Contents

Document-Based Activities

To the Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
To the Student . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
How to Use Primary and Secondary Source Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Activity 1: Ancient Mesopotamia
Part A: Using Source Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Part B: Writing a Document-Based Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Activity 2: Ancient Egypt
Part A: Using Source Material. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Part B: Writing a Document-Based Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Activity 3: Ancient Rome
Part A: Using Source Material. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Part B: Writing a Document-Based Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Activity 4: Han China
Part A: Using Source Material. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Part B: Writing a Document-Based Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Activity 5: The Renaissance
Part A: Using Source Material. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Part B: Writing a Document-Based Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Activity 6: Age of Exploration
Part A: Using Source Material. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Part B: Writing a Document-Based Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Activity 7: The Industrial Revolution
Part A: Using Source Material. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Part B: Writing a Document-Based Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Activity 8: Cuneiform to Computers
Part A: Using Source Material. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Part B: Writing a Document-Based Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Rubric for Scoring Essays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Sources and Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

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World History iii Document-Based Activities
 To the Teacher

The materials in this Document-Based Questions (DBQ) workbook may be

used to reinforce or extend any study of middle school world history. Through
the source documents contained in the book, students will be introduced to
eight interesting and important topics. Studying and analyzing each group of
sources will provide students with opportunities to develop and use their critical
thinking skills. The content will expand students’ thinking beyond the facts,
dates, and events they will learn about in their textbooks.
DBQs are an important part of today’s learning environment. To understand the
world around them, students need to learn to analyze information as well as the
documents that contain them. In addition high stakes social studies exams are
using document-based activities to determine competence in writing and social
studies. This workbook is designed to help students develop the skills needed to
succeed at answering document-based questions and essays.
Overview Each of the eight activities in this workbook is divided into two
parts. Part A of an activity contains the source materials—which include art, arti-
facts, primary sources, and secondary sources. Following each source are two
questions that direct the student’s attention to key information in the source. Part
B of each activity identifies the essay topic (called the Task). Part B also provides
brief historical background and writing guidelines.
Procedure Before students begin Part A, explain that some documents may con-
tain unfamiliar vocabulary. Point out the italicized words that are sometimes listed
after Before You Read. You may wish to discuss these words or see that dictionaries
are available nearby.
When students begin Part B, explain that the Task box contains the essay topic.
Review the writing guidelines listed at the bottom of the page. Remember to
remind students that they must use at least four of the sources in part A to get a
score of 5.
Students should not need their textbooks to write the essay, but you may prefer to
allow students to use them.
Scoring Carefully explain the criteria you will use to score student work.
The 5-point rubric is placed at the back of this workbook. Focus on requirements
such as format, length, paragraph order, a clear introductory paragraph, need for
supporting evidence, use of examples, and a strong conclusion.

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World History iv Document-Based Activities
 To the Student

What are Document-Based Questions (DBQs)?

A document-based question (DBQ) requires you to use a source or a group of
sources to produce a written response. DBQs cannot be answered without a care-
ful analysis of source material. Unlike a math problem, finding the answer
depends on the use of an outside reference.
DBQs are not as difficult as you might think. The idea is to learn to use docu-
ments as guides. Sometimes sources help you prove something you already know
about a subject. Other times source material guides you to develop a new opin-
ion. Knowing how to examine documents on your own is an important learning
tool. Once you’ve mastered this skill, you will be able to draw interesting conclu-
sions and record them in a clear and organized way.
This workbook contains eight DBQ activities. First you will study a collection of
source materials and answer short questions about each one. The documents and
questions will help you develop a response to the essay topic at the end of the
activity. Some of the documents may contain vocabulary that is unfamiliar.
These words are identified in the directions that come before the document. This
way you will have a chance to look up the words in a dictionary before you read
the passage.
In the second part of the activity, you will see an essay prompt to which you must
provide a written response. And you must base your answer on some or all of the
source materials. The essay topic is called the “Task” and looks like this example.

TASK

Explain the reasons for the rapid settlement of the West that began in
the middle of the 1800s.

Following the Task box is a set of guidelines to help you get started.
Your essay will be scored on a scale of 0–5, with 5 being the highest grade. Your
teacher will show you the grading rubric for student essays.
The most important thing to remember about writing essays for document-based
questions is to USE THE SOURCE MATERIALS provided. Let them guide you to
an accurate and complete response.

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World History v Document-Based Activities
 How to Use Primary and Secondary Source Documents

As you study history, you will use a variety of sources to help you understand the
past. Primary sources are first-hand accounts of an event, such as diaries, letters,
and interviews. Primary sources also include historic documents like Magna Carta
and objects that have survived from the past such as coins and stamps. Secondary
sources are accounts of past events written some time after they occurred by people
who were not eye witnesses. Your textbook or an encyclopedia are examples of sec-
ondary sources.
Both types of sources can provide reliable information; both can also contain bias
and inaccuracy. It is your job to judge the quality of the sources you encounter in
your studies. Here are some tips.
• Read source documents carefully, and re-read if you don’t understand the con-
tent at first. State the main idea in your own words. When you come across
difficult words or unfamiliar subjects, consult a dictionary or encyclopedia.
• Ask questions like “Who created the source and for what purpose?” and “How
much time has passed since the source was created?” Historians use the rule of
time and place to judge the reliability of source material. The closer a source and
its creator were to the time and place of an event, the more reliable the source
should be.
• Compare sources with each other. Always use more than one source to confirm
the accuracy of information.
• Knowing what to expect from a source will also help. Consider the type of
document at hand. Is it a court record or a memoir, a scientific report or an ad?
Did the author intend to create a private or public record? Adjust your expecta-
tions accordingly.
• Learn to distinguish factual information from opinions. For example, primary
sources that are first-hand accounts can make a subject come alive. But they can
also be one-sided because they are so personal. Look for vocabulary associated
with individual points of view. Words like personally, in my opinion, or it seemed
like can signal that the author is stating an opinion or feeling.
As you continue in your studies, your ability to evaluate and use source material
will increase. It is sure to be an interesting experience.

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World History vi Document-Based Activities
Name Class Date

ACTIVITY 1 Document-Based Activities

Ancient Mesopotamia

Using Source Materials

Part A
DIRECTIONS Examine the following texts and pictures. Underline key words and
make notes in the margin if you wish. Then use the documents and what you have
learned in your studies to answer the questions. Your answers will help you write a
short essay about ancient Mesopotamia.

Document 1

c. 4000–3000 BC c. 2350–2200 BC c. 2200–1800 BC

Complex cities Sargon of City of Ur dominates
develop in Akkad conquers Sumer and then is
Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia and replaced by Babylon,
forms the world’s which rules all of
7000 BC
first Empire. Mesopotamia
Agriculture
first develops
in Mesopotamia

4000 BC 3500 BC 2500 BC 1500 BC 1000 BC

c. 3000 BC c. 2000 BC c. 1770 BC c. 1600–1200 BC
Sumerians Some Hammurabi The Hittites
create world’s Sumerian of Babylon and then
first civilization cities have issues a the Kassites
in Mesopotamia over written conquer
100,000 code of Mesopotamia
residents. laws.

1a. According to the time line, about how long ago did the Sumerians create the
world’s first civilization?

1b. About how old was Mesopotamian civilization when Hammurabi created
his code of laws? Do you think they were the very first laws written in
Mesopotamia? Why or why not?

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World History 1 Document-Based Activities
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Activity 1, Ancient Mesopotamia, continued

Document 2

2a. Why did the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flood each year?

2b. Within which large arc of rich, fertile farmland was Mesopotamia located?

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World History 2 Document-Based Activities
Name Class Date

Activity 1, Ancient Mesopotamia, continued

Document 3
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: hath, subjection, entrusted, sceptre, bringeth, thereof, garnered, procured. You
may want to look them up in a dictionary. Marduk, Anu, and Bel were Babylonian
gods.

Hammurabi, the mighty king, the king of Babylon, the king who
hath brought to subjection the four quarters of the world, who hath
brought about the triumph of Marduk, . . . am I.
When Anu and Bel gave me the land of Sumer and Akkad to rule
and entrusted their sceptre to my hands, I dug out the Hammurabi-
canal, which bringeth abundance of water unto the land of Sumer and
Akkad. Both the banks thereof I changed to fields for cultivation, and
I garnered piles of grain, and I procured unfailing water for the land
of Sumer and Akkad.
—from a monument

3a. What is Hammurabi so proud of?

3b. Why were canals so important to Mesopotamia?

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World History 3 Document-Based Activities
Name Class Date

Activity 1, Ancient Mesopotamia, continued

Document 4
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: outgrowth, cuneiform, millennium, stereotyped, compilations, considerable,
acquaintance, botanical, zoological, mineralogical, excavated, dismissed. You may
want to look them up in a dictionary or encyclopedia.

The Sumerian school was the direct outgrowth of the invention and
development of the cuneiform system of writing, Sumer’s most signifi-
cant contribution to civilization. The first written documents were found
in a Sumerian city named Erech . . . Among them are several which con-
tain word lists intended for study and practice. That is, as early as 3000
BC, some scribes were already thinking in terms of teaching and
learning . . .
In the third millennium BC, these “textbooks” became increasingly
more complete, and gradually grew to be more or less stereotyped and
standard for all the schools of Sumer. Among them we find long lists of
names of trees and reeds; of all sorts of animals, including insects and
birds; of countries, cities, and villages; of stones and minerals. These
compilations reveal a considerable acquaintance with what might be
termed botanical, zoological, geographical, and mineralogical lore . . .
One of the most human documents ever excavated in the Near
East is a Sumerian essay dealing with the day-to-day activities of a
schoolboy . . .
The composition . . . begins with a direct question to the pupil:
“Schoolboy, where did you go from earliest days?” The boy answers: “I
went to school.” The author then asks: “What did you do in school?”
There follows the pupil’s reply . . : “I recited my tablet, ate my lunch, pre-
pared my (new) tablet, wrote it, finished it; then they assigned me my
oral work, and in the afternoon they assigned me my written work.
When school was dismissed, I went home, entered the house, and found
my father sitting there. I told my father of my written work, then recited
my tablet to him and my father was delighted.”
—From History Begins at Sumer by Samuel Noah Kramer.
Copyright ©1981 by Samuel Noah Kramer. Reproduced
by permission of the University of Pennsylvania Press.

4a. What was the basic purpose of schools in ancient Mesopotamia?

4b. Why did Kramer call the development of writing “Sumer’s most significant
contribution to civilization”?

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World History 4 Document-Based Activities
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Activity 1, Ancient Mesopotamia, continued

Document 5

Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY

© Werner Forman/CORBIS

—The standard of Ur, c. 2600 BC —Assyrian wall carving, c. 630 BC

5a. What new invention in transportation had the Mesopotamians made by

2600 BC?

5b. Two thousand years later, how had the Mesopotamians improved their
invention?

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World History 5 Document-Based Activities
Name Class Date

Activity 1, Ancient Mesopotamia, continued

Document 6
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: exalted, righteousness, well-being, pending, justified, capital, suit, gentleman,
mina. You may want to look them up in a dictionary or encyclopedia. Anu and Bel
were Babylonian gods.

[From the Prologue]

Anu and Bel called by name me, Hammurabi, the exalted prince, who
feared God, to bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, to
destroy the wicked and the evil-doers; so that the strong should not
harm the weak; . . . to further the well-being of mankind.

[Examples from the Code of Laws]

3. If a man, in a case pending judgment, has uttered threats against the
witnesses, or has not justified the word that he has spoken, if that case
be a capital suit, that man shall be put to death.
195. If a man has struck his father, his hands one shall cut off.
196. If a man has caused the loss of a gentleman’s eye, his eye one shall
cause to be lost.
197. If he has shattered a gentleman’s limb, one shall shatter his limb.
198. If he has caused a poor man to lose his eye or shattered a poor
man’s limb, he shall pay one mina of silver.
229. If a builder has built a house for a man and has not made strong
his work, and the house he built has fallen, and he has caused the
death of the owner of the house, that builder shall be put to death.

[From the Epilogue]

By the command of Shamash (the sun-god), the great judge of heaven
and earth, let righteousness go forth in the land . . . In future time,
through all coming generations, let the king, who may be in the land,
observe the words of righteousness, which I have written on my
monument. . . .
—Code of Hammurabi, c. 1780 BC

6a. According to Hammurabi, why did he order this collection of laws to be

written?

