Written in Bone: Chapter 3
Why does the author include detailed descriptions of the tools and methods forensic anthropologists use?
A. To persuade readers that forensic anthropology is the most important field of science
B. To entertain readers with dramatic stories about ancient skeletons
C. To inform readers about how scientific techniques help uncover historical truths
D. To argue that forensic anthropologists should have more funding for research
C. To inform readers about how scientific techniques help uncover historical truths
How does the author structure the section "What Is Archaeology?" to help the reader understand the field?
A. By listing different types of archaeological sites and describing their discoveries
B. By defining archaeology, explaining its purpose, and describing how it differs from history
C. By narrating a historical event that led to the development of archaeology
D. By comparing the work of archaeologists to that of other scientists
B. By defining archaeology, explaining its purpose, and describing how it differs from history
How do Written in Bone and "An Archaeologist: My Story" both explore the role of archaeologists in understanding the past?
A. Both texts explain how archaeologists study human remains to uncover historical details.
B. Both texts focus on the challenges of preserving ancient ruins and artifacts.
C. Written in Bone discusses forensic anthropology, while "An Archaeologist: My Story" highlights personal experiences in archaeology.
D. Written in Bone describes how ancient sites are discovered, while "An Archaeologist: My Story" explains how archaeologists predict future discoveries.
C. Written in Bone discusses forensic anthropology, while "An Archaeologist: My Story" highlights personal experiences in archaeology.
Read the sentence from "An Archaeologist: My Story":
"The archaeologist took detailed notes and carefully cataloged each artifact to ensure its proper documentation."
What does the word cataloged mean in this sentence?
A. Studied an artifact under a microscope
B. Sketched an artifact for display
C. Organized and recorded details about an artifact
D. Translated ancient writing on an artifact
C. Organized and recorded details about an artifact
Which of the following best describes a claim made in Chapter 2 and the evidence used to support it?
A. Claim: Skeletons alone cannot provide any useful historical information.
Evidence: Scientists need written records to learn about past individuals.
B. Claim: The way bones are examined can reveal details about a person’s life.
Evidence: Scientists analyze bone structure, injuries, and burial conditions to learn about a person’s age, diet, and occupation.
C. Claim: All forensic anthropologists agree on the identity of human remains.
Evidence: A single examination provides enough evidence for an exact identification.
D. Claim: DNA analysis is the only way to learn about ancient individuals.
Evidence: Other methods are unreliable and inaccurate.
B. Claim: The way bones are examined can reveal details about a person’s life.
Evidence: Scientists analyze bone structure, injuries, and burial conditions to learn about a person’s age, diet, and occupation.
Which detail from the section "What Is Archaeology?" best supports the central idea that archaeologists study human history through physical evidence?
A. "Historians generally use written records, such as books, art, and inscriptions, to piece together what happened in the past."
B. "Artifacts can be things that were owned or used, such as stone tools, pottery, or glass vessels, and metal objects such as weapons."
C. "The word archaeology comes from ancient Greek words: arkhaios, which means 'ancient,' and logia, meaning 'the study of.'"
D. "An archaeologist is the name given to a person who works in the field of archaeology."
B. "Artifacts can be things that were owned or used, such as stone tools, pottery, or glass vessels, and metal objects such as weapons."
How do the perspectives of the authors in Written in Bone and "An Archaeologist: My Story" differ?
A. The author of Written in Bone presents an objective, research-based perspective, while the author of "An Archaeologist: My Story" shares a personal and subjective experience.
B. Both authors take a scientific approach, explaining archaeology through technical descriptions.
C. Written in Bone expresses excitement about the mysteries of the past, while "An Archaeologist: My Story" argues that archaeology is not an effective way to study history.
D. The author of Written in Bone tells a fictionalized story about archaeology, while the author of "An Archaeologist: My Story" focuses only on scientific facts.
A. The author of Written in Bone presents an objective, research-based perspective, while the author of "An Archaeologist: My Story" shares a personal and subjective experience.
Read this sentence from Written in Bone:
"By examining the skeletal remains, forensic anthropologists can determine whether a person had nutritional deficiencies."
What does the phrase nutritional deficiencies most likely mean?
A. Eating too much food
B. A lack of important nutrients in the body
C. A disease that spreads quickly
D. A strong, healthy bone structure
B. A lack of important nutrients in the body
The author describes bones as a "silent witness to history." What does this figurative language suggest?
A. Bones can talk and tell historians their stories.
B. The remains provide important evidence about the past without using words.
C. The bones cannot be studied because they do not contain useful information.
D. The skeletons from the past are ignored by modern scientists.
B. The remains provide important evidence about the past without using words.
How do the images and captions in "What Does an Archaeologist Do?" contribute to the reader’s understanding?
A. They provide a timeline of major archaeological discoveries.
B. They highlight key vocabulary words related to archaeology.
C. They visually demonstrate excavation techniques and archaeologists' work.
D. They compare different historical time periods studied by archaeologists.
C. They visually demonstrate excavation techniques and archaeologists' work.
Match each description with the correct text (Written in Bone, "An Archaeologist: My Story," or Both):
Focuses on how archaeologists analyze human remains to learn about history
A. Written in Bone
B. An Archaeologist: My Story
C. Both
A. Written in Bone
The word preservation appears in Chapter 3 in the sentence:
"The preservation of bones depends on the burial environment."
Which meaning of preservation fits this sentence?
