Central Ideas and Purpose in The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone
Question 10 • DAEP-English 7 A(20 Day Term)
Read the excerpt from The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone, by James Cross Giblin.Then, in 1887, yet another copy of the [Rosetta Stone]—this one almost intact—was unearthed in the ruins of a temple in Lower Egypt. Now, for the first time, scholars had a version of the hieroglyphic text that they could compare line-for-line with the Greek and demotic versions.New translations of the hieroglyphic text were made in France and Germany, and an excellent English one appeared in 1904. A few sections still remain unclear, though.The central idea of this excerpt is that a greater understanding of the hieroglyphics on the Rosetta Stone became possible because
Answer
A
it was translated into English.
B
present-day experts came up with a new theory.
C
a Greek version was discovered.
D
an almost complete copy was discovered.
Explanation
The excerpt says that an almost intact copy was unearthed in 1887, giving scholars a hieroglyphic version they could compare line-for-line with the Greek and demotic texts. That comparison made better understanding and translation possible. The English translation came later, so choice A does not identify the main reason.
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