Arrowheads, which are ancient hunting tools, are often themselves “hunted” for their interesting value both as artifacts and as art. Some of the oldest arrowheads in the United States date back 12,000 years! They are not very difficult to find. You need only to walk with downcast eyes in a field that has been recently tilled for the spring planting season, and you might find one.
Arrowheads are tiny stones or pieces of wood, bone, or metal which have been sharpened in order to create a tipped weapon used in hunting. The material is honed to an edge, usually in a triangular fashion, and is brought to a deadly tip. On the edge opposite the tip is a flared tail. Though designs vary depending on the region, purpose, and era of the arrowhead’s origin, the tails serve the same purpose. The tail of the arrowhead is meant to be strapped onto a shaft, which is a straight wooden piece such as a spear or an arrow. When combined, the arrowhead point and the shaft become a lethal projectile weapon to be thrown by arm or shot with a bow at prey.
Indian arrowheads are important artifacts that give archeologists (scientists who study past human societies) clues about the lives of Native Americans. By analyzing an arrowhead’s shape, they can determine the advancement of tool technologies among certain Native American groups. By determining the origin of the arrowhead material (bone, rock, wood, or metal), they can trace the patterns
of travel and trade of the hunters. By examining the location of the arrowheads, archeologists can map out hunting grounds and other social patterns.
Arrowheads are commonly found along riverbanks or near creek beds because animals drawn to natural water sources to sustain life were regularly found drinking along the banks. For this reason, riverbeds were a prime hunting ground for the Native Americans. Now, dry and active riverbeds are prime hunting grounds for arrowhead collectors.
Indian arrowheads are tiny pieces of history that fit in the palm of your hand. They are diary entries in the life of a hunter. They are museum pieces that hide in the dirt. They are symbolic of the eternal struggle between life and death.
Questions
1) According to the passage, which of the following is not a material from which arrowheads were made?
A. wood
B. glass
C. bone
D. stone
2) As it is used in paragraph 2, which is the best antonym for honed?
A. flattened
B. chopped
C. dulled
D. baked
3) As used in paragraph 2, which is the best definition for projectile?
A. shaped like a triangle
B. no longer in use
C. unsophisticated in form
D. designed to be thrown
4) Which of the following subjects would not be something an archeologist would study?
A. the plants that humans used for food and medicine before refrigeration
B. the effects on fish of pollution caused by modern-day companies
C. the materials used for clothing and shelter in North America prior to contact
with the English colonists
D. the rate at which technology advanced between the years 10,000 BCand 100
BC
5) Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of paragraph 3?
A. Archeologists can determine many things about Native American societies
simply by looking at an arrowhead.
B. Archeologists are scientists who study a range of events that have already
occurred.
C. Arrowheads represent the only way to determine how Native Americans lived
in the past.
D. Archeologists know so much about ancient societies because they have
conducted extensive research about them.
6) Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A. Native American Foods and Hunting
B. The Significance of the Arrowhead
C. How an Archeologist Finds Artifacts
D. Spring Hobbies: 5 Ways to Spend Your Day Outside