Introduction: Ancient Egypt - Land of the Pharaohs
Let's Share: Word Puzzle Solution
Rearrange the letters to form meaningful words:
Circled last letters: P, Y, R, A, M, I, D
New word formed: PYRAMID — a structure which looks similar to the triangular shape of the word puzzle.
Story Summary (গল্পের সারাংশ)
Word Nest (শব্দ ভান্ডার)
| English Word | Meaning in English | Bengali Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| entitled | to give somebody the right to have something | অধিকারী, হকদার |
| sponsored | the act of paying the cost of a particular event or programme | প্রযোজিত, আর্থিক সহায়তা প্রদত্ত |
| flourished | developed quickly and became successful | বিকশিত হয়েছিল, সমৃদ্ধ হয়েছিল |
| funerary | related to the religious ceremony of burying or burning a dead body | অন্ত্যেষ্টিক্রিয়া সংক্রান্ত, শবানুগামী |
| edifice | a large impressive building | বিশাল অট্টালিকা, সৌধ |
| immensely | extremely, very much | অত্যন্ত, বিশালভাবে |
| hieroglyphs | picture writing used by ancient Egyptians | চিত্রলিপি, হায়ারোগ্লিফস |
| papyrus | a plant whose stems were used to make paper | প্যাপিরাস (এক ধরনের নলখাগড়া) |
| mummy | a dead body preserved with chemicals by ancient Egyptians | মমি |
Activity Solutions
Activity 1 Tick (✓) the correct alternative:
Answer: Giza
(b) A pyramid is a huge ______ monument.
Answer: triangular
(c) River ______ flows through Egypt.
Answer: Nile
(d) The teen emperor of Egypt was ______.
Answer: Tutenkhamun
Activity 2 Complete the following sentences with information from the text:
(b) Sphinx is a rock statue with the body of a lion and the head of a man.
(c) Ishan's mother went to fetch some drinks from the car.
(d) The Egyptian priests preserved the dead bodies by using spices, chemicals and oils.
Activity 3 Answer the following question:
Answer: Ishan was deeply fascinated by everything he saw and learned in Egypt. The magnificent pyramids, the mysterious Sphinx, the story of the teen emperor Tutenkhamun, and the ancient Egyptian civilization—all of these filled him with wonder. History came alive before his eyes, and he realized that history is not just boring dates but wonderful stories of the past. This made him develop a genuine interest in the subject, so he told his mother that he likes history.
Activity 4 Fill in the chart with information from the text:
| Who | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| The Sphinx | saw the river Nile | for thousands of years |
| Royal persons | were made into mummies | before burial |
| Howard Carter | dug Tutenkhamun's tomb | in 1922 |
Activity 5 Answer the following questions in complete sentences:
Answer: Ishan's father was not able to accompany him to Egypt because he had to attend an important business meeting.
(b) What does the Sphinx represent?
Answer: The Sphinx represents strength and wisdom. It has the body of a lion (representing strength) and the head of a man (representing wisdom).
(c) What is the biggest pyramid of Egypt?
Answer: The biggest pyramid of Egypt is the Great Pyramid of Khufu (also known as Cheops) located at Giza.
(d) Why was Ishan's mother surprised when she returned to her son?
Answer: When Ishan's mother returned, she was surprised because Ishan told her that the Sphinx was talking to him. She realized how deeply the ancient monument had captured her son's imagination.
Activity 6(a) Fill in the blanks with suitable verbs:
(ii) A carpenter and a blacksmith live in our street.
(iii) The king was very powerful.
(iv) The sisters and brothers are running in the field.
Activity 6(b) Fill in the blanks with verbs in agreement with their subjects:
(Here, "curry and rice" refers to a single dish/idea, so singular verb is used.)
(ii) No news is good news.
(iii) Everyone is present today in the class.
(iv) Neither his father nor his mother is alive.
(When two singular nouns are joined by "neither...nor", the verb is singular.)
