storytown grade 6 lesson 22 - welcome to year 7...

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Text Structure: Compare and Contrast . . . . . . .562

Analyze text that has a compare-and-contrast organizational pattern.

Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .564

Read, write, and learn the meanings of new words.

“The Emperor’s Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .566 by Jane O’Connor

• Learn the characteristics of expository nonfiction.

• Use a Venn diagram to show similarities and differences.

“A Hidden City in the Andes” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .582 by Claire Llewellyn

Read about the discovery of an ancient city in Peru.

Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .584

• Compare texts.

• Review vocabulary.

• Reread for fluency.

• Write a comparison.

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Genre: Expository Nonfiction

Genre: Expository Nonfiction

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Text Structure: Compare and Contrast

Authors of expository texts use different text structures to show

the relationships between ideas in the text. When the author

points out similarities and differences between two or more

things, the text is organized in a compare-and-contrast text structure.

Clue words and phrases like the ones below let you know

the author has used a compare-and-contrast text structure.

• Compare: similar, like, alike, both, also, too, as well as, same as• Contrast: different, but, on the other hand, however, although,

unlike, yet

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Both

Authors may use a certain text structure for a paragraph, a section of text, or a complete text. Some texts are made up of different text structures.

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Rewrite the paragraph, using different clue words. Be sure to keep the meaning the same.

Read the paragraph below. Then look at the Venn diagram.

It shows that papyrus and modern paper, two materials used for

writing, have some important differences.

The ancient Egyptians made a paperlike material called papyrus from the bark of papyrus reeds. They cut the reeds into strips and pressed them together, creating a smooth surface for writing. By contrast, the paper we know today is made from plant fibers that have been mashed into pulp and spread to dry in a thin sheet. Unlike papyrus, it was first made in China more than 2,000 years ago.

Modern PaperBothPapyrus

• made by the Egyptians

• made of papyrus reeds cut into thin strips

• writing surface• made from plants

• first made in China

• made of plant fibers mashed into pulp

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Perfectly PreservedAlthough warning signs usually precede a

volcanic eruption, Mt. Vesuvius gave the

people of Pompeii, Italy, little time to escape.

In A.D. 79, the volcano suddenly erupted and

buried the city under a layer of ash.

Pompeii remained buried for more than

1,600 years. In 1748, people began to explore

the region. Treasure seekers uncovered

buildings, stripped them of their lustrous wall

paintings, and then covered them with dirt.

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The residents of Pompeii appreciated

beauty, as the remains of this garden show.

precede

lustrous

trespass

strategically

prolong

resigned

temperaments

restored

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Your mission this week is to search for Vocabulary Words outside your classroom. You may read them in a book, find them in a

newspaper, or hear them in a movie. Look for Vocabulary Words in advertisements or on signs. When you find a word, write it in your vocabulary journal and tell where you found it.

In 1860, Italian archaeologist

Giuseppe Fiorelli took control of the

site. He forbade anyone to trespass and devised a plan to excavate the

city strategically. This planning would

prolong the process of excavating the

ruins, but it would insure that the

work was done properly.

The ash preserved nearly

everything in the city, from living

rooms to loaves of bread. Imprints

of some of Pompeii’s residents also

remain. Some must have been fleeing

in panic. Others seem to have been

peaceful, apparently resigned to

their fate. Pompeii’s remnants are a

haunting reminder of a tragedy, but

they offer a rare look at the daily life

of people from the distant past.

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Archaeologists are known for their

patient temperaments. In the

nineteenth century, they restored the

roofs of some Pompeian houses to

protect the mosaics and frescoes like the

one shown here.

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Comprehension StrategyUse graphic organizers like the one shown above to compare and contrast.

Genre StudyExpository nonfiction presents and explains information about a topic. As you read, look for

• photographs, diagrams, or maps that support facts.

• text structure—the way ideas are organized.

Expository Nonfiction

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Both

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THE THE

EMPEROR’SEMPEROR’SSILENT ASILENT ARMYRMYTERRACOTTA WARRIORS OF ANCIENT CHINA

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by Jane O‚Connor


A STRANGE DISCOVERYLINTONG COUNTY, PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, MARCH 1974

It’s just an ordinary day in early spring, or so three farmers think as they trudge across a field in northern China. They are looking for a good place to dig a well. There has been a drought, and they must find water or risk losing their crops later in the year.