6b. How did the Code of Hammurabi affect Mesopotamian society?

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World History 6 Document-Based Activities
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Activity 1, Ancient Mesopotamia, continued

Document 7
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: furlong, royal cubits, precinct, enclosure, masonry, wont. You may want to use a
dictionary or encyclopedia to look them up.

The city stands on a broad plain, and is an exact square, a hundred

and twenty furlongs in length each way . . . It is surrounded, in the
first place, by a broad and deep moat, full of water, behind which rises
a wall fifty royal cubits in width and two hundred in height . . . The
city is divided into two portions by the river which runs through the
midst of it. This river is the Euphrates, a broad, deep, swift stream . . .
The houses are mostly three and four storeys high . . . The centre of
each division of the town was occupied by a fortress. In the one stood
the palace of the kings, surrounded by a wall of great strength and size
in the other was the sacred precinct . . . a square enclosure two fur-
longs each way, with gates of solid brass . . . In the middle of the
precinct there was a tower of solid masonry, a furlong in length and
breadth, upon which was raised a second tower, and on that a third,
and so on up to eight. The ascent to the top is on the outside, by a
path which winds round all the towers. When one is about half-way
up, one finds a resting-place and seats, where persons are wont to sit
some time on their way to the summit. On the topmost tower there is
a spacious temple.
—Herodotus, ancient Greek historian, c. 550 BC

7a. What kind of building does Herodotus say is on the top of the tower?

7b. Was religion was an important force in Babylonian society? Explain your
answer.

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World History 7 Document-Based Activities
Name Class Date

Activity 1, Ancient Mesopotamia, continued

Document 8
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: eruptions, tumors, afflict, inexhaustible, hydromel, saturate. You may want to
use a dictionary or encyclopedia to look them up.

For eruptions and tumors which afflict the body: Fill a vase which has
held drugs with water from an inexhaustible well; put in it a shoot
of . . . a . . . reed, some date-sugar, some wine, some bitter hydromel;
add to it some . . . saturate it with pure water (and) pour upon it the
water of the (sick) man; cut reeds in an elevated meadow; beat some
pure date-sugar with some pure honey; add some sweet oil which
comes from the mountain (and) mix them together; rub (with this
ointment,) the body of the (sick) man seven times.
—from a text in the British Museum

8a. What is this “recipe” supposed to cure?

8b. How did Assyrian doctors come up with this remedy? Do you think it worked?
Why or why not?

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World History 8 Document-Based Activities
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Activity 1, Ancient Mesopotamia, continued

Writing A Document-Based Essay

Part B
DIRECTIONS Write an essay about ancient Mesopotamia. Include an introduc-
tion, a body of several paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. Using at least four
of the sources in Part A, provide facts and details that support your response. You
may draw on any additional knowledge you have acquired about the subject.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT
For hundreds of thousands of years, hunter-gatherers lived off the land and
moved around in search of food. Then, in Mesopotamia, something remarkable
happened; humans learned how to farm. The very first civilization was estab-
lished.

TASK

Mesopotamia eventually developed into an advanced civilization.

Identify and discuss three characteristics of Mesopotamian society
that prove their civilization was advanced.

GUIDELINES
• Provide a thorough response to the Task. Be sure to cover all parts of the
assignment.
• Use at least four of the sources in Part A and include specific information from
them in your essay.
• Take advantage of relevant information you remember from your textbook and
class work.
• Organize your essay in a clear and logical way.
• Support your statements with facts and information that address the topic.
• Write a conclusion that sums up your ideas.

NOTE: Do not simply restate the Task or Historical Context. Your essay should
include much more information.

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World History 9 Document-Based Activities
Name Class Date

ACTIVITY 2 Document-Based Activities

Ancient Egypt

Using Source Material

Part A
DIRECTIONS Examine the following texts and pictures. Underline key words and
make notes in the margin if you wish. Then use the documents and what you have
learned in your studies to answer the questions. Your answers will help you write
an essay about ancient Egypt.

Document 1

c. 2700–2200 BC c. 2050–1750 BC c. 1050 BC c. 670 BC

Old Kingdom; Middle Kingdom; Kush regains Assyyrians
Khufu rules ends with independence conquer
c. 2500 BC, invasion Egypt
builds Great by Hyksos
Pyramid

3000 BC 2500 BC 2000 BC 1000 BC 500 BC

c. 3200 BC c. 1500 BC c. 1500–1050 BC c. 716 BC
Upper and Egypt New Kingdom; Kush
Lower Egypt conquers Egypt becomes conquers
develop into Kush an empire; Egypt
two kingdoms Ramses II rules
c. 1200 BC

1a. According to the time line, about how many years passed from the beginning
of the Old Kingdom to the end of the New Kingdom?

1b. For how many years did Kush rule Egypt?

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World History 10 Document-Based Activities
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Activity 2, Ancient Egypt, continued

Document 2

2a. What clues does the map provide to explain why Upper and Lower Egypt first
developed as two separate kingdoms?

2b. Where was all of the fertile soil of ancient Egypt located?

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World History 11 Document-Based Activities
Name Class Date

Activity 2, Ancient Egypt, continued

Document 3
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: emerging, perish, illuminator. You may want to look them up in a dictionary.

Hymn to the flood. Hail flood!

emerging from the earth, arriving to bring Egypt to life,
hidden of form, the darkness in the day,
the one whose followers sing to him, as he waters the plants . . .

Maker of barley, grower of . . . grain,

creator of festivals of the temples.
When he delays . . . everyone is orphaned,
and if the offerings of the gods are distributed,
then a million men perish among mankind

Illuminator coming out of the darkness

fat for his cattle,
it is his might that creates everyone,
and none can live without him . . . ,
All work is possible by him–
all writings of hieroglyphs,
his produce in the land of reeds.

3a. According to the passage, what is the main purpose of the Nile flood?

3b. What happened to the Egyptians if the Nile didn’t flood?

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World History 12 Document-Based Activities
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Activity 2, Ancient Egypt, continued

Document 4

BUILDING THE GREAT PYRAMID

Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: tiers, levers, portable. You may want to look them up in a dictionary.

CXXIV
[5] The pyramid itself was twenty years in the making. Its base is
square, each side eight hundred feet long, and its height is the same;
the whole is of stone polished and most exactly fitted; there is no
block of less than thirty feet in length.

CXXV
This pyramid was made like stairs, which some call steps and others,
tiers. [2] When this, its first form, was completed, the workmen used
short wooden logs as levers to raise the rest of the stones; they heaved
up the blocks from the ground onto the first tier of steps; [3] when
the stone had been raised, it was set on another lever that stood on the
first tier, and the lever again used to lift it from this tier to the next.
[4] It may be that there was a new lever on each tier of steps, or per-
haps there was only one lever, quite portable, which they carried up
to each tier in turn; I leave this uncertain, as both possibilities were
mentioned.
—Herodotus, ancient Greek historian, c. 550 BC

4a. According to Herodotus, how long did it take to build the Great Pyramid?

4b. The Great Pyramid was over 2,000 years old when Herodotus saw it. Modern
historians now think it was built in a different way than Herodotus thought.
How do you think Herodotus arrived at his explanation of how the pyramid
was built, and what does that say about Egyptian civilization?

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World History 13 Document-Based Activities
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Activity 2, Ancient Egypt, continued

Document 5
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: thee, calling, knoweth, profitable, endureth, scribe, vouchsafed. You may want to
look them up in a dictionary. Mesekhent was the Egyptian goddess of birth.

Would that I might make thee love books more than thy mother,
would that I might bring their beauty before your face. It is greater
than any calling . . .
If he knoweth the books, then true of him is: “They are good for
thee.” . . . A day at school is profitable to thee, and its work endureth
even like the mountains . . .
Mesekhent hath vouchsafed success to the scribe; at the head of
the officials is he set, and his father and his mother thank God for
it . . . Behold, this it is that I set before thee and thy children’s children.
—from Papyrus Sallier, edited by M. Maspero, in Genre épistolaire,
translated by Aylward M. Blackman

5a. What does the author mean when he tells his son that a day of schoolwork
“endureth even like the mountains”?

5b. Why were scribes set “at the head of the officials”?

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World History 14 Document-Based Activities
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Activity 2, Ancient Egypt, continued

Document 6
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: dispatch, hath, telleth, obelisk, graven, shaft, pedestal, measureth, tapering,
amounteth, cubits, fingers, pyramidion, reckon up, mayest. You may want to look
them up in a dictionary or encyclopedia.

A dispatch hath come from the crown-prince . . . and it telleth how an

obelisk hath been newly made, graven with the name of his majesty; it
is 110 cubits in length of shaft, its pedestal measureth 10 cubits, and
the block at its end measureth 7 cubits on every side. The tapering
amounteth to 1 cubit and 1 finger; its pyramidion is 1 cubit in height,
and its . . . measureth 2 fingers. Reckon up now that thou mayest sup-
ply every man that is needed for the dragging, and send them to the
Red Mountain . . . Decide for us how many men are needed to drag it.
Answer quickly and hesitate not!
—Papyrus Anastasi, translated by Aylward Blackman

6a. This is an ancient Egyptian math problem. What is the student being asked to
figure out?

6b. Anyone who went to school to be a scribe had to solve this kind of problem.
What might this suggest about the kinds of work scribes accomplished in
ancient Egypt?

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World History 15 Document-Based Activities
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Activity 2, Ancient Egypt, continued

Document 7
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: wrought, offerings, thwarted, processions, therein. You may want to look them
up in a dictionary.

I have done no hurt unto man, nor have I wrought harm unto
beasts . . . I have had no knowledge of evil; nor have I acted wickedly
. . . Each day have I laboured more than was required of me . . . I have
caused no wrong to be done to the servant by his master . . . I have
caused none to feel pain . . . I have not committed murder . . . I have
not wronged the people . . . I have not carried away the offerings made
unto the blessed dead . . . I have not stolen from the orchards; nor
have I trampled down the fields . . . I have not added to the weight of
the balance; nor have I made light the weight in the scales . . . I have
not driven the cattle from their pastures . . . I have not thwarted the
processions of the god . . . I am pure. I am pure. I am pure. I am
pure . . . May no evil happen unto me in this land in the Hall of
Double Right and Truth, because I know, even I, the names of the
gods who live therein and who are the followers of the great god.
—The Book of the Dead, Chapter 125

7a. The Egyptian Book of the Dead includes this speech for the soul to give while
awaiting judgment. What does it tell you about Egyptian moral codes?

7b. What contribution do you think religion made to Egyptian society?

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World History 16 Document-Based Activities
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Activity 2, Ancient Egypt, continued

Document 8
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: physician, functioning. You may want to look them up in a dictionary. Priests
of the goddess Sekhmet specialized in medicine.

Beginning of the secrets of the physician: The knowledge of the func-

tioning of the heart and the knowledge of the heart [itself].
There are vessels in every body part. When some physician, some
Sekhmet priest, some magician lays his fingers on the head, on the
back of the head, on the hands, on the location of the heart, on both
the arms and both the legs, then he will feel the heart, as there are ves-
sels in every body part and it speaks at the tip of the vessels in all body
parts. . .
When the air which enters through the nose, enters the heart and
the lung, then it is them (i.e. the vessels) which pass the air into the
whole belly. . .
There are six vessels leading to both arms, three to the right and
three to the left, leading to his fingers.
There are six vessels leading to both his legs, three to the right leg
and three to the left leg, until they reach the sole of the foot.
—Papyrus Ebers, translated by André Dollinger. Translation
copyright ©2000 by André Dollinger. Reprinted by
permission of the translator.

8a. What does the writer mean by saying the heart “speaks at the tip of the
vessels”?

8b. How do you think Egyptian doctors came to know so much about the human
body?

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

World History 17 Document-Based Activities
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Activity 2, Ancient Egypt, continued

Writing a Document-Based Essay

Part B
DIRECTIONS Write an essay about the ancient civilization of Egypt. Include an
introduction, a body of several paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. Using at
least four of the sources in Part A, provide facts and details that support your
response. You may draw on any additional knowledge you have acquired about the
subject.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The civilization of ancient Egypt lasted for over 2,500 years. During that time, the
Egyptians turned a desert and a river into one of the richest cultures the world
has ever seen. Today we marvel at the variety and depth of Egypt’s earliest
accomplishments.

