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History Quiz - Ancient Egypt - Everyday Life (Questions)

Ancient Egypt is one of the civilisations looked at in KS2 history. Not only the pharaohs and pyramids but also the everyday life of ordinary folk living at the time.

Ordinary living and everyday life in Ancient Egypt was about the family. In Ancient Egypt, children were the heart of the family. If a couple could not have a child, they adopted a child. The River Nile was an important part of the life of an Ancient Egyptian, allowing crops to be grown. Without it the land would be a desert. The Ancient Egyptian civilisation existed for three thousand years and traces of it can still be seen today.

What was everyday life like for the ordinary people living in Ancient Egypt? What clothes did they wear and what did they eat and drink? Play this quiz and find out!

1. Why did the Egyptians want the Nile to flood?
[ ] It killed their enemies
[ ] It washed away diseases
[ ] It made the land fertile
[ ] It drowned the evil spirits
2. What did Egyptians mostly drink?
[ ] Water
[ ] Wine
[ ] Beer
[ ] Orange juice
3. What was used to cook rich Egyptians' food?
[ ] Range
[ ] Gas oven
[ ] Cylindrical clay oven
[ ] Fire
4. What did Egyptians chew to relieve stomach upset?
[ ] Mint leaves
[ ] Wheat
[ ] Figs
[ ] Papyrus
5. What type of fabric was made from flax?
[ ] Cotton
[ ] Wool
[ ] Nylon
[ ] Linen
6. What did the Egyptians use to make paper?
[ ] Flax
[ ] Wood
[ ] Papyrus
[ ] Cotton
7. How did Egyptian men often have their hair?
[ ] Bald
[ ] Long
[ ] Cut short
[ ] Curly
8. What did Egyptians usually wear on their feet?
[ ] Fur boots
[ ] Leather sandals
[ ] Canvas shoes
[ ] Slippers
9. What were Egyptian houses built of?
[ ] Wood
[ ] Stone
[ ] Wattle and daub
[ ] Mud bricks
10. What was a crotala?
[ ] A head dress
[ ] A jar
[ ] A musical instrument
[ ] A toy

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Daily life in Ancient Egypt

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History Quiz - Ancient Egypt - Everyday Life (Answers)
1. Why did the Egyptians want the Nile to flood?
[ ] It killed their enemies
[ ] It washed away diseases
[x] It made the land fertile
[ ] It drowned the evil spirits
The River Nile would flood each year and when the waters went down they left silt behind which fertilised the land
2. What did Egyptians mostly drink?
[ ] Water
[ ] Wine
[x] Beer
[ ] Orange juice
Beer was part of the diet of Egyptians more than 5,000 years ago. It was also used in religious practices
3. What was used to cook rich Egyptians' food?
[ ] Range
[ ] Gas oven
[x] Cylindrical clay oven
[ ] Fire
The oven was similar to a tandoor oven, used in India to make flatbread. Dough was stuck to the inside of the oven and peeled off when it was cooked
4. What did Egyptians chew to relieve stomach upset?
[x] Mint leaves
[ ] Wheat
[ ] Figs
[ ] Papyrus
Egyptians knew a lot about medicine and used plants to relieve all sorts of ailments
5. What type of fabric was made from flax?
[ ] Cotton
[ ] Wool
[ ] Nylon
[x] Linen
When the tomb of the Pharaoh Ramses II was discovered in 1881 the linen inside was perfectly preserved after more than 3000 years!
6. What did the Egyptians use to make paper?
[ ] Flax
[ ] Wood
[x] Papyrus
[ ] Cotton
The earliest known papyrus is 4,500 years old and was found in Egypt in 2013
7. How did Egyptian men often have their hair?
[x] Bald
[ ] Long
[ ] Cut short
[ ] Curly
They sometimes had a long plait on one side of their head or wore a wig
8. What did Egyptians usually wear on their feet?
[ ] Fur boots
[x] Leather sandals
[ ] Canvas shoes
[ ] Slippers
Sandals dating to 2000 BC were held to the foot by thongs between the big toe and the second toe, similar to modern day flip-flops
9. What were Egyptian houses built of?
[ ] Wood
[ ] Stone
[ ] Wattle and daub
[x] Mud bricks
Mud left behind by the yearly Nile floods was made into bricks which were used for building. Bricks were made by mixing the mud with straw and then drying them in the sun
10. What was a crotala?
[ ] A head dress
[ ] A jar
[x] A musical instrument
[ ] A toy
It was similar to castanets