The farmers choose a spot near a grove of persimmon trees. Down they

dig, five feet, ten feet. Still no water. They decide to keep on digging a little deeper. All of a sudden, one of the farmers feels his shovel strike against something hard. Is it a rock? It’s difficult to see at the bottom of the dark hole, so the farmer kneels down for a closer look. No, it isn’t a rock. It seems to be clay, and not raw clay but clay that has been baked and made into something. But what?

Now, more carefully, the men dig around the something. Perhaps it is a pot or a vase. However, what slowly

The terracotta army was discovered when well-diggers found the head of a “pottery man” like this one. No photographs were taken that day.

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reveals itself is the pottery head of a man who stares back at them, open-eyed and amazingly real looking. The farmers have never seen anything like it before. But they do remember stories that some of the old people in their village have told, stories of a “pottery man” found many years ago not far from where they are now. The villagers had been scared that the pottery man would bring bad luck so they broke it to bits, which were then reburied and forgotten.

The three well-diggers are not so superstitious. They report their discovery to a local official. Soon a group of archaeologists arrives to search the area more closely. Maybe they will find pieces of a clay body to go with the clay head.

In fact, they find much more.During the weeks and months that follow, the archaeologists

dig out more pottery men, which now are called by a more dignified term—terracotta figurines. The figurines are soldiers. That much is clear. But they come from a time long ago, when Chinese warriors wore knee-length robes, armor made from small iron “fish scales,” and elaborate topknot hairdos. All of the soldiers are life-size or a little bigger and weigh as much as four hundred pounds. They stand at attention as if waiting for the command to charge into battle. The only thing missing is their weapons. And those are found too—hundreds of real bronze swords, daggers, and battle-axes as well as thousands of scattered arrowheads—all so perfectly made that, after cleaning, their ancient tips are still sharp enough to split a hair!

These soldiers’ hands are clenched as if still holding their bronze weapons.


Today, after nearly thirty years of work, terracotta soldiers are still being uncovered and restored. What the well-diggers stumbled upon, purely by accident, has turned out to be among the largest and most incredible archaeological discoveries of modern times. Along with the Great Pyramids in Egypt, the buried army is now considered one of the true wonders of the ancient world. Spread out over several acres near the city of Xian, the soldiers number

not in the tens or hundreds but in the thousands! Probably 7,500 total. Until 1974, nobody knew that right below the people of northern China an enormous underground army had been standing guard, silently and watchfully, for more than 2,200 years. Who put them there?

One man.Known as the fierce tiger of Qin

(CHIN), the divine Son of Heaven, he was the first emperor of China.

The map shows the Qin kingdom in green and the empire in stripes. The dot indicates where the terracotta army was found.

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THE QUEST FORIMMORTALITYIf he couldn’t live forever, then Qin Shihuang (pronounced CHIN shir-hwong) was determined to live as long as possible. He ate powdered jade and drank mercury in the belief that they would prolong his life. In fact, these “medicines” were poison and may have caused the emperor to fall sick and die while on a tour of the easternmost outposts of his empire. He was forty-nine years old.

If word of Qin Shihuang’s death got out while he was away from the capital there might be a revolt. So his ministers kept the news a secret. With the emperor’s body inside his chariot, the entire party traveled back to the capital city. Meals were brought into the emperor’s chariot; daily reports on affairs of state were delivered as usual—all to keep up the appearance that the emperor was alive and well. However, it was summer, and a terrible smell began to come from the chariot. But the clever ministers found a way to account for the stench. A cart was loaded with smelly salted fish and made to precede the chariot, overpowering and masking any foul odors coming from the dead emperor. And so Qin Shihuang returned to the capital for burial.

The tomb of Qin Shihuang had been under construction for more than thirty years. It was begun when he was a young boy of thirteen and was still not finished when he died.

This is a modern stone engraving of the first emperor of China.

