Guided Reading Activity Answer Key
The Spread of Civilization
Lesson 1 The Rise of Egypt
A. 1. The river flooded in the summer from heavy rains in central Africa. These floods left a deposit of
mud that created an area of rich soil several miles wide on both sides of the river.
A. 2. Deserts to the west and east; the Red Sea to the east; the cataracts, or rapids, on the southern
part of the Nile; and the Mediterranean Sea to the north
A. 3. They had confidence in the stability of their country as a result of the regularity of the Nile floods
and the relative isolation of the country.
B. 1. He united Upper and Lower Egypt around 3100 b.c. into a single kingdom and created the first
royal dynasty.
B. 2. 500 years—from 2700 b.c. to 2200 b.c.
B. 3. This period is portrayed as one of stability and expansion. Egypt conquered Nubia to the south
and built fortresses to protect the new frontier. Pharaohs also sent traders to Kush, Syria,
Mesopotamia, and Crete.
C. 1. The pharaoh was at the top and was surrounded by an upper class of nobles and priests who
ran the government and managed their own landed estates.
C. 2. merchants, artisans, scribes, and tax collectors
C. 3. Peasants mostly farmed the land of nobles and priests. They also paid taxes in the form of crops
to the pharaoh, nobles, and priests. Peasants lived in small villages and were forced to provide
military service and labor for building projects.
D. 1. A simplified version of hieroglyphics. It was used for business transactions and the general
needs of daily life.
D. 2. Mathematics helped them in building their massive monuments. Egyptians were able to calculate
area and volume and used geometry to survey flooded land. They also developed an accurate
365-day calendar by basing their year not only on the movements of the moon, but also on the
bright star Sirius.
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Summary and Reflection
A complete answer should include: Ancient Egyptian history consisted of three long periods of
stability and achievement interspersed with shorter periods of political disorder; geography played an
important role in the rise of Egypt.
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