Read the excerpt:
The Nile floods once a year in a natural cycle that ancient Egyptian farmers learned to read. When the water rose in summer it covered the fields, and when it fell it left behind a layer of dark, fertile silt. Farmers planted their crops in this rich soil and harvested them before the next flood. The Aswan High Dam, completed in 1970, now controls the river, so the yearly flood no longer takes place.
According to the excerpt, why was the Nile flood valuable to ancient farmers?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. It left fertile silt on the fields
- Step 1: Find the relevant detail in the text: "it left behind a layer of dark, fertile silt".
- Step 2: This detail answers the question directly.
Answer
It left fertile silt on the fields.
Why not the others: "It filled the cisterns in the cities" is not supported by the text; "It cooled the summer air" is not supported by the text; "It carried fish to the villages" is not supported by the text.
Practise more Reading Comprehension and Textual Evidence.
Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed Egyptian Scholastic Test (EST) mock tests.
More Reading Comprehension and Textual Evidence questions
- In academic reading passages, which rhetorical device involves presenting an opposing argument specifically to refute or qualify it?
- Read the sentence: 'The scholar's hypothesis was initially met with skepticism, but subsequent empirical findings served to CORROBORATE her…
- Which transition word best indicates a logical relationship of contrast between two independent clauses?
- An author describes a scientific discovery by stating: 'While earlier models predicted linear growth, the collected sensor data revealed an…
- In a passage analyzing urban planning, the author notes that 'walkable avenues bolster local commerce while reducing greenhouse emissions.'…
- What tone is conveyed by the phrase: 'The research team rigorously documented every anomaly, ensuring that experimental confounding was syst…