CH 18 GUIDE TO READING NOTES
18.2 Exploration and Travel - Page 117
Compass (Page 117 Top)
4.
a)
Early Chinese compasses were made of a rock
called lodestone, which, when floating, points
north south.
b)
The Chinese eventually replaced lodestone
with steel needles.
5.
The compass still helps travelers navigate.

Canal lock (Page 117 Bottom)
4.
a)
The canal lock allowed boats to pass from one
level to another in a canal.
b)
The canal lock could raise boats 100 feet
above sea level.
5.
 Canal locks are still used on modern canals like
the Panama Canal.
pg. 1
18.3 Industry - Page 118
Movable type (Page 118 Top)
4.
a)
Movable type uses a separate block for each
character.
b)
Printers made characters out of clay, baked
them, and then placed them in an iron frame.
5.
Until recently, all newspapers, books, and

magazines were printed using movable type.
Porcelain (Page 118 Bottom)
4.
a)
Porcelain is a form of pottery of great beauty
that some historians think was developed in the
first century C.E.
b)
Porcelain was mass-produced.
5.
 Fine dishes are still called “china” after fine
porcelain.
pg. 2
18.4 Military Technology - Page 119
Gunpowder (Page 119 Top)
4.
a)
The discovery of gunpowder made possible the
development of powerful weapons.
b)
Gunpowder may have been discovered by
accident by people looking for a way to extend
life.
5.
Gunpowder changed the way wars were

conducted around the world.
Rocket (Page 119 Bottom)
4.
a)
Rockets were first used in fireworks.
b)
The Chinese made a two-stage rocket, with the
first stage carrying the weapon over the enemy
and the second stage dropping arrows.
5.
 The rockets we use to explore space are based on
the same principles as ancient Chinese rockets.
pg. 3
18.5 Everyday Objects - Page 120
Paper money (Page 120 Top)
4.
a)
Paper money replaced coins.
b)
Paper money was printed with wood blocks
using many colors on each bill.
5.
 Paper money is the most common form of currency
today.
Mechanical clock (Page 119 Bottom)
4.
a)
The mechanical clock had a wheel that made
one revolution every 24 hours. Dripping water
turned it.
b)
Every quarter hour drums would beat, and
every hour a bell would chime so people knew
what time it was.
5.
 Modern mechanical clocks are based on the same
principles as early Chinese clocks.
pg. 4
18.6 Everyday Objects - Page 121
Smallpox (Page 121 Top)
4.
a)
The Chinese developed a way to inoculate
people against smallpox.
b)
They made a powder from the scab of an
infected person and inserted it into the nose of the
person who wanted protection.
5.
 We have vaccines for many diseases.
Skim Sections 18.2 through 18.6. Find 14 additional Chinese discoveries and
inventions. List them in the scroll below. An example is done for you.
Paddlewheel Boats
Catapults
Playing cards
Bombs
Watertight compartments
Rifles
Segmental arch bridges
Cannons
Papermaking
Flamethrowers
Woodblock printing
Disinfectants
Steel production
Boiling to kill germs
Artillery shells
pg. 5
pg. 6