TASK

Discuss three of ancient Egypt’s most important contributions to civi-

lization. You may choose from the areas of art, science, government,
or learning.

GUIDELINES
• Provide a thorough response to the Task. Be sure to cover all parts of the
assignment.
• Use at least four of the sources in Part A and include specific information from
them in your essay.
• Take advantage of relevant information you remember from your textbook and
class work.
• Organize your essay in a clear and logical way.
• Support your statements with facts and information that address the topic.
• Write a conclusion that sums up your ideas.

NOTE: Do not simply restate the Task or Historical Context. Your essay should
include much more information.

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

World History 18 Document-Based Activities
Name Class Date

ACTIVITY 3 Document-Based Activities

Ancient Rome

Using Source Material

Part A
Directions Examine the following texts and pictures. Underline key words and
make notes in the margin if you wish. Then use the documents and what you have
learned in your textbook to answer the questions. Your answers will help you
write an essay about ancient Rome’s accomplishments.

Document 1
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: dingy, graceless, metropolis, awed, erected, porticoes, heyday, spectacle, magnet-
ism. You may want to look them up in a dictionary. The Forum was a public
square in Rome. Mars the Avenger was a Roman god of war.
It was also during the Augustan Age that Rome, long a dingy, graceless, and unat-
tractive city, became the grand metropolis of polished marble that awed the world
in the centuries that followed. Says historian Chester G. Starr:

Augustus built a new Forum, which had its center in a temple of Mars
the Avenger; around the edge of his Forum were statues of great
heroes of Rome, including his own ancestors. In addition, he erected
so many theaters, porticoes, and other buildings that Rome began to
be a truly great city.
It was so great, in fact, that the ancient Greek geographer Strabo,
who visited the city in its heyday, called it “a spectacle from which it is
hard to tear yourself away.” Strabo added, “Rome, which has exercised
such magnetism over the centuries beyond all other cities, did so first
in the days of Augustus.”
—From The Age of Augustus by Don Nardo. Copyright ©1997
by Lucent Books, Inc. Reproduced by permission of the publisher.

1a. What did Augustus do to change the appearance of Rome?

1b. Why did Strabo find Rome so impressive?

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Activity 3, Ancient Rome, continued

Document 2
Roman Advances
• written laws • widespread use of arch
• aqueducts • roads
• cement • calendar

© Free Agents Limited/CORBIS

2a. Which Roman accomplishment was most important? Explain your answer.

2b. The Roman aqueduct seen here, the Pont du Gard, stands today. It is consid-
ered an amazing engineering achievement. Explain how Roman accomplish-
ments made building this aqueduct possible.

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Activity 3, Ancient Rome continued

Document 3
Before You Read: The following word in the document below may be new to
you: spare. You may want to look it up in a dictionary.

Remember, Roman, where your skills lie: It is your task to rule the
peoples by your power, to add civilization to peace, to spare the
defeated and to beat down the proud in war.
—–Virgil, The Aeneid

3a. According to Virgil, what task should the Romans use their skills to
accomplish?

3b. How does the author think Romans should feel about their society?

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

World History 21 Document-Based Activities
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Activity 3, Ancient Rome, continued

Document 4
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: guardianship, acquisition, torts, flung, false witness, capital punishment,
ordained, binding. You may want to look them up in a dictionary.

The Twelve Tables

Tables I & II Courts and trials
Table III Debts
Table IV Rights of fathers over the family
Table V Legal guardianship and inheritance
Table VI Buying and owning things
Table VII Rights to land
Table VIII Laws about injuring others (Torts)
Table IX Public laws
Table X Sacred laws
Table XI & XII Supplements I & II

VIII, 23. Whoever is convicted of speaking false witness shall be flung from the
Tarpeian Rock.
IX, 3. The penalty shall be capital punishment for a judge . . . who has been
found guilty of receiving a bribe.
IX, 6. Putting to death . . . any man who has not been convicted . . . is
forbidden.
XII, 5. Whatever the People has last ordained shall be held as binding by law.
4a. How do the Twelve Tables reflect the importance of law, order, and fairness in
ancient Rome?

4b. In what ways are the Roman laws shown above similar to our laws today?

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Activity 3, Ancient Rome, continued

Document 5

© Publications Scientifiques du Muséum national d’Historie naturelle, Paris

5a. This sculpture shows the Emperor Augustus with his family. What does the
sculpture convey about the importance of family to the Romans?

5b. Why might a government leader want to be shown this way?

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Activity 3, Ancient Rome, continued

Document 6
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to you:
militia, composed, render, forbade. You may want to look them up in a dictionary.

For protection against fires, [Augustus] organized a militia composed

of freedmen, whose duty it was to render assistance, and as action
against collapses, he reduced the heights of the new buildings and for-
bade that any structure on the public streets should rise as high as sev-
enty feet.
—–Strabo, Geography, from Strabo of Amasia by Daniela Dueck,
Routledge, 2000.

© Bettmann/CORBIS

Emperor Caracalla discusses with his architect the expansion of the

baths of Caracalla to be opened for free use to all Roman citizens.

6a. According to the quotation and the picture above, what are some of the ways
Roman emperors helped the citizens of Rome?

6b. How is the role of government in ancient Rome similar to the role of govern-
ment today?

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World History 24 Document-Based Activities
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Activity 3, Ancient Rome, continued

Document 7

Romance Language Official Language of Number of Speakers

French Belgium, Benin, Burkina 77,000,000
Faso, Burundi, Cameroon,
Canada, Central African Republic,
Chad, Comoros, Democratic
Republic 0f the Congo, Republic of
the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti,
Equatorial Guinea, French Polynesia,
Gabon, Guadeloupe, Guinea, Haiti,
Jersey, Madagascar, Mali,
Mauritius, Mayotte, Monaco,
New Caledonia, Niger, Reunion,
Rwanda, Saint Pierre and Miquelon,
Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland,
Togo, Vanuatu
Italian Italy, Switzerland 62,000,000
Portuguese Angola, Brazil, 176,000,000
East Timor, Guinea-Bissau,
Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe
Romanian Romania 26,000,000
Spanish Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, 322,000,000
Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea,
Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay,
Peru, Spain, Venezuel

7a. All of the languages above developed from Latin, the language of Rome. As a
result, they are known as Romance languages. What Romance language has
the largest number of speakers today?

7b. What does the continued use of Romance languages today indicate?

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

World History 25 Document-Based Activities
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Activity 3, Ancient Rome, continued

Document 8
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: inaccessible, uninhabited, domination, supremacy, duration. You may want to
look them up in a dictionary.

Rome rules every country that is not inaccessible or uninhabited . . . she

is the first and only state recorded in all time that ever made the risings
and settings of the sun the boundaries of her domination. Nor has her
supremacy been of short duration, but more lasting than that of any
other city or kingdom.
—–Dionysius, Roman Antiquities, from Strabo of Amasia
by Daniela Dueck, Routledge, 2000.

8a. Why was Rome able to rule such a large empire?

8b. How might the size of the empire have affected cultural exchanges among
those who were ruled by the Romans?

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

World History 26 Document-Based Activities
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Activity 3, Ancient Rome, continued

Writing the Document-Based Question

Part B
DIRECTIONS Write an essay about the civilization of ancient Rome. Include an
introduction, a body of several paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. Using at
least four of the sources in Part A, provide facts and details that support your
response. You may draw on any additional knowledge you have acquired about the
subject.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Sometime before the mid-700s BC, a group of people called the Latins moved to the
hills near the Tiber River. There they formed what would eventually become the cen-
ter of Roman civilization. This civilization would grow to become one of the most
influential in history.

TASK

Discuss three ways in which the civilization of ancient Rome influ-

ences our world today.

GUIDELINES
• Provide a thorough response to the Task. Be sure to cover all parts of the assign-
ment.
• Use at least four of the sources in Part A and include specific information from
them in your essay.
• Take advantage of relevant information you remember from your textbook and
class work.
• Organize your essay in a clear and logical way.
• Support your statements with facts and information that address the topic.
• Write a conclusion that sums up your ideas.

NOTE: Do not simply restate the Task or Historical Context. Your essay should
include much more information.

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

World History 27 Document-Based Activities
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ACTIVITY 4 Document-Based Activities

Han China

Using Source Materials

Part A
DIRECTIONS Examine the following text and pictures. Underline key words and
make notes in the margin if you wish. Then use the documents and what you have
learned in your studies to answer the questions. Your answers will help you write
an essay about Han China.

Document 1
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: bequeathed, template, self-perpetuating, subsequent, dynamics. You may
want to look them up in a dictionary.

The West inherits its traditions from the Romans and the Greeks,
while China inherits from the Han.
—Liu Qingzhu, director of the Institute of Archaeology in Beijing

The dynasty arose 2,200 years ago and lasted more than four cen-
turies. Today, ethnic Chinese still call themselves Han—an echo of a
golden age in art, politics, and technology when China rivaled the
Roman Empire in power and prestige . . . It bequeathed a template of
ideal rule—a united China and a self-perpetuating government—that
became the goal of all subsequent dynasties . . . In the Han legacy, too,
are spiritual and ethical dynamics that guide millions of Asians. One is
Confucianism.
—Mike Edwards, National Geographic Magazine, February 2004.

1a. What two civilizations are compared with the Han in these quotes?

1b. How did the Han dynasty influence the goals of later dynasties?

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Activity 4, Han China, continued

Document 2
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to you:
exceptional, detestation, envoys. You may want to look them up in a dictionary.

Exceptional work demands exceptional men. . . . A man who is the

object of the world’s detestation may live to accomplish great
things . . . it is simply a question of training. We therefore command
the various district officials to search for men of brilliant and excep-
tional talents, to be our generals, our ministers, and our envoys to
distant states.
–Emperor Wudi from Classical Chinese Literature, edited by John
Minford and Joseph S. M. Lau. Copyright ©2000 by Columbia
University Press. Reproduced by permission of the publisher.

2a. What is Emperor Wudi looking for in generals and leaders?

2b. During the Han dynasty the government found and trained leaders. How does
that compare to the way leaders are chosen in the United States?

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Activity 4, Han China, continued

Document 3

Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY

3a. During the Han dynasty horses became symbols of wealth. One horse ate
enough grain to feed a family of six. Why might the Han have thought of
horses as symbols of strength and power?

3b. How might the need for horses lead to increased interaction between China
and Central Asia?

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Activity 4, Han China, continued

Document 4

Trade between Europe and Asia

N EUROPE
W E ASIA
GOBI DESERT
S Great Wall
Rome of China
Samarkand Kashgar
Me Athens Jade Gate
d it e rra Antioch Bactria Pass
nean USH
Sea UK
Baghdad ND
Alexandria HI TIBET
AFRICA HI
M AL
AYAS CHINA
The Silk Road INDIA
Han mirrors
Bay South
Chinese silks Arabian of China
Graeco-Roman objects Sea Bengal Sea
found in southeast Asia, 0 1000 mi.
dated as AD 1–300 0 1000 km INDIAN OCEAN

4a. How far west were Chinese silks traded?

4b. Exports are items that are sold. Imports are items that are purchased.
According to the map, which was greater, China’s imports or exports? How
does this map show that the Chinese grew wealthy from trade?

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Activity 4, Han China, continued

Document 5
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: collated, evolution, proceeding, antiquity. You may want to look them up in a
dictionary.

I have collected and collated all the old traditions that were scattered
and . . . lost in the world; I have examined how affairs were conducted;
I have looked for the explanation of their success or failure. . . . I have
done 130 chapters in all. For my part I have wanted to examine every-
thing that concerns heaven and man, to understand the evolution that
has been proceeding from antiquity to our own day and make it the
work of a single author.
–Sima Qian, Han historian, Shiji, c. 100 BC

5a. According to the document, why did Sima Qian write the Shiji?

5b. How did Sima Qian preserve Chinese history?

5c. Later historians used Sima Qian’s work as a model for their own. Are there
similarities between history textbooks today and Sima Qian’s ideas?

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Activity 4, Han China, continued

Document 6
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: convenient, hemp. You may want to look them up in a dictionary.

