea
floor. Divers and deep-sea robots unearth, record, and collect artifacts buried in the deep.”
(lines 1–4)
a. statement and clarification
b. cause and effect
c. comparison and contrast
d. definition and example
18. What is the relationship between the parts of
the following sentence (from paragraph 5)?
“Although some finds change scholars’ ideas
of history, other finds may confirm theories.”
(lines 1–2)
a. definition
a. comparison
b. contrast
b. cause and effect
c. example
c. contrast
d. statement and clarification
14. For paragraph 3, the author uses an overall
organization pattern that uses
a. comparisons.
b. contrasts.
c. cause and effect.
d. statement and clarification.
15. The account of Noah and the flood mentioned
in the Bible may be linked to the flood that
created
a. the Nile River.
b. the Atlantic Ocean.
c. the Mediterranean Sea.
d. the Black Sea.
16. The word “excavate” in paragraph 1, line 3,
most nearly means to
a. study records.
b. examine remains.
d. comparison
19. What is the relationship between the following
sentences (from paragraph 4)?
“They also discovered what had caused it to
sink. In addition, the cargo aboard the ship
revealed that people of this region were engaged in trading much earlier than scholars
had thought.” (lines 7–9)
a. addition
b. definition and example
c. example
d. cause and effect
20. It is likely that archaeologists learn more from
a sunken ship than from a ship buried on land
because
a. water and silt protect the sunken ship from
decay.
b. soil preserves objects well.
c. sunken treasures are worth more than
buried treasures.
d. they have studied wrecks on land before.
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QUICK QUESTIONS
1.
As archaeologists uncover new artifacts, understanding of human history increases. True or False
2. People who study underwater artifacts are called marine biologists. True or False
3. Marine archaeology developed later than archaeology on land due to __________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Ancient remains underwater include _________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
5. In the past, why were objects brought to the surface to study?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Why is important to explore submerged craft underwater?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
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