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Even incomplete, the emperor’s tomb was enormous, larger than his largest palace. According to legend, it had a domed ceiling inlaid with clusters of pearls to represent the sun, moon, and stars. Below was a gigantic relief map of the world, made from bronze. Bronze hills and mountains rose up from the floor, with rivers of mercury flowing into a mercury sea. Along the banks of the rivers were models of the emperor’s palaces and cities, all exact replicas of the real ones.

In ancient times, the Chinese believed that life after death was not so very different from life on earth. The soul of a dead person could continue to enjoy all the pleasures of everyday life. So people who were rich enough constructed elaborate underground tombs filled with silk robes, jewelry with precious stones, furniture, games, boats, chariots—everything the dead person could possibly need or want.

Qin Shihuang knew that grave robbers would try their best to loot the treasures in his tomb. So he had machines put inside the tomb that

produced the rumble of thunder to scare off intruders, and mechanical crossbows at the entrance were set to fire arrows automatically should anyone dare trespass. The emperor also made certain that the workers who carried his coffin in to its final resting place never revealed its exact whereabouts. As the men worked their way back through the tunnels to the tomb’s entrance, a stone door came crashing down, and they were left to die, sealed inside the tomb along with the body of the emperor.

For thousands of years, the Chinese have made silk fabric. This detail of a silk robe shows an embroidered dragon, the symbol of Chinese emperors.

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Even all these measures, however, were not enough to satisfy the emperor. And so, less than a mile from the tomb, in underground trenches, the terracotta warriors were stationed. Just as flesh-and-blood troops had protected him during his lifetime, the terracotta troops were there to protect their ruler against any enemy for all eternity.

BURIED SOLDIERSQin Shihuang became emperor because of his stunning victories on the battlefield. His army was said to be a million strong. In every respect except for number, the terracotta army is a faithful replica of the real one.

So far terracotta troops have been found in three separate pits, all close to one another. A fourth pit was discovered, but it was empty. The entire army faces east. The Qin kingdom, the emperor’s homeland, was in the northwest. The other kingdoms that had been conquered and had become part of his empire lay to the east. So Qin Shihuang feared that any enemy uprising would come from that direction.

The first pit is by far the biggest, more than two football fields long,

with approximately six thousand soldiers and horses. About one thousand have already been excavated and restored. None of the soldiers in the army wears a helmet or carries a shield, proof of the Qin soldiers’ fearlessness. But the archers stationed in the front lines don’t wear any armor either. They needed to be able to move freely in order to fire their arrows with accuracy. And so these frontline sharpshooters, who were the first targets of an approaching enemy, also had the least protection.

Unlike most of the figures, who stand stiffly, face forward, this archer is in a much more natural pose.

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Following the vanguard are eleven long columns of foot soldiers and lower-ranking officers, the main body of the army, who once carried spears, battle-axes, and halberds. The soldiers are prepared for an attack from any direction; those in the extreme right and extreme left columns face out, not forward, so that they can block enemy charges from either side. Last of all comes the rear guard, three rows of soldiers with their backs to the rest of the army, ready to stop an attack from behind.

Stationed at various points among the foot soldiers are about fifty charioteers who drove wooden chariots. Each charioteer has a team of four horses and is dressed in full-length armor. In some carts, a general rides beside the charioteer, ready to beat a drum to signal a charge or ring a bell to call for a retreat.

The long rectangular arrangement of soldiers in Pit 1 follows a real battle formation used to defeat real enemies in ancient times. It is called a sword formation, with the frontline archers representing the tip of the sword, the chariots and columns of foot soldiers forming the blade, and the rear guard the handle.

The terracotta horses are life-size.

This diagram shows the four pits that have been discovered. Only three contain terracotta figures.

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Pit 2 is far smaller than Pit 1. With an estimated 900 warriors of all different ranks, Pit 2 serves as a powerful back-up force to help the larger army in Pit 1. There are also almost 500 horses—about 350 chariot horses and more than 100 cavalry horses.

The terracotta horses are Mongolian ponies, not very big, but muscular and full of power. With their flaring nostrils, bared teeth, and bulging eyes, the chariot horses all look as if they are straining to gallop across a battlefield. The mane of each chariot horse is trimmed short and its tail is braided. That is so it won’t get caught in the harness.