In ancient times writing was generally on bamboo or pieces of silk,

which were called ji. But silk being expensive and bamboo heavy, these
two materials were not convenient. Then Tsai Lun thought of using
tree bark, hemp, rags, and fish nets. In 105 he made a report to the
emperor on the process of papermaking, and received high praise for
his ability.
–An official history of paper

6a. How was paper an improvement over previous writing materials?

6b. Paper spread to Central Asia in 751, and to Baghdad by 793. From Baghdad,
paper spread to the eastern frontiers of Europe. Look again at the map of the
Silk Road in Document 4. Was the Silk Road a factor in the spread of paper?
Explain your answers.

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Activity 4, Han China, continued

Document 7

Han Accomplishments and Inventions

• Government based on merit system
• Earliest known maps
• Dictionary
• Paper
• Wheelbarrow
• Device for measuring distance
• Seismograph

7a. Which invention or accomplishment was most helpful to Han society? Explain
your answer.

7b. Select two Han inventions and describe how they are used today.

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World History 34 Document-Based Activities
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Activity 4, Han China, continued

Document 8
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: marvelous, profusion, splendour, homage. You may want to use a dictionary to
look them up.

In the courtyard is a marvelous tree,

Flowers in profusion start from the green leaves.
I pull down the branches. I gather their splendour,
I will do homage with them to the friend of my heart

Their fragrant scent fills my breast, my sleeves,

The road is long, and no way of sending them . . .
The thing in itself is not worth giving you,
All that affects me is time which passes and keeps us apart.
–A poem from Gushi (Nineteen Old Songs), AD 50–150 from
The Han Dynasty, translated by Janet Seligman.
Copyright ©1982 by Rizzoli International Publications.
Reproduced by permission of the publisher.

8a. During the Han dynasty people thought a poem should be meaningful to later
generations. How does this poem meet that goal?

8b. During the Han dynasty, a Bureau of Music was created to encourage poets
and musicians. What does this fact suggest about the Han dynasty?

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

World History 35 Document-Based Activities
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Activity 4, Han China, continued

Writing a Document-Based Essay

Part B
DIRECTIONS Write an essay about the Han dynasty of China. Include an intro-
duction, a body of several paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. Using at least
four of the sources in Part A, provide facts and details that support your response.
You may draw on any additional knowledge you have acquired about the subject.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The Han dynasty ruled China from 205 BC to AD 220. During that time, the
Chinese empire expanded to the north, south, and west. Its new boundaries took
in much of the land that makes up China today. Han rulers encouraged creativity,
and many new inventions were developed during this period.

TASK

How did the invention of paper change Han society? Discuss the
effects of this invention on government, commerce, and personal life.

GUIDELINES
• Provide a thorough response to the Task. Be sure to cover all parts of the
assignment.
• Use at least four of the sources in Part A and include specific information from
them in your essay.
• Take advantage of relevant information you remember from your textbook and
class work.
• Organize your essay in a clear and logical way.
• Support your statements with facts and information that address the topic.
• Write a conclusion that sums up your ideas.

NOTE: Do not simply restate the Task or Historical Context. Your essay should
include much more information.

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

World History 36 Document-Based Activities
Name Class Date

ACTIVITY 5 Document-Based Activities

The Renaissance

Document-Based Essay

Part A
DIRECTIONS Examine the following texts and pictures. Underline key words and
make notes in the margin if you wish. Then use the documents and what you have
learned in your studies to answer the questions. Your answers will help you write
an essay about the Renaissance.

Document 1
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: regal, courtly, appropriately, dread, inglorious, scorns, antiquity, delusion. You
may want to look them up in a dictionary.

On the coming of evening, I return to my house and enter my study;

I take off the day's clothing, covered with mud and dust, and put on
garments regal and courtly; … I enter the ancient courts of ancient
men, where, received by them with affection, I feed on that food
which … I was born for, where I am not ashamed to speak with them
and to ask them the reason for their actions; … for four hours of time
I do not feel boredom, I forget every trouble, I do not dread poverty,
I am not frightened by death; entirely I give myself over to them.
—Niccolo Machiavelli, 1513

O inglorious age! that scorns antiquity, its mother, to whom it owes

every noble art . . . What can be said in defense of men of education
who ought not to be ignorant of antiquity and yet are plunged in . . .
darkness and delusion?
—Francesco Petrarch, 1366

1a. According to Petrarch, why were some educated people living in darkness?

1b. In what ways do both these letters reflect Renaissance values?

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Activity 5, The Renaissance, continued

Document 2

Scala/Art Resource, NY

2a. What scientific instrument is shown in the picture?

2b. Explain how Galileo’s instrument and studies of the skies contributed to the
success of Europeans during the Age of Exploration?

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Activity 5, The Renaissance, continued

Document 3
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: illustrious, emboldened, excellency, besieged, founded, armoured, unassailable,
serried, ordnance. You may want to look them up in a dictionary.

Most illustrious Lord, . . . I am emboldened without prejudice to any one

else to put myself in communication with your excellency, in order to
acquaint you with my secret . . .
1. I have plans for bridges, very light and strong and suitable for
carrying very easily, … And plans for burning and destroying those of
the enemy.
2. When a place is besieged I know how to cut off water from the
trenches …
3. I have plans for destroying every fortress or other stronghold
unless it has been founded upon rock.
5. I have also plans for making cannon, very convenient and easy
of transport, with which to hurl small stones in a manner almost of
hail …
7. Also I can make armoured cars, safe and unassailable, which will
enter the serried ranks of the enemy …
8. I can make cannon, mortars, and light ordnance, of very beauti-
ful and useful shapes, quite different from those in common use.
9. In short, as the variety of circumstances shall necessitate, I can
supply an infinite number of different engines of attack and defence.
10. And if it should happen that the engagement was at sea, I have
plans for constructing many engines … and ships which can resist the
fire of all the heaviest cannon …
—from The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci.
Published by Reynal & Hitchcock, 1945.

3a. What kind of services is Leonardo da Vinci offering in this letter?

3b. What does this letter tell us about the spread of new ideas and inventions
during the Renaissance?

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Activity 5, The Renaissance, continued

Document 4

© Bettmann/CORBIS
–Leonardo da Vinci, “Sketch of a Flying Machine”

4a. What modern machine is modeled after this sketch?

4b. What are some ways this machine is used today?

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Activity 5, The Renaissance, continued

Document 5
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: monumental, victorious, superhuman. You may want to look them up in a
dictionary.

The unique qualities of Michelangelo’s art are fully present in the

David, the earliest monumental statue of the High Renaissance …
Michelangelo’s David looks challenging—not a victorious hero but the
champion of a just cause.

Michelangelo had just spent several years in Rome, where he had been
deeply impressed with the emotion-charged, muscular bodies of
Hellenistic (Greek) sculpture … The heroic scale, their superhuman
beauty and power, and the swelling volume of their forms became
part of Michelangelo’s own style and, through him, of Renaissance art
in general.
—–from History of Art: A Survey of the Major Visual Arts
from the Dawn of History to the Present Day
by H. W. Janson. Copyright © 1962 by H. W. Janson.
Reproduced by permission of Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

5a. Which sculptures did Michelangelo study and use in his own work?

5b. Based on the information in this passage, what were some characteristics of
Renaissance sculptures?

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Activity 5, The Renaissance, continued

Document 6

Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence/SuperStock

6a. Describe the physical features of the statue.

6b. How does this 13-foot tall statue make David, the biblical character who killed
Goliath, look like a hero?

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Activity 5, The Renaissance, continued

Document 7
© Sandro Vannini/CORBIS

Scala/Art Resource, NY
7a. In designing the church of San Lorenzo, the architect Brunelleschi used round
arches and columns. How can you tell that Brunelleschi used mathematical
ratios, perspective, and balanced proportion in his design?

7b. In what ways does the church’s design reflect the Renaissance values of
harmony, classical Greek and Roman balance, and simple beauty?

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Activity 5, The Renaissance, continued

Document 8
European Printing Centers during the Renaissance

0 150 300 mi.

0 150 300 km Stockholm

1483
Edinburgh
1507 Baltic
N Sea
Dublin Copenhagen
W E 1551 North Sea 1489
S

London
1480 Berlin
Antwerp 1540
ATLANTIC 1470
OCEAN Paris
Mainz Frankfurt
1478 Prague
1470 1455 1478
e

Rhin
Geneva
1478

Danube
Milan
1470
Belgrade
Florence 1552
1471
Madrid
1499
Rome
1467

Medite
rra
ne
a
n
S

Political boundaries NORTH AFRICA

e
a

in 1490

8a. In what European city was the first book printed?

8b. In what ways was the spread of printing tied to the spread of ideas and
knowledge?

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Activity 5, The Renaissance, continued

Writing A Document-Based Essay

Part B
DIRECTIONS Write an essay about the Renaissance. Include an introduction, a
body of several paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. Using at least four of
the sources in Part A, provide facts and details that support your response. You
may draw on any additional knowledge you have acquired about the subject.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT
In the early 1300s, a movement known as the Renaissance began in Italy and
spread throughout Europe. It was a time of discovery, invention, and renewal. The
Renaissance changed the way Europeans saw themselves and their world.

TASK

Discuss two Renaissance values or ideas that are reflected in the art
produced during that period.

GUIDELINES
• Provide a thorough response to the Task. Be sure to cover all parts of the
assignment.
• Use at least four of the sources in Part A and include specific information from
them in your essay.
• Take advantage of relevant information you remember from your textbook and
class work.
• Organize your essay in a clear and logical way.
• Support your statements with facts and information that address the topic.
• Write a conclusion that sums up your ideas.

NOTE: Do not simply restate the Task or Historical Context. Your essay should
include much more information.

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ACTIVITY 6 Document-Based Activities

Age of Exploration

Using Source Material

Part A
DIRECTIONS Examine the following texts and pictures. Underline key words and
make notes in the margin if you wish. Then use the documents and what you have
learned in your studies to answer the questions. Your answers will help you write
an essay about the Age of Exploration.

Document 1
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: intellectual, subsequent, consequences, realm. You may want to look them up in a
dictionary.

In all these areas, the age of exploration set in motion processes prac-
tical and intellectual, economic and moral, that shaped subsequent
centuries. They showed the world to be one. We are still working out
the consequences of that oneness, particularly in the realm of sharing
the planet as different cultures. Through the exploration of space, we
are able for the first time to see a visual image of the one earth. That
picture was first imagined, however, by the age of exploration.
—from “Columbus and the Age of Exploration” by Michael
Marshall from The World and I, vol. 13, issue 11, November 1998.
Copyright ©1998 by News World Communications, Inc.
Reproduced by permission of the publisher.

1a. According to this passage, what lasting effect did the Age of Exploration have
on people’s ideas about the world?

1b. The writer thinks that people from different cultures still have problems
getting along. What are some examples of early explorers and peoples in the
Americas and Africa not getting along?

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Activity 6, Age of Exploration, continued

Document 2

The voyages of Hojeda, Vespucci, Pinzón, John Cabot, Cabral, and

others soon demonstrated that something larger and more impressive
than one of the Western Islands lay to the west, and by the beginning
of the sixteenth century there was little doubt that the ocean could be
and had been crossed.
—from English Discovery of America to 1585 by Franklin T.
McCann. Copyright 1952 by Franklin T. McCann.
Reproduced by permission of the author.

2a. What did the early trips by explorers to the Americas show Europeans about
their knowledge of the world?

2b. What effect did the discovery that the ocean could be crossed have on
Europeans?

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Activity 6, Age of Exploration, continued

Document 3

“NORTH AMERICA, 1650”

Library of Congress
3a. Describe the biggest differences between North America as it is shown here
and how it appears on a modern map.

3b. From the differences you have listed above, describe how the Age of
Exploration changed Europeans’ knowledge about North America.

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Activity 6, Age of Exploration, continued

Document 4
Before You Read: The following word in the document below may be new to you:
staple. You may want to look it up in a dictionary.

The Europeans in America, like those at home, were very slow to

accept potatoes as a staple food. Even in the Andean highlands, the
homeland of the white potato, the Europeans at best considered it a
semifood.
—Alfred W. Crosby Jr., The Columbian Exchange: Biological
and Cultural Consequences of 1492. Published by
Greenwood Publishing Co., Westport, CT, 1972.

4a. According to this passage, what food did Europeans have a hard time
accepting?

