Excerpt from Stuff Matters

By Mark Miodownik

In the absence of copper, gold, and meteoric iron, our ancestors’ tools during the Stone Age were made of flint, wood, and bone. Anyone who has ever tried to make anything with these kinds of tools knows how limiting they are: if you hit a piece of wood it either splinters, cracks, or snaps. The same is true of rock or bone. Metals are fundamentally different from these other materials because they can be hammered into shape: they flow, they are malleable. Not only that, they get stronger when you hit them; you can harden a blade just by hammering it. And you can reverse the process simply by putting metal in a fire and heating it up, which will cause it to get softer. The first people to discover these properties ten thousand years ago had found a material that was almost as hard as a rock but behaved like a plastic and was almost infinitely reusable. In other words, they had discovered the perfect material for tools, and in particular cutting tools like axes, chisels, and razors. This ability of metals to transform from a soft to a hard material must have seemed like magic to our ancient ancestors.

***

In 1961 Professor Richmond from Oxford University discovered a pit that had been dug by the Romans in AD 89. It contained 763,840 small two-inch nails, 85,128 medium nails, 25,088 large nails, and 1,344 extra-large sixteen-inch nails. The hoard was of iron and steel and not gold, which most people would have found bitterly disappointing. But not Professor Richmond. Why, he asked himself, would a Roman legion bury seven tons of iron and steel? The legion had been occupying the advance headquarters of Agricola in a place called Inchtuthil in Scotland. This was at the outer reaches of the Roman Empire, and their mission was to protect its border from what they saw as the savage tribes who threatened it: the Celts. The legion of five thousand men occupied the region for six years before retreating and, in the process, abandoning their fort. They made great efforts to leave behind nothing that could help their enemies. They smashed all food and drink containers and burned the fort to the ground. But they weren’t satisfied with this. In the ashes were the steel nails that had held the fort together, and they were far too valuable to be left to the tribes that had driven them out. Iron and steel were the materials that enabled the Romans to build aqueducts, ships, and swords; they allowed them to engineer an empire. Leaving the nails to their enemies would have been as useful as leaving a cache of weapons, so they buried them in a pit before marching south.
The author uses a simile to compare nails and weapons to –

A) reinforce the danger.

B) show how they took everything.

C) emphasize the value.

D) describe the importance.

Answer:

D) describe the importance.

Explanation:

According to the excerpt from Stuff Matters

by Mark Miodownik, it narrated that the discovery of metals changed the history of mankind. The author discussed how the Romans destroyed everything of value so that the Celts could find nothing useful left behind and even destroyed the nails and irons.

The author uses a simile to compare nails and weapons to describe the importance of the nails to their empire.

which statement best describes all activist

What type of person is concerned with harmony, will look at the facts, but bases their decision on how it will affect others, sees the exception to the rule, and avoids conflict?

Extroverts


Thinkers


Judgers


Feelers

Imagine you have won the first prize in the basket ball tournament conducted in your school.You have been selected as the best sportsman of the year.Express your thoughts and feelings.

Mr. Smithers left one last water balloon, in the
bucket, for you.

Based on the events and dialogue of this passage, what can the reader
safely infer about Kristin's future behavior?
A)
In the future, Kristin will probably try to teach
Mallory to be more environmentally aware.
Kristin will likely get into a huge fight with Mallory
B)
over her being bossy and their friendship will end.
Kristin's mother will likely be quite angry with both
9) Kristin and Mallory for taking so long to shop at the
grocery store.
In the future, Kristin will likely buy cloth grocery bags
D) for shopping and be more attentive to how to help
the environment.

Need help ASAP
Thankss + BRAINLIST only for correct answers

Lightning and thunder are related events. Lightning is a sudden, violent flash of electricity that occurs between a
cloud and the ground. It
can also occur between two clouds in the sky. A lightning bolt can be several miles long and
can be straight or forked. It is very hot, with an average temperature of 34,000 degrees Celsius. This causes the air
around the electric bolt to expand, producing lots of sound energy. It is this sound energy that we hear as thunder.
Lightning and thunder are caused by the same event. Yet lightning is light energy, or electromagnetic energy,
whereas thunder is sound energy. Thus, we see lightning and hear thunder.
Compare and contrast or sequence ?

8. The clock struck passive voice​

Explicit bias can be stated obviously. True or False?
Help please

anyone have remind.com?

help me please its easy

write a sentence that includes if and then

like this: If ______ then _______

Look at the following lines. Which line uses dialect? Explain how you know.

"There! I might 'a' thought of that closet. What you been doing in there?"

"His aunt Polly stood surprised a moment, and then broke into a gentle laugh."

please help me my principle has to watch me present a poem that I haven't even done yet, it's due tmr


-it has to be 5 lines long
-original
-appropriate
-it has to be related to MONEY
-it must include rhyming words and have a labeled rhyme scheme​

If I did a bottle flip 2 times but missed 18 times what fraction would it be simplified

3 Which sentence best describes how the two paleontologists influenced each other? A Cope and Marsh would do almost anything to become public celebrities. B The competition between Cope and Marsh pushed each man to make amazing discoveries. C Cope and Marsh's mistakes destroyed their credibility as paleontologists. D Cope and Marsh would have discovered even more dinosaur bones if they had worked together.

please help with this..........​

Which is an example of a primary source?

guys help ​. I'll give brailiest ​ ​

What is an argument?
A)A practical statement based on emotion
B)A political statement based on fear
C) A position statement based on logic
D) A scientific statement based on humor

Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

GET 25 POINTS


how does the word " wrote" connect to racism in America ?

Someone please open pic I really need help , I’ll give a Brainly star rate 5 out of 5

how do i write a abc poem​

Put the words into the correct order​

Mrs. Markley is as fast as a rabbit.
A Simile
B Metaphor
C Hyperbole
D Idiom

help me get more points just ask me a very ez question please and alot of points to the question please anybody please

The dash in the sentence below is
used to do which of the following?
"I worked with three of my
classmates to complete a science
project--one of my group mates
was my brother."
A. set off further detail or explanation
B. indicate an abrupt change in the sentence
C. show an abrupt, unfinished end to the
sentence
D. set off humor in an informal sentence

please help will give brainliest and 50 points.

Solution for fake news

Read It! In Ken Marquis's art gallery in Pennsylvania, a strange world exists. A toothy dog chomps on a disk. A mysterious sea creature rests in a pool of oil. Barack Obama announces "I AM A PRESIDENT." The works of art can be a bit puzzling. But perhaps that is the point. Since 2008, Marquis has persuaded artists to take part in the Landfillart Project. The project reuses metal hubcaps, plastic wheel coverings, and other found objects. Artists turn the reclaimed items into works of wonder and delight. So far, his collection contains more than 800 pieces. Artists from every state and 52 countries have taken part.
Do It! Marquis's show features _________ objects. A framed
B buried
C discarded
D mistaken