Question

Eileen is writing a literary analysis and reads this passage from The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone. But many experts would say that this rather small piece of rock was more valuable than any of the larger objects in the room. For it is the famed Rosetta Stone, which gave nineteenth-century scholars their first key to the secrets of ancient Egypt. Which thesis best fits into Eileen’s essay? The Rosetta Stone was discovered in the nineteenth century in ancient Egypt by expert scholars. The Rosetta Stone helped crack the hieroglyphs code, which makes it one of the most important artifacts found in ancient Egypt. The Rosetta Stone is constructed from natural rock that dates back to the nineteenth century. The Rosetta Stone helped generate a large population of tourists interested in ancient Egyptian artifacts.

Answer 1

Answer: The Rosetta Stone was discovered in the nineteenth century in ancient Egypt by expert scholars.

This sentence is the best one as a thesis if the only source of information is this passage. The other sentences add information that has not been mentioned before (the stone's role in deciphering hieroglyphs, the material it is made out of or its impact on tourism). This sentence does not add information and at the same time summarizes the most important elements of the passage.

Answer 2

The Rosetta Stone helped crack the hieroglyphs code, which makes it one of the most important artifacts found in ancient Egypt.