Great Minds and Finds in Asia (Mike Downs)

Great Minds and Finds in Asia (Mike Downs) showcases the remarkable inventions and ancient wisdom that come from the world’s largest continent. From early paper-making to modern technology, this book explores how Asian minds have changed human history forever. The clear and engaging text helps students build their reading comprehension while discovering fascinating cultural facts. It is a wonderful resource for learning about the rich heritage and constant innovation found in Asian countries. This book encourages young learners to appreciate global progress and the power of creativity.

Lexile: 880L

Quiz

Question 1: How many people live in Asia?

less than 4.5 billionmore than 4.5 billion4.5 billionless than 4.5 thousand

Question 2: Where is the highest place on Earth?

Stone Forest, ChinaMount Apo, PhilippinesMount Everest, NepalMount Fuji, Japan

Question 3: What can we conclude about the corpse flower?

It is full of iron.It is a source of food for carnivores.It is odorless.It smells unpleasant.

Question 4: Who is this book written for?

readers who are learning the alphabetexperts on Asiareaders who want to learn about Asiareaders over the age of 18 years

Question 5: "In Vietnam, you'll find magnificent waterfalls." What does the word _magnificent_ describe?

the waterfallsthe bookthe people of VietnamVietnam

Question 6: "Mongolia is home to vast grasslands." Which word could replace _vast_ in this sentence?

tinyrichlushextensive

Quiz

Question 1: When was an early form of writing invented?

5000 BCEmore than 5,000 years ago12th century3,000 years ago

Question 2: Who was the first known writer?

GilgameshEnheduannaLi QingzhaoOsamu Tezuka

Question 3: What would be the most likely effect of more people learning to read and write?

People could share ideas more widely.Paper became more expensive.People stopped telling stories.People learned how to make bigger books.

Question 4: What is the purpose of this chapter?

to explain how to make clay tablets for writingto explain why Manga comics are importantto explain the origins of early writingto explain why Asian languages are so complex

Question 5: Women were discouraged from writing. Which word is opposite in meaning to _discouraged_?

disastercourageousencourageddisagreed

Question 6: What is an alphabet?

a way of organizing consonantsthe letters a to za complex order of pictures to help understand namesa system of symbols or letters matching spoken words to written language

Quiz

Question 1: Why was the Great Wall of China built?

as a museumas a way to keep the people into protect the Qin Shi Huang's territoryas a tourist attraction

Question 2: What does _baozhu_, the Chinese word for firecracker, mean?

long lifegunpowderflying kiteexploding bamboo

Question 3: What _best_ describes the kites that could carry people described in this book?

a time-consuming activityan unsuccessful inventiona huge benefit to emperorsa very successful invention

Question 4: What does this chapter tell you about Asian inventions?

There have been many of inventions for everyday things we still use today.Inventions take a great amount of money and time.The first emperor of China rewarded people for many different inventions.Asia is responsible for a handful of inventions.

Question 5: What type of words are _firecracker, gunpowder_ and _daylight_?

adjectivesverbscompound wordsproper nouns

Question 6: The emperor wanted to protect his territory. What does _territory_ mean?

an area of land without an armyan area of land to be protectedan area of land that has lots of natural resourcesan area of land controlled by a leader

Quiz

Question 1: How do community members in Tokyo keep their street clean?

by clearingby sweepingby scrubbingby washing

Question 2: What does a Qibla compass show people in the Muslim religion?

which direction to face when prayingwhere to find the nearest mosquehow to prayhow to organize items in harmony

Question 3: Which helps with navigation?

ancient spoonsadvanced compassesballistic missilessanitation systems

Question 4: How do captions help readers?

Captions give extra information to images.Captions organize information according to page numbers.Captions label the name of a chapter.Captions tell readers where to find more information.

Question 5: What does _automatic_ mean?

to work all over the worldto work by itselfto work day and nightto use your hands to work

Question 6: Systems like these are vital. Which word could replace _vital_?

essentialadditionalaccessibleunnecessary

Quiz

Question 1: In which country would you eat bulgogi?

ChinaJapanRussiaKorea

Question 2: Which are you likely to find in ramen?

rice crackers and cakesegg, seaweed, and green onioncrickets and palm weevilsfruit jellies

Question 3: Which animal family do both crickets and palm weevils belong to?

spiderscattleinsectsfish

Question 4: Which word is used to describe Asian food?

saltysweethotdelicious

Question 5: Which word means 'well liked'?

popularbusylonelyhappy

Question 6: What does it mean if something is "highly nutritious"?

will keep you fuller for longerlow-fat and long lastingfull of fats and oilsvery good for your health

Quiz

Question 1: What is a _Shinkansen_?

a route through the Silk Roada sleda bullet traina heavy wheelbarrow

Question 2: What did the Silk Road connect?

Asia and EuropeAsia and AustraliaAsia and AfricaAsia and North America

Question 3: Why was the Silk Road so important?

It helped speed up trade.It helped make bullet trains.It helped people better understand the wider world.It helped people draw more accurate maps.

Question 4: What is the big idea from this chapter?

People only use wagons to lift very heavy loads of grains and vegetables.Wheels have evolved to help the people of Asia for thousands of years.Traveling to Asia is a once in a lifetime opportunity everyone should do.Shinkansen are not an efficient form of transport.

Question 5: In the phrase "high tech", what is _tech_ an abbreviation of?

tectonictechniquetechnicaltechnology

Question 6: The Mesopotamians devised an easier way. What word has a similar meaning to _devised_?

followedtraveledgrewinvented