Perseverance and Focusing on an Objective: Viewpoint in The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone
Question 1 • Common Core ELA 7 A-IC
Read the excerpt from The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone by James Cross Giblin.A few genuine advances in understanding the hieroglyphs were made during the 1700s. The French scholar C. J. de Guignes observed that groups of hieroglyphs in Egyptian texts were often enclosed by an oval outline, which he called a cartouche. "Cartouche" is a French word that originally meant a cartridge, and the line around the hieroglyphs had a similar shape. De Guignes guessed rightly that the cartouches in hieroglyphic inscriptions were intended to draw attention to important names, probably the names of Egyptian rulers.Based on this excerpt, what is the author’s view of the progress made in the 1700s?
Answer
A
A French scholar first used the term “cartouche” to describe hieroglyphs.
B
Scholars had some success understanding the meanings of the hieroglyphs.
C
By the 1700s, scholars had given up trying to figure out the hieroglyphs.
D
Hieroglyphs in Egyptian texts were often enclosed within an oval shape.
Explanation
The author says there were “a few genuine advances” in the 1700s. De Guignes correctly recognized that cartouches drew attention to important names, probably those of Egyptian rulers. This shows that scholars had some success understanding what the hieroglyphs meant, even though they had not fully deciphered them.
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