4b. Explain how the Age of Exploration changed peoples’ diets and ideas about
food.

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Activity 6, Age of Exploration, continued

Document 5
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: traffic, importation, void, market. You may want to look them up in a dictionary.

In 1442 the first . . . slaves were imported into Europe. They were
taken from Africa to Portugal in ships of Prince Henry, the
“Navigator.” From that time there was little traffic in [African slaves]
until after the discovery of America. Then there was great destruction
of American Indians by war, disease, and killing work, and the impor-
tation of [African slaves] into Spanish America was begun in order to
fill the void in the labor market.
—–Sir Arthur Helps, Negro Slavery in America,
Its Introduction by Law, 1517

5a. How did the discovery of the Americas affect the peoples of Africa?

5b. How did European colonization affect the Native Americans in the Americas?

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Activity 6, Age of Exploration, continued

Document 6

Guaman Poma de Ayala f. 1936–Nueva Coronica y Buen Gobierno (Codex péruvien illustré),
Travaux et Mémoires d l’Institut d’Ethnologie

6a. This drawing shows part of a battle between Spanish conquistadors and
Native Americans. Which person is the conquistador? What details support
this?

6b. In the fighting between conquistadors and Native Americans, who was the
winner? What advantages shown here helped him win a victory?

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Activity 6, Age of Exploration, continued

Document 7
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: idolaters, apprehension, spring, ignorance, vessels. You may want to look them
up in a dictionary.

They have no religion, and are not idolaters, but believe that all power
and goodness are in heaven. They are firmly convinced that I, with my
ships and men, came from heaven, and, in this belief, received me at
every place at which I touched, after they had overcome their appre-
hension. This does not spring from ignorance, for they are very
intelligent, and navigate all these seas and relate everything to us
astonishingly well; but they have never seen men with clothes on, nor
vessels like ours.
—–Christopher Columbus, Letter from his First Voyage, 1492

7a. What did the first Native Americans to meet Columbus believe about him?

7b. How did these beliefs affect relations between Native Americans and the
European conquistadors?

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Activity 6, Age of Exploration, continued

Document 8

Items Exchanged Between the Old and New Worlds

Item Type From Old World From New World
Diseases chicken pox, the common
cold, influenza, malaria,
measles, smallpox, yellow
fever
Animals cattle, chickens, goats, alpacas, guinea pigs, llamas,
horses, pigs, sheep turkeys
Plants bananas, barley, clover, avocados, beans, cacao
coffee,daisies, dandelions, (source of chocolate), chicle
grapes, Kentucky bluegrass, (source of chewing gum),
oats, olives, onions, melons, corn, guavas, papayas,
peaches, ragweed, rice, peanuts, peppers,
sugarcane, wheat pineapples, potatoes,
pumpkins, squash, sweet
potatoes, tobacco, tomatoes

—–Reproduced by permission of Harold Tallant.

8a. What kind of information does the table contain?

8b. Choose two items from the table, and explain how they affected their new
environment.

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Activity 6, Age of Exploration, continued

Writing A Document-Based Essay

Part B
DIRECTIONS Write an essay about the Age of Exploration. Include an introduc-
tion, a body of several paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. Using at least four
of the sources in Part A, provide facts and details that support your response. You
may draw on any additional knowledge you have acquired about the subject.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT
In the late 1400s, an era of discovery known as the Age of Exploration began. It
started with the first trips around the southern tip of Africa and with Columbus’s
voyages to the Americas. The resulting interaction among the peoples of Europe,
Africa, and the Americas changed the world forever.

TASK

Discuss three ways the lives of Native Americans changed as a result of

European colonization of the New World.

GUIDELINES
• Provide a thorough response to the Task. Be sure to cover all parts of the
assignment.
• Use at least four of the sources in Part A and include specific information from
them in your essay.
• Take advantage of relevant information you remember from your textbook and
class work.
• Organize your essay in a clear and logical way.
• Support your statements with facts and information that address the topic.
• Write a conclusion that sums up your ideas.

NOTE: Do not simply restate the Task or Historical Context. Your essay should
include much more information.

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World History 54 Document-Based Activities
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ACTIVITY 7 Document-Based Activities

The Industrial Revolution
Using Source Material

Part A
DIRECTIONS Examine the following texts and pictures. Underline key words and
make notes in the margin if you wish. Then use the documents and what you have
learned in your studies to answer the questions. Your answers will help you write
an essay about the Industrial Revolution.

Document 1

© Time-Life Pictures/Getty Images

1a. What does this political cartoon show about the way children were treated in
factories during the Industrial Revolution?

1b. Why might factory managers have been harsh with the children who worked
for them?

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Activity 7, The Industrial Revolution, continued

Document 2
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: inflicted, conscious. You may want to look them up in a dictionary. Note that
Manchester is a city in Great Britain and that corporal punishment is a form of
discipline that involves physical force.

I have visited many factories, both in Manchester and the surrounding

districts, during a period of several months and I never saw a single
instance of corporal punishment inflicted on a child. The children
seemed to be always cheerful and alert, taking pleasure in using their
muscles. The work of these lively elves seemed to resemble a sport.
Conscious of their skill, they were delighted to show it off to any
stranger. At the end of the day’s work they showed no sign of being
exhausted.
—–Andrew Ure, The Philosophy of Manufactures, 1835

2a. What are some possible reasons that Mr. Ure’s description of factory life is so
different from Document 1?

2b. Could Documents 1 and 2 both be accurate? Explain how they could both be
accurate or why they could not both be accurate.

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Activity 7, The Industrial Revolution, continued

Document 3
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: scribbling, employ, whilst, arduous, pains, apprenticeship. You may want to look
them up in a dictionary.

Men of common sense must know, that so many machines in use, take
the work from the hands employed in scribbling. . . . How are those
men, thus thrown out of employ to provide for their families? . . .
Some say, begin and learn some other business. Suppose we do; who
will maintain our families, whilst we undertake the arduous task; and
when we have learned it, how do we know we shall be any better for
all our pains? For by the time we have served our second apprentice-
ship, another machine may arise, which may take away that business
also.
—–Yorkshire Cloth Workers, 1786

3a. What do the cloth workers say caused the men to lose their jobs?

3b. How do the workers respond to the argument that they should learn new
skills to get a new job?

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Activity 7, The Industrial Revolution, continued

Document 4
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: capitalist, corrupted, wretches. You may want to look them up in a dictionary.

The machinery of England is, in many instances, a dreadful curse to

that country. . . . The works usually go night and day, one set of boys
and girls go to bed, as another set get up to work. The health, the
manners, the morals, are all corrupted. They work not for themselves,
but for the capitalist who employs them; . . . they are machines. . . .
The whole system tends to increase the wealth of a few capitalists, at
the expense of the health, life, morals, and happiness of the wretches
who labor for them.
—–Thomas Cooper, 1823

4a. Why does the writer think that the machinery of England was a curse?

4b. According to this passage, who gained the most from the factory system?
Whose work was responsible for this gain?

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Activity 7, The Industrial Revolution, continued

Document 5

Europe, 1850

Percentage of total
KINGDOM OF population living in
ATLANTIC SWEDEN AND NORWAY
cities with 100,000
or more residents
OCEAN 5% or less
North
Sea 6%–10%
IRELAND 20% or more
GREAT DENMARK Baltic
N
BRITAIN Sea
W
E NE
NETHERLANDS RUSSIAN
S GERMAN EMPIRE
BELGIUM STATES
0 150 300 mi.

0 150 300 km FRANCE

AUSTRIAN
SWITZERLAND EMPIRE
AL

Black Sea
UG

Ad
ria

OTTO
RT

SPAIN ITALIAN MAN

tic
PO

STATES
Se

EM
a

PIR
E
Mediterranean Sea

5a. In 1850, what European country had the highest percentage of people living in
cities with 100,000 or more residents? What might have caused this concentra-
tion of people?

5b. What country was more industrialized in 1850, France or Spain? What might
have caused the difference between the two countries?

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Activity 7, The Industrial Revolution, continued

Document 6

© CORBIS
6a. Why would it be an advantage for a steel factory to be close to train tracks?

6b. What negative effect of the Industrial Revolution is clearly visible in this
illustration?

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Activity 7, The Industrial Revolution, continued

Document 7
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new
to you: scandalous, ventilated, deprived, defray, refuse, notorious, quarters,
exceptionally. You may want to look them up in a dictionary.

The way in which the vast mass of the poor are treated by modern
society is truly scandalous. They are herded into great cities where
they breathe a fouler air than in the countryside which they have left.
They are housed in the worst ventilated districts of the towns; they are
deprived of all means of keeping clean. They are deprived of water
because this is only brought to their houses if someone is prepared to
defray the cost of laying the pipes. River water is so dirty as to be use-
less for cleansing purposes. The poor are forced to throw into the
streets all their sweepings, garbage, dirty water, and frequently even
disgusting filth. . . . The poor are deprived of all proper means of
refuse disposal and so they are forced to pollute the very districts they
inhabit. And this is by no means all. There is no end to the sufferings
which are heaped on the heads of the poor. It is notorious that general
overcrowding is a . . . feature of the great towns, but in the working-
class quarters people are packed together in an exceptionally small
area. Not satisfied with permitting the pollution of the air in the
streets, society crams as many as a dozen workers into a single room,
so that at night the air becomes so foul that they are nearly suffocated.
The workers have to live in damp dwellings. When they live in cellars
the water seeps through the floor and when they live in attics the rain
comes through the roof. The workers’ houses are so badly built that
the foul air cannot escape from them.
—–Friedrich Engels, The Condition of the Working Class in England,
1845

7a. According to Friedrich Engels, what were conditions like for English workers
during the Industrial Revolution?

7b. As a leading socialist of his time, what might Engels have suggested to improve
the workers’ situation?

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Activity 7, The Industrial Revolution, continued

Document 8
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to you:
well situated, formerly, domestic, hearth, inevitable, mode, crude, commodities,
preceding, deemed, clad, appointments. You may want to look them up in a dictionary.

The “good old times” were not good old times. Neither master nor ser-
vant was as well situated then as today. . . . It is easy to see how the
change has come. . . . Formerly articles were manufactured at the domes-
tic hearth or in small shops which formed part of the household. . . . But
the inevitable result of such a mode of manufacture was crude articles at
high prices. Today the world obtains commodities of excellent quality at
prices which even the generation preceding this would have deemed
incredible. . . . The poor enjoy what the rich could not before afford.
What were the luxuries have become the necessaries of life. The laborer
has now more comforts than the farmer had a few generations ago. The
farmer has more luxuries than the landlord had, and is more richly clad
and better housed. The landlord has books and pictures rarer, and
appointments more artistic, than the King could then obtain.
—–Andrew Carnegie, “Wealth,” 1889

8a. How does Andrew Carnegie view the changes brought on by the Industrial
Revolution?

8b. Carnegie grew up poor. He started working in a factory at the age of twelve
and worked at many different jobs until he made a fortune in the U.S. steel
industry. How might this experience have shaped Carnegie’s views on the
Industrial Revolution?

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Activity 7, The Industrial Revolution, continued

Writing a Document-Based Essay

Part B
DIRECTIONS Write an essay about the Industrial Revolution. Include an intro-
duction, a body of several paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. Using at least
four of the sources in Part A, provide facts and details that support your response.
You may draw on any additional knowledge you have acquired about the subject.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Starting in the early 1700s, a series of new inventions completely changed the way
goods were made. As a result, the lives of working people changed dramatically.
The Industrial Revolution, as this period of change is called, began in Great Britain
but soon spread to other parts of Europe and the United States.

TASK

Discuss the positive and negative results of the Industrial Revolution.

GUIDELINES
• Provide a thorough response to the Task. Be sure to cover all parts of the
assignment.
• Use at least four of the sources in Part A and include specific information from
them in your essay.
• Take advantage of relevant information you remember from your textbook and
class work.
• Organize your essay in a clear and logical way.
• Support your statements with facts and information that address the topic.
• Write a conclusion that sums up your ideas.

NOTE: Do not simply restate the Task or Historical Context. Your essay should
include much more information.

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ACTIVITY 8 Document-Based Activities

Cuneiform to Computers

Using Source Materials

Part A
DIRECTIONS Examine the following texts and pictures. Underline key words and
make notes in the margin if you wish. Then use the documents and what you have
learned in your studies to answer the questions. Your answers will help you write
an essay about how advances in communication have changed the world through-
out history.

