Grade 7
Common Core Reading: Informational Text Name ______Date ______Nonfiction
Directions: Read the passage “The Search for the Real King Arthur” and answer the questions that follow. The Search for the Real King Arthur by Rebecca Sparling You might have heard the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. For centuries, the story of Arthur has captured the imaginations of people around the world. Though there are numerous variations of the legend, the basic story remains the same. Arthur was the abandoned son of the king of Britain. After the king passed away, the search for a worthy heir began. To take the throne, a man had to be able to pull a magical sword out of a stone. Many attempted the feat and failed miserably, until a young man named Arthur successfully pulled the sword free. Arthur became king and later brought peace to Britain, a country that had been consumed by war. To the citizens of his country, Arthur was like a beacon shining through the darkness of the Middle Ages.
The legend of King Arthur remains popular today, mainly because the story has something for everyone. The tale of the king’s life is filled with action, romance, magic, and eventual tragedy. However, people have questioned whether such a compelling story could actually be true. We know today that there is no such thing as a magical sword—but there could have been a King Arthur and he could have assumed the throne and brought peace to Britain. On the other hand, is King Arthur merely a fictional character that has withstood the test of time? Researchers, scholars, and historians have spent years trying to solve this mystery.
Historians know that the real King Arthur would have lived around the late fifth or early sixth century C.E. By this time, the Roman Empire had occupied the island of Great Britain for over 400 years. Attacks on the empire led to the withdrawal of Roman soldiers, leaving the people of Britain to defend themselves against the invading Saxon tribes. It is during this period that many believe the legend of Arthur began to take shape.
Up to this point, Roman writers had recorded much of Britain’s history. The split between the two countries left a gap in the history books. Today, many scholars argue over which accounts of this time in British history are the most reliable. This is one of the reasons that the existence of King Arthur is still a subject of much debate. Name ______Date ______
Only one historical event can be linked to an Arthur- like figure: the Battle of Mount Badon. A sixth-century monk named Gildas wrote that Ambrosius Aurelianus led the British to victory over an invading Saxon army. Much later, during the nineteenth century, a scholar named Nennius referred to this leader as Arthur. Modern historians have not been able to confirm whether or not these accounts are based on facts.
Another theory is that the real Arthur was actually a warrior named Riothamus, who was sent by the Romans to save Britain from Saxon invaders. Riothamus was also known by the name Artorius, which leads many to believe that this is where the name Arthur came from.
Still, there is very little proof to back up any of these claims. The truth about Arthur became obscured over the years by different stories that told of a noble king who ruled Britain for a brief but glorious time. During the twelfth century, the author Geoffrey of Monmouth named Arthur in his history of great British kings. Scholars often question his account, however, which includes giants and dragons.
A recent discovery may have shed some light on Arthur’s existence. According to legend, Arthur was born in a castle in Tintagel, England. Archeologists found a slate in this area bearing an inscription that might refer to a man who could have been the real King Arthur. While some people consider this the discovery of a lifetime, others feel that no definite connection exists between the man named on the slate and King Arthur. The debate will most likely continue until someone discovers undeniable proof of Arthur’s existence.
Many famous authors, such as Mark Twain, E.B. White, and John Steinbeck, have retold the story of Arthur in their novels. The tale of the fabled king has been captured in other art forms as well, such as in the paintings of John William Waterhouse and in the Broadway musical Camelot . It has also been recreated countless times on the silver screen. Many students in universities study the Arthurian legend and fan groups around the world enjoy discussing the many theories about the existence of the famous king.
1 This article would most appeal to a 2 Who wrote about Ambrosius reader interested in Aurelianus leading the British in the Battle of Mount Badon? A the Roman Empire B archeological discoveries F Gildas C historical mysteries G Geoffrey of Monmouth D science-fiction novelists H Riothamus J John Steinbeck Name ______Date ______
3 According to information in the article, 6 Read these sentences from the article. the main reason that it is difficult to know whether or not King Arthur Geoffrey of Monmouth named Arthur existed is because in his history of great British kings. Scholars often question his account, A only schoolchildren study the however, which includes giants and myth of King Arthur dragons. B many kings of the past had the name Arthur In this sentence, the author suggests C only famous fiction writers have that scholars feel Geoffrey of mentioned the king Monmouth’s account of King Arthur is D records from that period in history are not very reliable A interesting B enjoyable C fictional D accurate 4 The author of this article states that the legendary Arthur was like “a beacon shining through the darkness of the Middle Ages.” What does she 7 Read this sentence from the article. mean by this statement? The truth about Arthur became F King Arthur was thought to be a obscured over the years by different very handsome man. stories that told of a noble king who G King Arthur brought hope to the ruled Britain for a brief but glorious citizens of Britain. time. H King Arthur was known to be a very humorous man. In this sentence, “obscured” means J King Arthur freed British citizens about the same as from the Romans. F respected G concealed H improve d 5 Why does the author tell her readers J organized about plays and movies that retell the legend of King Arthur? A to give examples of how historians are still searching for the truth B to demonstrate how much the basic story of King Arthur has changed C to explain that the tale is still popular with people today D to compare the fictional accounts to the historical facts Name ______Date ______
8 Based on the information in this article, do you think that King Arthur actually could have existed? Using details from the article, explain why you do or do not believe that King Arthur might have been real. Name ______Date ______Nonfiction
Directions: Read the passage “The Search for the Real King Arthur” and answer the questions that follow. The Search for the Real King Arthur by Rebecca Sparling You might have heard the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. For centuries, the story of Arthur has captured the imaginations of people around the world. Though there are numerous variations of the legend, the basic story remains the same. Arthur was the abandoned son of the king of Britain. After the king passed away, the search for a worthy heir began. To take the throne, a man had to be able to pull a magical sword out of a stone. Many attempted the feat and failed miserably, until a young man named Arthur successfully pulled the sword free. Arthur became king and later brought peace to Britain, a country that had been consumed by war. To the citizens of his country, Arthur was like a beacon shining through the darkness of the Middle Ages.
