Adapted from A Catechism of Familiar Things: Their History and the Events Which Led to Their Discovery by the Benziger Brothers (1881)

The olive tree was a great favorite with the ancient Greeks, and scarcely an ancient custom existed with which the olive was not in some way associated: at their marriages and festivals, all parts of their dwellings, especially the doors, were ornamented with them, and the same custom prevails at the present day, both in public and private rejoicings. It was also scarcely less a favorite with the Romans, although it was not held in the same sacred light as amongst the Greeks. The olive-branch has likewise been universally considered the emblem of plenty, and as such, is found on the coins of those countries of which it is not a native.

According to the author, what does the olive-branch signify?

Adapted from The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Van Loon (1921)

The Phoenicians were a Semitic tribe that at a very early age had settled along the shores of the Mediterranean. They had built themselves two well-fortified towns, Tyre and Sidon, and within a short time they had gained a monopoly of the trade of the western seas. Their ships went regularly to Greece and Italy and Spain and they even ventured beyond the straits of Gibraltar to visit the Scilly islands where they could buy tin. Wherever they went, they built themselves small trading stations, which they called colonies. Many of these were the origin of modern cities, such as Cadiz and Marseilles.

They bought and sold whatever promised to bring them a good profit and regarded a well-filled treasure chest the highest ideal of all good citizens. Notably, they rendered future generations one service of the greatest possible value: they helped develop the alphabet used in modern English.

The Phoenicians had been familiar with the art of writing, invented by the Sumerians. But they regarded the Sumerian method as a clumsy waste of time. They were practical business men and could not spend hours engraving two or three letters. They set to work and invented a new system of writing which was greatly superior to the old one. They borrowed a few pictures from the Egyptians and they simplified a number of the wedge-shaped figures of the Sumerians. They sacrificed the pretty looks of the older system for the advantage of speed and they reduced the thousands of different images to a short and handy alphabet of twenty-two letters.

In due course of time, this alphabet travelled across the Aegean Sea and entered Greece. The Greeks added a few letters of their own and carried the improved system to Italy. The Romans modified the figures somewhat and in turn taught them to the barbarians of western Europe. That is the reason why this is written in characters that are of Phoenician origin and not in the hieroglyphics of the Egyptians or in the nail-script of the Sumerians.

The author claims that the Phoenician alphabet first traveled to where after its development?

Keeping Gusland Amusement Park clean is no small task. Workers use 900 brooms, 90 dust pans and 800 mops a year to keep the park looking its best. Workers collect approximately 12 tons of trash during a busy day—about 8.7 million pounds annually, but not all of the refuse collected in the park goes to the landfill. Every year, Gusland Park recycles approximately 3.1 million pounds of cardboard; 1.1 million pounds of green waste; 270,000 pounds of office paper; 331,260 pounds of glass bottles; 270,280 pounds of plastic bottles; and 14,240 pounds of aluminum cans. The streets of Gusland are washed and steam-cleaned after closing each day. Keeping Gusland looking clean takes teamwork and a lot of hard work!

About how many pounds of trash are collected each year at Gusland Park?

Adapted from Ten Great Events in History by James Johannot (1887)

The children of Germany and France caught the madness of the hour, and resolved upon a crusade of their own. Inspired by the preaching of a fanatical priest named Nicholas, twenty thousand young boys assembled at Cologne. They came from all ranks of life; the heir of the proud noble marched side by side with the son of the humblest peasant. Sisters, priests, and servants joined the throng, swelling the numbers and adding to the confusion. They stayed in Cologne for several weeks, set back by chaos and disease. Eventually the ill-fated group set off for the Holy Land, but their difficulties were just beginning.

Who helped inspire the Children’s Crusade?

Egypt

Molly Kubik, 2016

Egypt is a country in northern Africa. Egypt is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south, and Libya to the west. The capital of Egypt is Cairo. Cairo is the largest city in Africa, and has been a very important place throughout Egypt's history. Cairo is a modern city. If you visit, you will see large buildings and many cars. Egypt has a very rich history. Long ago, the ancient Egyptians were a very advanced civilization. They were very intelligent people who built pyramids, invented ways to farm in the desert, invented a way of writing, and set up many schools. Ancient Egyptian writing was very advanced. Ancient Egyptians used hieroglyphics to write, which are small pictures that tell a written story. Although is very difficult to live in the desert, the ancient Egyptians were very resourceful and were able to create a prosperous civilization. Like the ancient Egyptians and modern day Egyptians mainly live near the Nile River. Modern day Egypt sometimes has problems. Over 82 million people live in Egypt. Some people live in poverty. Many poor people need jobs, homes, and education. There have been problems with wars. Egypt is working very hard to solve these problems. They are working hard to make their schools better, and are helping students to learn more. Egypt has a wonderful history, and it will have a great future too because people are working hard to make Egypt a great place.