A. Keeping something in its original condition over time
B. Protecting a person from danger
C. Writing a record of an event
D. Digging something out of the ground
A. Keeping something in its original condition over time
How does the author use specific details to help the reader understand the challenges of forensic anthropology?
A. By describing the step-by-step process of analyzing a skeleton.
B. By explaining how technology makes skeletal analysis easy.
C. By listing famous forensic anthropologists and their discoveries.
D. By emphasizing that forensic anthropology is mostly based on guesswork.
A. By describing the step-by-step process of analyzing a skeleton.
In the section "What Does an Archaeologist Do?", the author says that "archaeologists bring together artifacts and information in an archive." What is the meaning of the word archive in this context?
A. A process of removing artifacts from a site
B. A collection of artifacts and records used for research
C. A tool used by archaeologists to dig carefully
D. A collection of artifacts and records used for research
D. A collection of artifacts and records used for research
Match each description with the correct text (Written in Bone, "An Archaeologist: My Story," or Both):
Explains how artifacts and excavation sites reveal the past
A. Written in Bone
B. An Archaeologist: My Story
C. Both
C. Both
Read this sentence from Written in Bone:
"The skeleton's fragile condition required careful handling to avoid further degradation."
What does the word degradation most likely mean?
A. Protection from damage
B. The process of breaking down or deteriorating
C. A method of cleaning artifacts
D. A way to identify an individual’s identity
B. The process of breaking down or deteriorating
Which statement best expresses the central idea of Chapter 3 in Written in Bone?
A. Bones can reveal all aspects of a person’s identity without the need for additional evidence.
B. Skeletons provide limited historical information because many details about a person’s life are lost over time.
C. The study of ancient graves is primarily focused on discovering valuable artifacts rather than human remains.
D. Forensic anthropologists analyze skeletal remains to uncover details about past individuals’ lives, including their health, diet, and cause of death.
D. Forensic anthropologists analyze skeletal remains to uncover details about past individuals’ lives, including their health, diet, and cause of death.
The author states that "excavation is an unrepeatable experiment." What does this phrase mean?
A. Archaeologists must conduct experiments before they begin digging.
B. Archaeologists can only excavate a site once because the process permanently changes it.
C. Archaeologists must repeat excavations at multiple sites to gather enough evidence.
D. Archaeologists can test different excavation methods until they find the best one.
B. Archaeologists can only excavate a site once because the process permanently changes it.
Match each description with the correct text (Written in Bone, "An Archaeologist: My Story," or Both):
Highlights how finding a single artifact can spark curiosity and discovery
A. Written in Bone
B. An Archaeologist: My Story
C. Both
B. An Archaeologist: My Story
The word anthropology comes from the Greek root anthropos, meaning "human." Based on this, what does an anthropologist study?
A. Plants and their medicinal uses
B. Ancient writings and languages
C. Human societies, cultures, and physical remains
D. The weather and its impact on history
C. Human societies, cultures, and physical remains
How does the author organize Chapter 3 to help the reader understand how forensic anthropologists study remains?
A. By comparing modern forensic cases with historical ones to show similarities and differences
B. By presenting a problem and then describing how forensic anthropologists solve it step by step
C. By listing different types of graves and describing what each can reveal about the past
D. By narrating a single case study in order to show the process of analysis
D. By narrating a single case study in order to show the process of analysis
In the text, the author describes artifacts as "whispering secrets of the past." What does this personification suggest?
A. Artifacts make sounds when archaeologists examine them.
B. Artifacts contain clues that can help archaeologists uncover hidden details about history.
C. Artifacts can tell archaeologists exactly what happened in the past.
D. Archaeologists must listen carefully to hear the sounds of buried artifacts.
B. Artifacts contain clues that can help archaeologists uncover hidden details about history.
Match each description with the correct text (Written in Bone, "An Archaeologist: My Story," or Both):
Chronological text structure
A. Written in Bone
B. An Archaeologist: My Story
C. Both
B. An Archaeologist: My Story
The word exhume appears in Written in Bone and comes from the Latin root humus, meaning "ground" or "earth." Based on this, what does exhume most likely mean?
A. To study the earth’s layers
B. To dig up or remove something buried in the ground
C. To preserve bones for future study
D. To record details about an archaeological site
B. To dig up or remove something buried in the ground
Which claim is supported by evidence in Chapter 3 of Written in Bone?
A. Skeletons can tell us every detail about a person’s life without additional research.
B. The position of a skeleton in a grave can reveal social status or burial traditions.
C. Only modern forensic scientists can accurately identify skeletal remains.
D. Burial sites are usually destroyed before forensic anthropologists can study them.
B. The position of a skeleton in a grave can reveal social status or burial traditions.
The word excavation comes from the Latin root ex- meaning "out" and cavare meaning "to hollow." Based on this, what does excavation most likely mean?
A. To carefully study ancient artifacts
B. To dig out or remove soil to uncover something buried
C. To repair broken artifacts and historical structures
D. To describe historical events in written records
B. To dig out or remove soil to uncover something buried
Match each description with the correct text (Written in Bone, "An Archaeologist: My Story," or Both):
Text features are focused on the tools and process of excavating
A. Written in Bone
B. An Archaeologist: My Story
C. Both
A. Written in Bone
Read the sentence:
"The forensic anthropologist identified anomalies in the skeleton, suggesting an old injury."
What does the word anomalies most likely mean in this context?
A. Normal characteristics found in all skeletons
B. Unusual or unexpected features that stand out
C. Evidence of artifacts buried near the bones
D. A list of items found at the excavation site
B. Unusual or unexpected features that stand out