By the time of the first emperor, soldiers on horseback were replacing war chariots. It was hard for even the most experienced drivers to manage a chariot over bumpy, rock-strewn ground. Cavalrymen could move much more swiftly and easily. Their horses had fancy saddles decorated with rows of nail heads and tassels, but no stirrups—they hadn’t come into use yet.

Pit 3, by far the smallest, contains fewer than seventy warriors and only one team of horses. Archaeologists think that Pit 3 represents army headquarters. That’s because the soldiers are not arranged in an attack formation.

Right: This drawing shows what a wooden chariot would have looked like. Below: The actual chariots rotted away long before the discovery of the terracotta army.


Instead, they face one another in a U shape, as if they are busy consulting among themselves. Although the officers at command central would not engage in hand-to-hand combat, the fate of the thousands of troops in Pit 1 and Pit 2 rests in their hands.

Altogether, the three pits of warriors and horses make up an unstoppable army. All the warriors are stationed strategically, exactly as they would have been on a real battlefield. For example, rows of kneeling soldiers with crossbows alternate with rows of standing archers. This way, while one row

is firing, the other row has time to reload their bows. The crossbow was by far the most powerful weapon of the time. The Chinese were using crossbows as early as 400 B.C. In Europe, however, crossbows didn’t come into use for at least another 1,300 years.

THE FACES OF ANCIENT CHINAAbout two thousand soldiers have been unearthed, yet, amazingly, so far no two are the same. The army includes men of all different ages, from different parts of China, with different temperaments. A

young soldier looks both excited and nervous; an older soldier, perhaps a veteran of many wars, appears tired, resigned. Some soldiers seem lost in thought, possibly dreaming of their return home; others look proud and confident. Although from a distance the figures appear almost identical, like giant-size toy soldiers, each is a distinct work of art.

The expressions on the soldiers’ faces are what makes the figures look so real.

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Did real-life models pose for the figures? Probably not. But hundreds of craftsmen from all over the empire spent more than ten years in workshops set up near the pits creating the warriors. It is likely that they made the faces of the soldiers look like the faces of people that they knew from home.

The uniforms of the terracotta figures are exact copies in clay of what real soldiers of the day wore. The soldier’s uniform tells his rank in the army. The lowest-ranking soldiers are bareheaded and wear heavy knee-length tunics but no armor. Often their legs are wrapped in cloth shin guards for protection.

The generals’ uniforms are the most elegant. Their caps sometimes sport a pheasant feather; their fancy shoes curl up at the toes; and their fine armor is made from small iron fish scales. Tassels on their armor are also a mark of their high rank.

This kneeling archer was found positioned in front of standing soldiers, just as he would have been on a real battlefield.

Low-ranking infantrymen wore no armor.


The terracotta soldiers are now the ghostly grayish color of baked clay, clay that came from nearby Mount Li. Originally the soldiers were all brightly colored. Tiny bits of paint can still be seen on many of the figures and are proof that uniforms came in a blaze of colors—purple, blue, green, yellow, red, and orange. The colors of each soldier’s uniform indicated not only which part of the army he belonged to—cavalry or infantry, for example—but also what his particular rank was. The terracotta horses were fully painted, too, in brown with pink ears, nostrils, and mouths. Unfortunately, when figures are

dug out of the ground, most of the paint on them peels off and sticks to the surrounding earth. Also, when exposed to air, the paint tends to crumble into dust.

Today, groups of artisans in workshops near the three pits make replicas of the soldiers, following the techniques used 2,200 years ago. Their work helps archaeologists learn more about how the original figures were created. Even though the workers today have the advantages of modern kilns that register temperatures exactly, no copies have ever come out as hard or as lustrous as the ancient originals.

Modern-day potters make replicas of soldiers, faithfully copying every detail of their uniforms.

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The colored computer image shows how the general would have looked originally.