The legend of King Arthur remains popular today, mainly because the story has something for everyone. The tale of the king’s life is filled with action, romance, magic, and eventual tragedy. However, people have questioned whether such a compelling story could actually be true. We know today that there is no such thing as a magical sword—but there could have been a King Arthur and he could have assumed the throne and brought peace to Britain. On the other hand, is King Arthur merely a fictional character that has withstood the test of time? Researchers, scholars, and historians have spent years trying to solve this mystery.
Historians know that the real King Arthur would have lived around the late fifth or early sixth century C.E. By this time, the Roman Empire had occupied the island of Great Britain for over 400 years. Attacks on the empire led to the withdrawal of Roman soldiers, leaving the people of Britain to defend themselves against the invading Saxon tribes. It is during this period that many believe the legend of Arthur began to take shape.
Up to this point, Roman writers had recorded much of Britain’s history. The split between the two countries left a gap in the history books. Today, many scholars argue over which accounts of this time in British history are the most reliable. This is one of the reasons that the existence of King Arthur is still a subject of much debate. Name ______Date ______
Only one historical event can be linked to an Arthur- like figure: the Battle of Mount Badon. A sixth-century monk named Gildas wrote that Ambrosius Aurelianus led the British to victory over an invading Saxon army. Much later, during the nineteenth century, a scholar named Nennius referred to this leader as Arthur. Modern historians have not been able to confirm whether or not these accounts are based on facts.
Another theory is that the real Arthur was actually a warrior named Riothamus, who was sent by the Romans to save Britain from Saxon invaders. Riothamus was also known by the name Artorius, which leads many to believe that this is where the name Arthur came from.
Still, there is very little proof to back up any of these claims. The truth about Arthur became obscured over the years by different stories that told of a noble king who ruled Britain for a brief but glorious time. During the twelfth century, the author Geoffrey of Monmouth named Arthur in his history of great British kings. Scholars often question his account, however, which includes giants and dragons.
A recent discovery may have shed some light on Arthur’s existence. According to legend, Arthur was born in a castle in Tintagel, England. Archeologists found a slate in this area bearing an inscription that might refer to a man who could have been the real King Arthur. While some people consider this the discovery of a lifetime, others feel that no definite connection exists between the man named on the slate and King Arthur. The debate will most likely continue until someone discovers undeniable proof of Arthur’s existence.
Many famous authors, such as Mark Twain, E.B. White, and John Steinbeck, have retold the story of Arthur in their novels. The tale of the fabled king has been captured in other art forms as well, such as in the paintings of John William Waterhouse and in the Broadway musical Camelot . It has also been recreated countless times on the silver screen. Many students in universities study the Arthurian legend and fan groups around the world enjoy discussing the many theories about the existence of the famous king.
1 This article would most appeal to a 2 Who wrote about Ambrosius reader interested in Aurelianus leading the British in the Battle of Mount Badon? A the Roman Empire B archeological discoveries F Gildas C historical mysteries G Geoffrey of Monmouth D science-fiction novelists H Riothamus J John Steinbeck Name ______Date ______
3 According to information in the article, 6 Read these sentences from the article. the main reason that it is difficult to know whether or not King Arthur Geoffrey of Monmouth named Arthur existed is because in his history of great British kings. Scholars often question his account, A only schoolchildren study the however, which includes giants and myth of King Arthur dragons. B many kings of the past had the name Arthur In this sentence, the author suggests C only famous fiction writers have that scholars feel Geoffrey of mentioned the king Monmouth’s account of King Arthur is D records from that period in history are not very reliable A interesting B enjoyable C fictional D accurate
4 The author of this article states that the legendary Arthur was like “a beacon shining through the darkness of the Middle Ages.” What does she 7 Read this sentence from the article. mean by this statement? The truth about Arthur became F King Arthur was thought to be a obscured over the years by different very handsome man. stories that told of a noble king who G King Arthur brought hope to ruled Britain for a brief but glorious the citizens of Britain. time. H King Arthur was known to be a very humorous man. In this sentence, “obscured” means J King Arthur freed British citizens about the same as from the Romans. F respected G concealed H improved J organized
5 Why does the author tell her readers about plays and movies that retell the legend of King Arthur? A to give examples of how historians are still searching for the truth B to demonstrate how much the basic story of King Arthur has changed C to explain that the tale is still popular with people today D to compare the fictional accounts to the historical facts Name ______Date ______
8 Based on the information in this article, do you think that King Arthur actually could have existed? Using details from the article, explain why you do or do not believe that King Arthur might have been real.
Answers will vary.
Students should decide, based on the information they have read in the article, whether or not they believe that King Arthur really did exist. They should provide details from the article to support their responses.