SP-013B-0

Senior High School Department

ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES
SEAT WORK 2
G12 HUMSS, & G12 STEM
School Year: 2023-2024
Name: Lyza Fiona E. Kimpano KUD PRODUCTIVITY
Grade & Section: G12- Zephaniah Knowing
Teacher: Dir. Jeraline D. Roquios Understanding
Date: January 16, 2024 Do

II. Understanding

Directions: Identify the thesis statement in each of the following text. Write you answers on the space provided.
1. Psychologists have argued for decades about how a person’s character is formed Numerous psychologists believe
that one’s birth order (i.e. place in the family as the youngest, oldest, or middle child) has the greatest influence. I
believe birth order can have a significant impact in the formation of a child’s character based on my own
experience growing up in a family of four children. Birth order can strongly affect one’s relationship with parents,
relationships with others, and how one views responsibility as an adult.
Thesis Statement:
For decades, psychologists have debated the impact of birth order on a person's character, arguing that it significantly
influences their relationships with parents, others, and their view of responsibility as adults.

2. One sign of pregnancy is nausea upon awakening. Other signs are increase in size and tenderness of the breasts.
Still other signs include increase in the frequency of urination and an increase in the size of the abdomen. Thus,
aside from pregnancy tests, a woman can sometimes recognize the early signs and symptoms of pregnancy.
Thesis Statement:
Pregnancy can be identified through early signs such as nausea, breast size and tenderness, increased frequency of
urination, and increased abdomen size, aside from pregnancy tests.

III. Doing
Directions: Read the text below and complete the topic outline that follows.
Origins of Writing
Ancient civilizations attributed the origins of writing to the gods. For the ancient Egyptians, their god Thoth was
the creator of writing and, in some stories, also the creator of speech. The ancient Sumertans and Assyrians also believed
that writing originated with certain gods, as did the ancient Maya. In Chinese mythology, the creation of writing is
attributed to an ancient sage and was used for communication with the gods. Clearly, writing was highly valued even by
ancient peoples.
Humans hegan painting pictures on cave walls 25,000 years ago or more, but writing systems did not develop
until groups of people began settling in farming communities. