Solution of English Grade IX || Unit 14 || The Maya Empire || History and Civilisation || Reading I

Unit: 14

The Maya Empire

Reading I

A. Match the following words from the text with their meanings.

a. drought- v. a long period of time when there is little or no rain

b. excel - iii. to be very good at doing something

c. hieroglyph- ii. a picture representing a word, syllable or sound

d. dominant- vii. more important, powerful or easy to notice than other things

e. concentration- vi. a lot of something in one place

f. invasion- i. an instance of a large number of people or things arriving somewhere

g. excavation- iv. digging ground to look for old buried buildings or objects

B. Find the words in the text and fill in the crossword puzzle.

Across

2. people who follow each other in time or order- succession

4. a loss of power, prosperity or status- downfall

5. complete with regard to every detail- thorough

6. a union or association formed for mutual benefit- alliance

Down

1. complete disorder and confusion- chaos

3. very complicated and detailed- elaborate

7. to use all of something so that there is none left- exhaust

C. Choose the correct answer.

a. When did the Maya Civilisation reach its height?

i. sixth century AD ii. ninth century AD iii. 250 AD

i. sixth century AD

b. Why were the Mayas unlikely to be invaded by the Mesoamericans?

i. They had scattered to many places.

ii. They were concentrated in a particular area.

iii. They lived together with their relatives.

ii. They were concentrated in a particular area.

c. What has fascinated researchers about the Mayas from the southern lowlands?

i. the stone cities ii. the cultural differences iii. the pyramid buildings

i. the stone cities

d. Which period of the Maya Civilisation is considered the golden age?

i. The Medieval Period ii.The Classic Period iii. The Pre-Classic Period

ii.The Classic Period

e. Whom did the Mayas consider their god?

i. nature ii. the king iii. the people

i. nature

f. According to scholars, which of the following is NOT the cause of Maya downfall?

i. environmental exhaustion ii. internal warfare iii. foreign invasion

iii. foreign invasion

D. Match the paragraph numbers with respective information.

a. I- iii. achievement by the Maya civilisation in different sectors

b. II - iv. places where the Mayas lived

c. III - v. categories of the places where the Mayans lived

d. IV- i. occupation of the earliest Maya society

e. V- ii. number of people in the Maya civilisation

f. VI- vi. spirituality of the Mayan people

g. VII- viii. time when the downfall of the Maya Civilisation started

h. VIII- vii. fights with the neighbouring states as the possible cause of downfall

Grammar I

B. Rewrite the following sentences using used to or didn't use to.

a. I lived with my parents.

I used to live with my parents.

b. Did you swim in the river every summer?

Did you use to swim in the river every summer?

c. He never smoked.

He never used to smoke.

d. I played tennis at school.

I used to play tennis at school.

e. Villagers walked for hours to reach the nearest health post.

Villagers used to walk for hours to reach the nearest health post.

f. There was a dense forest around the village.

There used to be a dense forest around the village.

g. What did you do in your childhood?

What did you use to do in your childhood?

h. I didn't write stories.

I didn't use to write stories.

i. Did people travel by airplanes?

Did people use to travel by airplanes?

j. Where did you go to deposit your money?

Where did you use to go to deposit your money?

Writing I

Develop a readable story based on the given outlines.

a. A king……….enemies defeat him six times…… hides in a cave……… sees a spider……….. climbing the wall…………fails for six times ………. succeeds on the 7th attempt ………. the king learns a lesson. …….. collects courage and attacks enemies……… succeed…….. moral The King and the Spider

Once upon a time, there was a king. He lost his kingdom after being defeated by his enemies six times. He lost his kingdom and fled from there. He hid himself in a cave. He was passing his days in great dispair. One day, he saw a spider climbing the wall. The spider failed for six times, but succeeded on the 7th attempt. The king learned a lesson. He collected his courage and attacked enemies. He succeeded this time. Finally, he was able to regain his lost kingdom.

Moral: Patience is the mother of success.