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Writers of fiction and nonfiction convey many facts directly. However, they convey other concepts or ideas indirectly, hinting at these ideas but not actually stating them. As readers, we are constantly using clues to infer or determine those unstated ideas.
DIRECTIONS: Read the following excerpt about Heinrich Schliemann and his quest to find the city of Troy. Then answer the questions that follow.
DIRECTIONS: Read the following excerpt about Heinrich Schliemann and his quest to find the city of Troy. Then answer the questions that follow.
Making Inferences
1 Most students know the story of Troy told in Homer’s epic work The Iliad. For centuries, the tale was thought to be simply a myth. Few people believed that Homer’s city of Ilium had existed.
2 However, a nineteenth-century German businessman, Heinrich Schliemann, was convinced that Troy had been a reality. In 1868, Schliemann traveled to Greece. He searched for the site of Troy, using Homer’s epic and the legends of the local people as a guide. Finally, he concluded that the hill of Hissarlik was the site of Troy. He began his excavation of the site.
3 Schliemann soon found that the site contained many layers of cities, one over another. However, he was convinced that the deepest, oldest stratum of artifacts was the most significant. He and his helpers destroyed many of the newer cities along the way. In 1873, Schliemann uncovered the oldest city—the one he believed to be the city of Homer’s epic. Workers at the site unearthed city walls and gates. They began to find helmets, shields, spearheads, as well as a gold headband, gold earrings and thousands of smaller golden ornaments.
4 The treasures of Troy were eventually bought and displayed by a museum in Berlin, Germany. However, careful studies of the items by researchers revealed that they were from the Bronze age, too ancient to be from Homer’s city. Researchers also found that the treasure had largely been collected from outside the city walls, not at a palace as Schliemann had claimed. There were even claims that Schliemann had bought these artifacts and planted them at his site.
5 Before authorities had a chance to prove or disprove these claims, the treasure was stolen from Germany. From 1945 to 1993, its location was unknown. Then, in 1993, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow admitted that the Red Army had removed the treasure from Germany and brought it to Russia. Experts were finally able to examine the artifacts and continue their investigation.
6 Upon examination, the artifacts were found to be authentic, not fakes. Schliemann’s reputation was cleared. However, experts also confirmed that the artifacts were indeed too old to be from Homer’s Troy. In other words, Schliemann must have dug too far.
7 Perhaps Schliemann didn’t succeed at fulfilling his goal. However, thanks to his efforts, most scholars believe that Homer’s description of the Trojan War was at least partly based in fact.
8 Excavations are still going on today on the hill of Hissarlik. The story of this extraordinary city and its treasures is not over yet.
2 However, a nineteenth-century German businessman, Heinrich Schliemann, was convinced that Troy had been a reality. In 1868, Schliemann traveled to Greece. He searched for the site of Troy, using Homer’s epic and the legends of the local people as a guide. Finally, he concluded that the hill of Hissarlik was the site of Troy. He began his excavation of the site.
3 Schliemann soon found that the site contained many layers of cities, one over another. However, he was convinced that the deepest, oldest stratum of artifacts was the most significant. He and his helpers destroyed many of the newer cities along the way. In 1873, Schliemann uncovered the oldest city—the one he believed to be the city of Homer’s epic. Workers at the site unearthed city walls and gates. They began to find helmets, shields, spearheads, as well as a gold headband, gold earrings and thousands of smaller golden ornaments.
4 The treasures of Troy were eventually bought and displayed by a museum in Berlin, Germany. However, careful studies of the items by researchers revealed that they were from the Bronze age, too ancient to be from Homer’s city. Researchers also found that the treasure had largely been collected from outside the city walls, not at a palace as Schliemann had claimed. There were even claims that Schliemann had bought these artifacts and planted them at his site.
5 Before authorities had a chance to prove or disprove these claims, the treasure was stolen from Germany. From 1945 to 1993, its location was unknown. Then, in 1993, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow admitted that the Red Army had removed the treasure from Germany and brought it to Russia. Experts were finally able to examine the artifacts and continue their investigation.
6 Upon examination, the artifacts were found to be authentic, not fakes. Schliemann’s reputation was cleared. However, experts also confirmed that the artifacts were indeed too old to be from Homer’s Troy. In other words, Schliemann must have dug too far.
7 Perhaps Schliemann didn’t succeed at fulfilling his goal. However, thanks to his efforts, most scholars believe that Homer’s description of the Trojan War was at least partly based in fact.
8 Excavations are still going on today on the hill of Hissarlik. The story of this extraordinary city and its treasures is not over yet.
Source: The Princeton Review (2001). READING STRATEGIES AND LITERARY ELEMENTS. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.p. 27-28