Document 1

Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY

1a. Describe the writing shown in this picture.

1b. Why was the invention of writing so important to ancient peoples?

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Activity 8, Cuneiform to Computers, continued

Document 2
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: laudable, divine, sanction, composed, adorn, resplendent, memorable. You may
want to look them up in a dictionary.

The art of printing books was at this time (1458) first invented in
Germany. . . . It is certain that no matter how worthy, how laudable,
and how useful they were, without divine aid and sanction it would
not have been possible. In praise of which a certain fellow of ours has
composed the following verse: “O happy printing art, to take place in
our century, and spread all over world; so let us adorn you with high
praises. Language is made resplendent by your invention and now
everyone may become learned with little labor, under your guidance,
since this memorable art was discovered.”
—Bernardinus de Banalius, Venice, 1486, from A History of Printing
by John Clyde Oswald, Appleton and Company, 1928.

2a. According to the author, what made the art of printing books possible?

2b. What does the passage say about the printing press and learning?

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Activity 8, Cuneiform to Computers, continued

Document 3
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: wholly, annihilation, pulse, extremity, throb. You may want to look them up in
a dictionary.

It is difficult to realize, at first, the importance of a result so wholly

unlike anything with which we have been familiar; and the revolution
to be effected by the annihilation of time . . . will not be appreciated
until it is felt and seen. . . . [The telegraph] makes the pulse at the
extremity beat—throb for throb and in the instant—with that at the
heart . . . In short, it will make the whole land one being—a touch
upon any part will—like the wires—vibrate over all.
—from a Philadelphia newspaper, 1846

3a. Based on this passage, how was the telegraph different from anything before
it?

3b. How did the author feel the telegraph would affect the country as a whole?

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Activity 8, Cuneiform to Computers, continued

Document 4

I believe in the future wires will unite the head offices of telephone
companies in different cities. A man in one place may communicate
by word of mouth with another in a distant place.
—Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, 1878

4a. Based on Bell’s statement, do you think he thought his invention would be
successful? State why or why not.

4b. How did the invention of the telephone affect the business and commerce
problems caused by the large size of the United States?

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Activity 8, Cuneiform to Computers, continued

Document 5

Households with Radios, 1922–1928

8

7
Number of Households (in millions)

1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928

Year
Adapted from World History, Perspectives on the Past: Issues of the Modern Age. Copyright ©1994 by
D. C. Heath and Company. Reproduced by permission of the publisher.

5a. What does the chart show about the use of the radio during the years shown?

5b. Why did so many homes have radios by 1928?

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Activity 8, Cuneiform to Computers, continued

Document 6
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: convention, opportunity, obscurity, dominant, metamorphosis. You may want to
look them up in a dictionary.

The real birth of the television news era can be dated from the 1948
political convention. Television had then its first real opportunity to
prove to the masses of Americans that it could deliver a service unlike
anything that had ever been available.
News broadcasts went from obscurity in the late 1940s to a domi-
nant role in electing a president in 1952. The number of the curious
who had looked in on some part of either of the conventions was esti-
mated at more than 60 million.
Television news has undergone quite a metamorphosis since the
early 1950s. Television news has evolved from the single fifteen-
minute nightly newscast of the 1950s to a twenty-four-hour cable
television service.
—from The Decade that Shaped Television News: CBS in the 1950s by
Sig Mickelson. Copyright ©1998 by Praeger Publishers.
Reproduced by permission of the publisher.

6a. According to the author, what role did TV news play in politics in 1952?

6b. What does the growth of news shows say about what people want to know?

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Activity 8, Cuneiform to Computers, continued

Document 7

© Tribune Media Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Reprinted with permission.
7a. What is the cartoonist’s message about e-mail and the Internet?

7b. How have e-mail and the Internet changed the way people communicate?

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Activity 8, Cuneiform to Computers, continued

Document 8
Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to
you: advent, irrespective. You may want to look them up in a dictionary.

Today, of course, communications technologies have woven parts of

the world together into an electronic web. No longer is community or
dialogue restricted to a geographical place. With the advent of the fax
machine, telephones, computers, personal and professional relation-
ships can be maintained irrespective of time and place.
—Howard Frederick, speech at Institute for Global Communications,
1992. Reproduced by permission of the author.

8a. What is meant by the words “electronic web?”

8b. What equipment do you use to help you communicate with others?

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Activity 8, Cuneiform to Computers, continued

Writing a Document-Based Essay

Part B
DIRECTIONS Write an essay about the ways human communication has changed
throughout history. Include an introduction, a body of several paragraphs, and a
concluding paragraph. Using at least four of the sources in Part A, provide facts
and details that support your response. You may draw on any additional knowl-
edge you have acquired about the subject.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT
A system of writing, cuneiform, was introduced over 5,000 years ago. For the first
time, people were able to record information and share it with others. Many new
inventions followed over the centuries, each time enabling people to communicate
better and faster. Today we live in an astonishing time where the barriers created
by time and distance no longer exist.

TASK

Identify two major breakthroughs in communications that have

occurred during human history. Analyze their effects on the business
and personal lives of the people of the time.

GUIDELINES
• Provide a thorough response to the Task. Be sure to cover all parts of the
assignment.
• Use at least four of the sources in Part A and include specific information from
them in your essay.
• Take advantage of relevant information you remember from your textbook and
class work.
• Organize your essay in a clear and logical way.
• Support your statements with facts and information that address the topic.
• Write a conclusion that sums up your ideas.

NOTE: Do not simply restate the Task or Historical Context. Your essay should
include much more information.

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World History 72 Document-Based Activities
 Rubric for Scoring Essays
This rubric is designed to help evaluate student essays.
For a score of 5, student
• shows a complete understanding of the question or theme
• states the theme or problem clearly in his or her own words
• addresses all aspects of the task
• demonstrates an ability to analyze, evaluate, and compare and contrast issues
and events
• supports the theme or question by using many relevant facts, examples, and
details
• provides information in a well organized and logical way
• uses at least four of the documents to create the essay
For a score of 4, student
• shows a good understanding of the question or theme
• states the theme or problem clearly in his or her own words
• addresses most aspects of the task
• demonstrates an ability to analyze, evaluate, and compare and contrast issues
and events
• uses relevant facts, examples, and details
• provides information in a well organized and logical way
• uses three documents to create the essay
For a score of 3, student
• shows a satisfactory understanding of the question or theme
• states the theme or problem by repeating similar examples
• addresses most aspects of the task, but glosses over some details
• demonstrates an ability to analyze issues and events, but not in depth
• uses some relevant facts, examples, and details
• provides information in a generally organized way
• uses two documents to create the essay
For a score of 2, student
• shows limited understanding of the question or theme
• fails to state the theme or problem
• attempts to address the task
• demonstrates an illogical analysis of issues and events
• includes few facts, examples, or details; introduces some errors
• provides information that is poorly organized
• uses one document to create the essay

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World History 73 Document-Based Activities
For a score of 1, student
• shows very limited understanding of the question or theme
• fails to state the theme or problem
• attempts to address the task
• lacks any analysis of issues and events
• includes few facts, examples, or details; introduces many errors
• provides information with little or no organization
• uses no documents
For a score of 0, the student fails to complete any of the tasks satisfactorily, work
is illegible, or paper is blank.

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World History 74 Document-Based Activities
 Sources/Acknowledgements

ACTIVITY 1: ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

“Assyrian Inscriptions in the British Museum,” translated by Professor J. Helevy.
Reprinted in The Library of Original Sources, Oliver J. Thatcher, editor.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin: University Research Extension Co., 1907, p. 436.
Herodotus, i, 178–181. George Rawlinson, History of Herodotus (Third Edition),
London, 1875, vol. i, pp. 297–302. John Murray. Reprinted in Historical Selections,
by Hutton Webster, Ph.D., D.C. Heath and Company, 1929, pp. 52–53.
King, L.W., Letters and Inscriptions of Hammurabi, London, 1898–1900, vol. iii,
pp. 190–191. Luzac and Company. Reprinted in Historical Selections, by Hutton
Webster, Ph.D., D.C. Heath and Company, 1929, pp. 40–41.
Kramer, Samuel Noah, History Begins at Sumer: Thirty-Nine Firsts in Recorded
History. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1981, pp. 3, 6, 10–11.
Prologue from “The Code of Hammurabi,” translated by L.W. King, in Library of the
Future.® Fourth Edition. Version 5.0. World Library, Inc., 1996. Found at
www.originalsources.com.
Laws and Epilogue from “The Code of Hammurabi.” Reprinted in The Library of
Original Sources, Oliver J. Thatcher, editor. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: University
Research Extension Co., 1907, p. 436. Found at www.originalsources.com.

ACTIVITY 2: ANCIENT EGYPT

“The Hymn to the Nile Flood,” transliteration after Helck 1972, using the copy on
Papyrus, Chester Beatty V as principal source, © 2002 University College London.
Found at http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/literature/floodtransl.html.
Herodotus, ii, 124–125, in Herodotus, with an English translation by A. D. Godley.
Cambridge. Harvard University Press. 1920. Available at
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu. Links to quotations:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Hdt.+2.124.1 and
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Hdt.+2.125.1.
Preserved in Papyrus Sallier, ii, and Papyrus Anastasi, vii, in the Britsh Museum,
edited by Maspero, in Genre épistolaire, pp. 48ff, translated by Aylward M.
Blackman and reprinted in The Ancient Egyptians: A Sourcebook of their Writings
by Adolf Erman, Harper & Row, Publishers, New York, 1966, p. 68.
Preserved in Papyrus Anastasi, i, in the British Museum. Translated by Aylward M.
Blackman and reprinted in The Ancient Egyptians: A Sourcebook of their Writings
by Adolf Erman, Harper & Row, Publishers, New York, 1966, pp. 224–225.
The Book of the Dead; The Papyrus of Ani, translated by E.A. Wallis Budge, 1895.
Found at: http://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/ebod/ebod35.htm.
“An Assyrian Prescription,” translation from: http://nefertiti.iwebland.com/
timelines/topics/eberspapyrus.htm. From the German translation found at:
http://www.hieroglyphen.net/andere/Ebers/ebers.htm. The papyrus itself resides

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World History 75 Document-Based Activities
 Sources/Acknowledgements

at the University of Leipzig. A photo may be found at: http://www.ub.uni-

leipzig.de/Wir_ueber_uns/sosa/scholl_4.htm.

ACTIVITY 3: ANCIENT ROME

Nardo, Don. The Age of Augustus, San Diego, CA: Lucent Books, 1997, p. 11.
Overy, Richard. Complete History of the World, Sixth Edition, New York: Barnes
Publishers, 2004, p. 100.
“Twelve Tables.” Translation by Professor John Paul Adams, California State
University – Northridge. Found at: http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/12tables.html.
Accessed April 5, 2005.
Strabo, Geography. Translation by Daniela Dueck. Strabo of Amasia: A Greek Man of
Letters in Augustan Rome. London: Routledge, 2000, p. 99. Found at:
http://www.questia.com.
Dionysius, Roman Antiquities. Translation by Daniela Dueck. Strabo of Amasia: A
Greek Man of Letters in Augustan Rome. London: Routledge, 2000, p. 132. Found
at: http://www.questia.com.

ACTIVITY 4: HAN CHINA

Edwards, Mike. Han. National Geographic Magazine, February 2004, pp. 2, 8, 28.
Immell, Myra. The Han Dynasty. Farmington Hills, MI: Lucent, © 2003, pp. 58, 80.
Trade Map: Overy, Richard. Complete History of the World, Sixth Edition. New York:
Barnes & Noble, Inc., by arrangement with Times Books, an imprint of
HarperCollins Publishers, ©2004, pp. 78–79.
Sima Qian: Shiji (Records of the Historian): Pirazzoli-t’Serstevens, Michèle. The Han
Dynasty, translated by Janet Seligman, New York: Rizzoli International
Publications, c. 1982, p. 101.
Poem from Gushi (Nineteen Old Songs): Pirazzoli-t’Serstevens, Michèle. The Han
Dynasty, translated by Janet Seligman, New York: Rizzoli International
Publications, c. 1982, p. 108, 200.

ACTIVITY 5: THE RENAISSANCE

Letter from Machiavelli.” Source: http://www.j-bradford-delong.net/Politics/
Vettori.html.
Da Vinci, Leonardo. The Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci. New York: Reynal &
Hitchcock, 1945, p. 80–81. From: http://www.questia.com. MacCurdy, Edward,
editor and translator. The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, 2nd edition. Volume 2.
1955, reissued 1977.
Leonardo da Vinci: “Sketch of a Flying Machine.” Source: Codex Atlanticus. Biblioteca
Ambrosiana, Milan, Italy. Undated.

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World History 76 Document-Based Activities
 Sources/Acknowledgements

Janson, H.W. History of Art: A Survey of the Major Visual Arts from the Dawn of
History to the Present Day. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1970, p. 359.

ACTIVITY 6: AGE OF EXPLORATION

Marshall, Michael. Columbus and the Age of Exploration, World and I, Vol. 13,
November 1998. From: http://www.questia.com.
McCann, Franklin T. English Discovery of America to 1585. New York: King’s Crown
Press, 1952. p. 167. From: http://www.questia.com.
“North America, 1650.” Created by, Nicholas Sanson. Found at:
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3300.ct000705.
Crosby Jr., Alfred W. The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences
of 1492. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Co., 1972, p. 66.
Negro Slavery in America, Its Introduction by Law, by Sir Arthur Helps, 1517. From:
The Great Events by Famous Historians. Edited by Rossiter Johnson. Harrogate,
TN: The National Alumni, 1926. Found at: http://www.originalsources.com.
“Select Letters of Columbus: The Great Delusion. Christopher Columbus, 1492.”
From: History in the First Person: Eyewitnesses of Great Events: They saw it
Happen. Edited by Louis Leo Snyder and Richard B. Morris. Translated by R.H.
Major. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Co., 1951. Found at:
http://www.originalsources.com.

ACTIVITY 7: THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

Ure, Andrew. The Philosophy of Manufactures. London: Chas. Knight, 1835. Found at:
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/IRure.htm
“Yorkshire Cloth Workers’ Petition,” Leeds Intelligencer [Newspaper], 1786. From,
Industrial Revolution Primary Sources, James L. Outman and Elizabeth M.
Outman, authors. Matthew May, editor. Farmington Hills, MI, 2003. UXL, p. 58.
The Industrial Revolution: Opposing Viewpoints, William Dudley, editor. San Diego,
CA, 1998. Greenhaven Press, p. 16.
Friedrich Engels, The Condition of the Working Class in England, translated and edited
by Henderson, W.O., and W.H. Chaloner. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press,
1968, pp. 110–111.
Andrew Carnegie, “Wealth,” North American Review, vol. 148, no. 391 (June 1889),
653–654. From, Industrial Revolution Primary Sources, James L. Outman and
Elizabeth M. Outman, authors. Matthew May, editor. Farmington Hills, MI, 2003.
UXL, p.36–37.

ACTIVITY 8: CUNEIFORM TO COMPUTERS

Oswald, John Clyde, contributor. A History of Printing, Its Development through Five
Hundred Years. New York: D. Appleton an Company, 1928, p. 12.
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
World History 77 Document-Based Activities
 Sources/Acknowledgements

Czitrom, Daniel J. Media and the American Mind: From Morse to McLuhan. Chapel
Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1982, p. 7, 12. Found at:
http://www.questia.com.
“Alexander Graham Bell quotation.” Source:
http://www.att.com/history/inventing.html.
Chart: Radio Usage. Source: Adapted from World History: Perspectives on the Past,
Issues of the Modern Age, Larry S. Krieger and Kenneth Neill, D.C. Heath and
Company, © 1994, p. 76.
Mickelson, Sig. The Decade That Shaped Television News: CBS in the 1950s. Westport,
CT: Praeger Publishers, 1998, p. 3, 11, 89.
Sherman, Dennis. Western Civilization, Sources, Images, and Interpretations, Fifth
Edition/Vol. II, Since 1660, McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2000, p. 332.

Photo Credits
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Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY, page 5 (r)
© Free Agents Limited/CORBIS, page 20
Alinari / Art Resource, NY, page 23
© Bettmann/CORBIS, page 24
Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY, page 30
Scala / Art Resource, NY, page 38
© Bettmann/CORBIS, page 40
© SuperStock, Inc. / SuperStock, page 42
Scala / Art Resource, NY, page 43 (l)
© Sandro Vannini/CORBIS, page 43 (r)
Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, page 48
Time Life Pictures/Getty Images, page 55
© CORBIS, page 60
Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY, page 64

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World History 78 Document-Based Activities
 Document-Based Activities
Answer Key

Holt Social Studies

World History
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston

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 Contents

TOC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Answer Key, Activity 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Answer Key, Activity 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Answer Key, Activity 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Answer Key, Activity 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Answer Key, Activity 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Answer Key, Activity 6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Answer Key, Activity 7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Answer Key, Activity 8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Scoring Rubric. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

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World History iii Document-Based Activities Answer Key
 ANSWER KEY Document-Based Questions
Activity 1: DOCUMENT 6
Ancient Mesopotamia 6a. Hammurabi orders a collection of laws
to be written because the gods com-
DOCUMENT 1 manded him to bring justice and the
1a. According to the time line, the rule of law to the land.
Sumerians created the world’s first 6b. Possible answer: The Code of
civilization approximately Hammurabi likely affected
5,000 years ago. Mesopotamian society by shifting the
1b. Mesopotamian civilization was way people conceived of justice, from
approximately 1,230 years old when something that was administered by
Hammurabi created his code of laws. the individual, to something that was
Possible answer: Yes. They were the administered by the state.
first that were written for all people
to see. DOCUMENT 7
7a. Herodotus indicates that there was a
DOCUMENT 2 shrine at the top of the tower in
2a. Both rivers rise into the mountains. In Babylon.
the spring, melting snow in the higher 7b. Possible answer: That Mesopotamians
elevations of these mountains would built such an elaborate structure to
cause flooding the plains below. serve as a shrine would seem to
2b. Mesopotamia was located in the indicate that religion was a highly
Fertile Crescent. important component of society.
DOCUMENT 3 DOCUMENT 8
3a. In the passage, Hammurabi is express- 8a. The recipe is supposed to create an
ing his pride in having built a canal ointment that will cure eruptions and
around Babylon. tumors on the human body.
3b. Canals allowed the people to control 8b. Possible answer: The ointment was
the yearly river flooding and to bring probably the result of thousands of
water to their crops when it was dry years of trial and error. It probably
DOCUMENT 4 worked since it had been tested over so
4a. The basic purpose of schools in many years.
Mesopotamia was teach reading and
writing. Activity 2: Ancient Egypt
4b. Possible answer: Kramer refers to the
development of writing as “Sumer’s
DOCUMENT 1
1a. According to the time line, approxi-
most significant contribution to civi-
mately 1,984 passed from the
lization” because it allowed people to
beginning of the Old Kingdom to the
preserve and share thoughts and ideas
end of the New Kingdom.
with others, across both time and
1b. According to the time line, Kush ruled
distance.
Egypt for approximately 46 years.
DOCUMENT 5
5a. By 2600 BC Mesopotamians had
DOCUMENT 2
2a. Possible answer: Despite being
invented the wheel.
connected by the Nile River, the geog-
5b. By two thousand years later,
raphy of the regions of Upper and
Mesopotamians had improved upon
Lower Egypt were so distinct that they
their invention with the incorporation
developed into separate regions.
of spokes, which made the wheel
2b. Fertile soil in Egypt can be found only
lighter and faster.
within a tight band that straddles the
Nile River.
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World History 1 Document-Based Activities Answer Key
DOCUMENT 3 their behavior. Religion brought
3a. The passage indicates that the main Egyptians together for work and
purpose of the Nile flood was to bring worship. Religion also provided
Egypt to life. Egyptians with a sense of safety.
3b. Egyptians feared that if the Nile failed
DOCUMENT 8
to flood that people would die and
8a. Possible answer: In saying that the
that human activity would vanish.
heart “speaks at the tip of the vessels,”
DOCUMENT 4 the author of the document is simply
4a. According to Herodotus, it took making the observation that the beat
20 years to build the Great Pyramid. of the heart, or its pulse, can be felt at
4b. Possible answer: Herodotus probably certain points on the body.
spoke to the Egyptian people and read 8b. Egyptian knowledge of the human
existing accounts of their construc- body was largely the result of the prac-
tion. These accounts were probably tice of mummification, which offered
more mythical than factual, which Egyptian priests unique opportunities
would indicate that Egyptian culture to observe the body’s inner workings.
was already in an advanced stage.
DOCUMENT 5 Activity 3: Ancient Rome
5a. Possible answer: The author is suggest- DOCUMENT 1
ing that what his son learns at school 1a. To change the appearance of Rome,
will stay with him for the rest of his Augustus built a new Forum and
life. If his son then passes on his erected many theatres, porticoes, and
knowledge to others, it need not ever other new buildings.
pass from existence. 1b. Students answers will vary. They may
5b. Possible answer: Scribes were the only suggest that Strabo was impressed
people who could read and write. with Rome’s architecture and its
They were therefore necessary to atmosphere of excitement and activity.
record everything that happened in
the kingdom. DOCUMENT 2
2a. Students’ answers will vary but should
DOCUMENT 6 demonstrate an understanding of the
6a. The ancient Egyptian math problem is importance of various Roman
asking the solver to figure out how advances and inventions.
heavy a particular obelisk would be, 2b. Roman inventions and advances like
for the purposes of calculating how the creation of cement and the devel-
many men would be needed to drag it opment of arches, made the construc-
into place. tion of the Pont du Gard possible.
6b. Possible answer: Scribes were needed These two items in particular were
for all kinds of jobs that demanded both needed for its construction.
any type of record keeping. Scribes
were mathematicians, engineers, scien- DOCUMENT 3
tists, doctors, letter writers, record 3a. According to the passage by Virgil, the
keepers, and secretaries. tasks that Romans should use their
skills to accomplish are to rule the
DOCUMENT 7 people, encourage civilization, show
7a. The speech indicates that Egyptians mercy to the defeated, and defeat the
valued goodness and truth, the practice proud.
of not doing harm to others, and respect 3b. After reading the passage from Virgil,
for humans, animals, and the gods. Romans might have felt proud or justi-
7b. Religion likely gave society a moral fied in their conquest of other peoples.
foundation on which the people based
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World History 2 Document-Based Activities Answer Key
DOCUMENT 4 millions of people speak languages
4a. The Twelve Tables demonstrate the that are closely related to the language
importance of law, order, and fairness of Rome.
in ancient Rome in that they cover a
DOCUMENT 8
wide range of issues. The laws
8a. Possible answers: Rome had an effi-
provided procedures for courts and
cient government and an economy
trials. Several laws emphasize justice
that enabled it to rule a vast territory.
and equity in legal decisions.
8b. Rome’s size likely led to increased
4b. Possible answers: Yes, the laws cover
cultural exchange within its borders
areas similar to our laws today, such as
and among its neighbors.
property, debt, injury, courts, and
trials. Like several of the laws from the
Twelve Tables, our laws today empha- Activity 4: Han China
size the need for truth and fairness in DOCUMENT 1
legal procedures. 1a. The quotes in Document 1 compare
DOCUMENT 5 Han China with Greek and Roman
5a. The sculpture indicates that the family civilizations
was highly valued in Roman society. 1b. Later dynasties considered the Han
5b. Students’ answers will vary. Many will dynasty to be a model. Unification of
suggest that a government leader China and stable governments were
might hope that being portrayed as goals of later dynasties because of the
devoted to the family would encourage Han influence.
support among the people. DOCUMENT 2
DOCUMENT 6 2a. Emperor Wudi was seeking generals
6a. Some of the ways indicated by the and other leaders that exhibited
document that Roman emperors were exceptional talents.
able to help Roman citizens was 2b. Possible answer: Many leaders in the
through the organization of groups to United States today are elected by
serve as firemen, the implementation citizens. This was not the case in
of building codes, and the construc- Han China where the people were
tion of recreational facilities for the not able to select their leaders.
public. DOCUMENT 3
6b. Possible answers: Yes, there are similar- 3a. The Han came to see horses as sym-
ities between the role of government bols of strength and power because
in ancient Rome and the role of gov- they were used by the military to
ernment today. For example, the gov- protect the empire.
ernment of Rome provided for public 3b. Han demand for horses would have
safety services and regulated buildings lead to increased interaction between
for public safety, much like the U.S. China and Central Asia as they would
government does today. The govern- have had to either trade, buy, or fight
ment today also provides services for in order to obtain them.
recreation, just as the government of
ancient Rome did. DOCUMENT 4
4a. Chinese silks were traded as far west as
DOCUMENT 7 present-day England.
7a. Of the Romance languages, Spanish 4b. China’s exports were greater than its
has the most speakers today. imports. The Chinese grew wealthy
7b. The continued use of Romance lan- because they were selling more than
guages indicates that Rome’s influence they were buying.
was so far reaching that even today