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THINK CRITICALLY

1 Why does the terracotta army face east? NOTE DETAILS

2 How are the terracotta warriors in Pit 3 different from the warriors in the other pits? TEXT STRUCTURE: COMPARE AND CONTRAST

3 The terracotta army is considered one of the greatest creations of the ancient world. Think about other ancient sites you have learned about. Which would you like to visit? Explain. PERSONAL RESPONSE

4 What kind of person do you think Qin Shihuang was? Explain. MAKE JUDGMENTS

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5 WRITE Write a paragraph that explains why Qin Shihuang wanted to be buried with an army of clay soldiers. Use details and information from the selection to support your answer. EXTENDED RESPONSE


In 2000, Jane O’Connor visited Xian, China, and viewed the terracotta army. The experience inspired her to learn more about the clay warriors and the emperor who had them made. Since then, Jane O’Connor has read everything she can find about the terracotta army. She decided to write The

Emperor’s Silent Army when she learned there were no books for young people about the ancient figures. Jane O’Connor lives in New York City with her husband and two sons.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JANE O‚CONNOR

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Expository Nonfiction

Social Studies

Machu Picchu stands on a remote ridge in the Andes mountains, around 8,200 ft. (2,500m) above sea level. The town, overlooked by towering peaks, was abandoned by the Incas. Amazingly the Spanish never found it during the 300 years that Peru was part of the Spanish Empire.

by Claire Llewellyn

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Between A.D. 1100–1500 the mighty Inca civilization fl ourished high up in the Andes mountains of Peru in South America. In 1532 Spanish adventurers known as conquistadores (conquerors) invaded the region and ransacked many Inca cities in search of gold. The Incas abandoned their other cities, which fell into ruin. One of these cities was Machu Picchu.

The ProfessorHiram Bingham (1875–1956), a history professor at Yale University, studied South American history for many years. In 1911, during a visit to Lima, Peru, he came across an old book that told of the downfall of the Incas. He was inspired by the description of the Inca retreat and the ancient mountain cities that they had abandoned. Bingham decided to try to fi nd the ancient Inca capital city.

A Nerve-racking ClimbBingham led an expedition to Peru. He went with his party to Cuzco in the foothills of the Andes. From there they climbed into the Urubamba gorge. On July 23, 1911 the group camped on the land of a local farmer, who told Bingham about ruins on top of a ridge. Bingham paid the farmer to guide him there, and the two set out one cold, drizzly morning. It was a nerve-racking climb up steep, rocky slopes and along narrow mountain paths. At times the professor had to crawl on his hands and knees across narrow bridges stretching over terrifying gorges.

A Sensational FindAt the top of the ridge Bingham and the farmer rested in a hut, where locals told them about the nearby ruins. An 11-year-old boy escorted the professor past overgrown terraces to some white granite walls. Bingham saw palaces, temples, terraces, and towers. Astonishing! It was an ancient Inca city, known to locals as Machu Picchu. Bingham was overwhelmed. He led three additional expeditions to Machu Picchu over the next four years.

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Happy Unhappy

precede

lustrous

trespass

strategically

prolong

resigned

temperaments

restored

Rate a SituationWork with a partner. Take turns reading the sentences

below aloud and pointing to the spot on the word line

that shows how happy or unhappy you would feel in

that situation. Discuss your choices.

Comparing Texts1. Imagine you were with the Chinese farmers who found

the terracotta army. Describe the sequence of steps you

would take immediately after you made your big find.

2. “The Emperor’s Silent Army” describes an important

discovery in China. Compare this discovery with Hiram

Bingham’s discovery of Machu Picchu.

3. Did Qin Shihuang possess qualities you think are important

in a leader? Explain.

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• Your damaged photograph can be restored.

• Your school decides to prolong summer vacation.

• One hundred people precede you in line.

• You face some dogs with unpredictable temperaments.

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Partner Reading Work with a partner. Choose a

passage from the selection to reread

aloud. Read the passage aloud as your

partner follows along in the book

and listens. Focus on reading with

accuracy. Ask your partner to help you

identify any words you have difficulty

reading. Then reread the passage to

improve your accuracy. Switch roles

and repeat the activity.

Write a ComparisonImagine that you can somehow see the

terracotta army as it was thousands of years

ago. Write a paragraph that compares the

soldiers’ appearance when they were first

placed in the tomb with their appearance

as they are being excavated in Xian today.

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Both

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storytown grade 6 lesson 22 - welcome to year 7...

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