Activity 6(c) Using the Help Box, fill in the blanks with suitable adverbs. The type of adverb is indicated in brackets:
Help Box: well, bravely, here, soon, early
(i) The book is well written. (Manner)(ii) I cannot find my pet dog here. (Place)
(iii) You shall soon see a film. (Time)
(iv) The soldiers fought bravely. (Manner)
Activity 7 Make meaningful sentences of your own with the following words:
mummy: We saw an ancient Egyptian mummy in the museum.
civilisation: The Indus Valley civilisation was one of the oldest in the world.
spot: This is the exact spot where the famous battle took place.
Let's Talk Imagine you are Ishan. Share your experience with your father:
Ishan: Papa, I wish you had been with us! Egypt is the most amazing place in the world!
Father: Tell me everything, son. What did you see?
Ishan: First, we saw the Great Pyramids at Giza. Papa, they are so huge—made of massive stone blocks! Ma told me they were built as tombs for the Pharaohs thousands of years ago. Can you imagine?
Father: That sounds incredible. What else?
Ishan: Then we saw the Sphinx—a giant statue with a lion's body and a man's head. I even imagined it was talking to me! Ma also told me about King Tutenkhamun, who became king when he was just a boy. And Papa, I saw real mummies! The Egyptians preserved dead bodies with spices and oils. I have decided I love history now!
Father: (laughing) I can see Egypt has truly enchanted you. Next time, I will definitely come with you!
Writing Activities
Activity 8(a) Write a paragraph on your sudden visit to a strange place using the hints:
Hints: name of the place - description of the place - sights and sounds - what interested you the most - your feelings
The Hidden Garden
One day while walking home from school, I noticed a strange green door in the old library building. As I touched it, the door slowly opened. I stepped into a hidden garden filled with glowing flowers and trees with silver leaves. The air was filled with the sweet sound of invisible birds singing. Colourful butterflies with transparent wings flew around me. What interested me the most was a fountain in the centre whose water sparkled like liquid gold. I felt as if I had entered a magical world. Though I was amazed, I felt completely safe and peaceful. When I returned home, I could not wait to visit that mysterious garden again.
Activity 8(b) Write a paragraph on the river Nile using the given information:
| Name of the river | The Nile |
| Location | Africa |
| Length | 6,650 km |
| Flows into | The Mediterranean Sea |
| Why so important to the ancient Egyptians | provided water, food, transportation, excellent soil |
| Cities near the river | Cairo, Port Said, Alexandria |
The River Nile
The Nile is the longest river in the world, flowing for about 6,650 kilometres through Africa. It finally empties into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile was extremely important to the ancient Egyptians because it provided water for drinking and farming, food like fish, and transportation for trade. The river also left behind excellent fertile soil after its annual floods, which made agriculture possible in the desert. Many great cities grew along its banks, including Cairo, Port Said, and Alexandria. Even today, the Nile remains the lifeline of Egypt.
Let's Work Together Make a pyramid model and share your thoughts:
Steps to make a cardboard pyramid:
- Take four triangular pieces of cardboard of equal size.
- Hold them vertically with their top pointed ends meeting at a single point.
- Fix the four sides with adhesive or cellotape.
- Fix the pyramid on a square cardboard base.
- Paint the pyramid in sand-colour or golden yellow.
What I found most striking about pyramids:
I find it absolutely amazing that the ancient Egyptians built such massive structures without modern machines. The Great Pyramid at Giza is made of millions of stone blocks, some weighing several tons, yet they were cut and placed with such precision that even a knife blade cannot fit between the stones! The fact that these pyramids have stood for over 4500 years shows the incredible engineering skills of the ancient Egyptians. These magnificent structures continue to be one of the greatest wonders of the world.
Fun Facts About Ancient Egypt
🔺 The Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years!
👑 King Tut (Tutenkhamun) became the Pharaoh of Egypt when he was just 9 years old.
🦁 The Great Sphinx is one of the largest and oldest statues in the world, carved from a single piece of limestone.
📜 The ancient Egyptians wrote using over 700 different picture symbols called hieroglyphs.