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World History 3 Document-Based Activities Answer Key
DOCUMENT 5 1b. Both letters in Document 1 reflect
5a. The document suggests that Sima Renaissance values in that the men
Quian wrote the Shiji to examine and who wrote them both chose to study
understand the past. the past and learn from ancient schol-
5b. Sima Quian served to preserve ars. The Renaissance was marked by a
Chinese history by collecting old renewed interest in the past.
traditions that might otherwise
DOCUMENT 2
have been lost.
2a. The scientific instrument shown in
5c. Possible answer: Yes. Understanding
the picture from Document 2 is a
and examining the past is also an
telescope.
important part of history textbooks
2b. Galileo’s invention of the telescope,
today.
and the subsequent advancement in
DOCUMENT 6 the study of the skies that it enabled,
6a. Paper was an improvement over previ- contributed to the success of European
ous writing materials because it was voyages of exploration. This was so
less expensive and not as heavy. because sailors used the skies to navi-
6b. Possible answer: Yes. The Silk Road gate. With a greater understanding of
was a factor because it passed through the night sky – sailing became more
Central Asia and Baghdad. accurate.
DOCUMENT 7 DOCUMENT 3
7a. Possible answer: The accomplishment 3a. Leonardo da Vinci is offering his ser-
most helpful to Han society was the vices to make new military weapons.
development of a government based 3b. While students’ answers will vary, they
on the merit system. Such a govern- should demonstrate a recognition of
ment provided capable leaders which the role of creativity and the belief in
helped everyone in Han society. one’s abilities to invent and produce
7b. Students’ answers will vary but should new things as being central to the
reflect knowledge of two Han inven- Renaissance. Some students may also
tions that are still in use today. not that new inventions often resulted
from wars being planned for the
DOCUMENT 8
future.
8a. The poet chose to write about the feel-
ings associated with being far from a DOCUMENT 4
friend. In that such feelings are univer- 4a. The helicopter of the modern day is
sal to humanity, the poet met the Han modeled after the sketch by Leonardo
goal of writing poetry that would be da Vinci from Document 4.
meaningful to future generations. 4b. Possible answers might include:
8b. In creating a Bureau of Music, the Han helicopters are used for military pur-
placed poets and musicians in posi- poses, in rescue efforts, in fire fighting
tions of honor, and indicated their and police work, in traffic control and
artistry was important to society. reporting, and for transporting people.
DOCUMENT 5
Activity 5: 5a. Michelangelo used Greek statues in his
The Renaissance study and work.
5b. Renaissance sculptures are often
DOCUMENT 1 described as being heroic, beautiful,
1a. Petrarch suggests that some people are and powerful.
living in darkness because they did not
study ancient writers and were there-
fore unfamiliar with ancient times.

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World History 4 Document-Based Activities Answer Key
DOCUMENT 6 Activity 6: The Age
6a. Full descriptions of the statue will
mention that it is of a very handsome
of Exploration
man, with strong, well-defined DOCUMENT 1
muscles, classical even features, and 1a. A lasting effect of the age of
curly hair. exploration as suggested by the pas-
6b. The statue makes David look like a sage was the development of the idea
hero because of its heroic proportions. that no matter how far some places in
The facial expression is calm and the world are from each other, they are
brave; the eyes are forward looking, all a part of the same world.
not downcast. There is no fear in any 1b. Possible answers include: Europeans
of the features. fought with and conquered and
enslaved various Native American and
DOCUMENT 7 African peoples.
7a. It is evident that Brunelleschi used
mathematical ratios, perspective, and DOCUMENT 2
balanced proportion in his design of 2a. Early trips by European explorers to
the church from the even placement the Americas demonstrated that their
and overall symmetry of the columns knowledge of the world was incom-
and arches. That the ceiling of the plete and that there was much more in
arcade is divided into five even seg- the world than they had previously
ments, so that there is a definite center thought.
to the aisle of the church, would also 2b. Possible answers may include: the
seem to indicate the use of mathemat- discovery by Europeans that the ocean
ical ratios and perspective. could be crossed had the effect of
7b. The design of the church of San generating interest among the people
Lorenzo is a reflection of the of Europe of discovering what the new
Renaissance values of harmony and lands may contain. A greater number
simple beauty in many respects. It’s of Europeans began to explore these
design is simple and harmonious. new regions. People, even those who
Windows are centered along the façade could not make the journey, became
showing balance, and window sizes are excited over the new opportunities the
proportionate to the size of the exte- lands might hold.
rior walls. The columns are reminis- DOCUMENT 3
cent of Greek and Roman temples. 3a. The biggest difference between a
DOCUMENT 8 modern map and the map shown in
8a. The first book was printed in Mainz, Document 3 is that in the early map,
Germany. California is shown as a separate
8b. The spread of printing is related to the island and much of central, western,
spread of ideas and knowledge in that and northwestern North America is
printed books could be read by many, unknown and not shown.
and books could be sent to other 3b. The age of exploration eventually lead
regions. Through the printed word, to the accumulation by Europeans of
knowledge that had been limited could accurate information about North
be distributed to many. America.

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World History 5 Document-Based Activities Answer Key
DOCUMENT 4 DOCUMENT 8
4a. According to the passage, Europeans 8a. The chart is of items exchanged
were reluctant to accept potatoes as a between the old world and the new
regular part of their diets. world.
4b. The age of exploration led Europeans 8b. Student’ answers will vary but should
to begin eating new foods and to inte- reflect a knowledge of how the newly
grate them into their European diets. traded items affected the populations
that were encountering them for the
DOCUMENT 5
first time.
5a. The discovery of the Americas gener-
ated a surge in labor needs. To meet
these labor needs, Europeans started Activity 7: The
capturing and enslaving Africans for Industrial Revolution
use a laborers in the Americas.
5b. Europeans contributed to the deaths DOCUMENT 1
of great numbers of Native Americans 1a. The document shows that supervisors
through war, disease, and brutal work. were cruel and physically punished
As a result, the Europeans began children for mistakes on the job.
depleting the number of Africans in 1b. Possible answers include: that man-
Africa by enslaving them to do the agers might have been under pressure
work previously done by Native to meet certain production targets or
Americans. they themselves would be dealt with
harshly. Also, children were probably
DOCUMENT 6 more likely than adults to put up with
6a. The person on the horse is clearly the that kind of punishment.
conquistador. Details that support this
conclusion are: the armor worn by the DOCUMENT 2
horse-rider, the sword he carries, the 2a. Possible answers include: that the
horse he is riding, and the cross on his author may have visited factories
chest and flag staff. where children actually were treated
6b. The conquistadors emerged as the “big well; that owners might have told
winner” in their dealings with Native them to show enthusiasm because a
Americans. Advantages shown in the visitor was watching; or that the
image that led to this outcome are the author was lying for his own reasons.
horse the conquistador is riding, 2b. Both could be accurate because the
which Native Americans had never author of Document 2 may have vis-
before encountered, and the advanced ited factories where children were not
weaponry and armor. mistreated, but mistreatment could
have been the norm in other factories.
DOCUMENT 7
7a. The first Native Americans to have DOCUMENT 3
encountered Columbus believed him 3a. The workers attribute the loss of jobs
to be a person sent from heaven. to the introduction of so many
Because of these, the first people to machines.
encounter him were afraid of him. 3b. The workers respond by wondering
7b. The belief that the European explorers who will provide for their families
were somehow god-like undoubtedly while they learn a new skill, and they
made it easier for the Europeans to question how they can be sure that a
conquer the Native Americans, as they new machine will not be invented that
put up little or no resistance. will make their new skills obsolete.

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

World History 6 Document-Based Activities Answer Key
DOCUMENT 4 DOCUMENT 8
4a. The writer thinks that the introduction 8a. Carnegie thinks that the changes
of machinery to England was a curse brought on by the Industrial
because the factory system ruined the Revolution are very favorable because
health, happiness, manners, and morals they resulted in the availability of
of workers while benefiting on a few goods that are better and cheaper than
capitalists. ever before available. Even the poor
4b. According to the document, the could now afford what the rich previ-
capitalists, or owners, were the ones who ously never could. What once were
benefited most from the factory system. luxuries are now commonplace. Every
These benefits came from the labor of class can afford items that are better
the factory workers. than any that the class above it could
previously have hoped to obtain.
DOCUMENT 5
8b. Because Carnegie himself had risen
5a. Great Britain has the highest percentage
from poverty to wealth within the
of its population living in cities with
industrial system, he might have
100,000 or more residents. Students may
believed that others could do the same
infer that this was because the Industrial
if they would work hard. Carnegie’s
Revolution began first in Great Britain.
success might also have made him dis-
5b. Students should state that France was
miss the negatives of industrialization
more industrialized than Spain in
while he focused on the positive
1850, because a greater percentage of
aspects.
France’s population lived in cities with
over 100,000 residents. They should
understand that growth of cities was a Activity 8: Cuneiform
result of industrialization. to Computers
DOCUMENT 6 DOCUMENT 1
6a. Students should demonstrate an 1a. Possible answer: The image shows
understanding that trains were utilized symbols carved into a clay tablet.
to bring raw materials to a factory and 1b. Possible answer: The invention of
to haul finished goods away. writing was of great importance to
6b. The pollution coming from the smoke- ancient peoples because it enabled
stack of the factory is a clearly visible them to record their thoughts, to keep
illustration of one negative effect of the records, and to preserve their histories.
Industrial Revolution.
DOCUMENT 2
DOCUMENT 7 2a. Divine aid and sanction were neces-
7a. According to Engels, conditions for sary to make printing possible.
English workers during the Industrial 2b. The passage suggests that the inven-
Revolution were “truly scandalous.” tion of printing made it possible for all
Workers had to endure overcrowding people to become educated.
and a lack of water, sewer systems, and
garbage removal; refuse and filth piled DOCUMENT 3
up in the streets; housing was damp 3a. The passage suggests that the telegraph
because cellars and attics leaked; and was different from anything that came
foul air was a problem both indoors and before it, in that it enabled, for the first
out. time, instantaneous communication
7b. Students may correctly suggest, that as a over distance.
socialist, Engels would have advocated 3b. The author of the document felt that
greater government and/or worker con- the telegraphy would link the entire
trol over businesses. nation together.

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

World History 7 Document-Based Activities Answer Key
DOCUMENT 4
4a. Possible answer: Bell’s belief that cities
across the nation would have tele-
phone companies indicates he was
confident in the ultimate success of his
invention.
4b. Possible answer: The telephone miti-
gated the problems caused by the large
size of the United States by rendering
the distances between cities less signif-
icant. People could communicate with
others over great distances, without
delay.
DOCUMENT 5
5a. The chart shows a sharp increase in
the number of homes that had radios
in the years shown.
5b. Possible answer: People liked what
radios provided. They were most likely
affordable and available. More pro-
gramming was probably introduced.
DOCUMENT 6
6a. According to the author, TV news
played an important role in the 1952
presidential election.
6b. The popularity of news programming
would seem to suggest that people are
interested in knowing what’s going on
in the world around them.
DOCUMENT 7
7a. The cartoonist is making a statement
about the growing reliance on e-mail
as a medium for communication.
7b. E-mail and the Internet have made it
possible for people to connect with
each other almost instantaneously, and
under a variety of circumstances.
DOCUMENT 8
8a. Possible answer: the author likely is
trying to suggest that communication
methods and technology are interwo-
ven, as if in a web.
8b. Students’ answers will vary, but will
likely mention cell phones, e-mail, and
internet chat rooms.

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

World History 8 Document-Based Activities Answer Key