Egypt is located in which part of Africa?

"The Civil War" by Michael Verini (2014)

The Civil War, which took place from 1861 to 1865, is one of the most defining events in American history. The survival of the United States depended on the nation's ability to bring to reality the ideals of liberty, equality, and justice.

When Abraham Lincoln was elected to the presidency in 1860, it brought the long-term debate about the powers of the federal and state governments to a climax. When Lincoln was inaugurated, six Southern states seceded from the Union and created the Confederate States of America. Within the next few years, five more states also seceded and joined the Confederate States. The creation of a new government in the United States caused the Civil War to occur between the North and the South.

After four years of war, the Union was preserved and slavery became illegal. Due to this outcome, over four million African-American slaves were freed from their former owners. Although the Civil War was a violent conflict between two differing American subcultures, it helped create a more united country in the years following the war.

According to the passage, what event eventually led to the start of the Civil War?

Egypt

Molly Kubik, 2016

Egypt is a country in northern Africa. Egypt is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south, and Libya to the west. The capital of Egypt is Cairo. Cairo is the largest city in Africa, and has been a very important place throughout Egypt's history. Cairo is a modern city. If you visit, you will see large buildings and many cars. Egypt has a very rich history. Long ago, the ancient Egyptians were a very advanced civilization. They were very intelligent people who built pyramids, invented ways to farm in the desert, invented a way of writing, and set up many schools. Ancient Egyptian writing was very advanced. Ancient Egyptians used hieroglyphics to write, which are small pictures that tell a written story. Although is very difficult to live in the desert, the ancient Egyptians were very resourceful and were able to create a prosperous civilization. Like the ancient Egyptians and modern day Egyptians mainly live near the Nile River. Modern day Egypt sometimes has problems. Over 82 million people live in Egypt. Some people live in poverty. Many poor people need jobs, homes, and education. There have been problems with wars. Egypt is working very hard to solve these problems. They are working hard to make their schools better, and are helping students to learn more. Egypt has a wonderful history, and it will have a great future too because people are working hard to make Egypt a great place.

How does the passage describe schools in Egypt?

Adapted from A Child’s History of England by Charles Dickens (1905)

France was a far richer country than Scotland, and the new King was eager to conquer it. So, he left Scotland alone, and pretended that he had a claim to the French throne. He had, in reality, no right at all; but that mattered little in those times. He brought over to his cause many little princes and rulers and with these forces Edward invaded France; but he achieved little by that, except running himself into debt. The next year he did better; gaining the harbor of Sluys. This success, however, was very short-lived, for the King’s allies took fright at the siege of Saint Omer and ran away, leaving their weapons and allegiance behind them. When Philip, the French King, arrived with his army some moments later, Edward proposed to settle the difference by single combat with him. The French King said, he thanked him; but seeing as how the English King was without allies the French King would take his chances.

When does the English King lose his allies?

The planet Jupiter has many moons. The most well known moons are the four biggest moons. The Italian astronomer, Galileo Galilei, discovered these four moons in 1610. They are named Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, and lo. The biggest of these four moons is Ganymede with a diameter of 5,262.4 km. In fact, if Ganymede were not bound to Jupiter, it would be considered a planet in its own right. Callisto is almost an exact twin of the planet Mercury, Europa is very smooth, and lo is has many active volcanoes. Although there are 57 moons that have been discovered around Jupiter, these four are the most well known.

Who discovered the four biggest moons of Jupiter?

Adapted from A Catechism of Familiar Things: Their History and the Events Which Led to Their Discovery (1881) by the Benziger Brothers.

Thebes was an ancient city in Greece, founded by Cadmus, a Phoenician, though of Egyptian parentage. Sailing from the coast of Phoenicia, he arrived in Greece, and built the city, calling it Thebes, from the city of that name in Egypt. The prince is credited with the invention of sixteen letters of the Greek Alphabet. Athens was the capital of Attica, founded by Cecrops, an Egyptian. It was the seat of learning and the arts, and has produced some of the most celebrated warriors, politicians, orators, poets, and sculptors in the world. Since the liberation of Greece from the Ottoman Empire, Athens has been chosen as its capital, and is still a considerable town adorned with splendid ruins of the beautiful buildings it once possessed.

Cadmus is credited with __________.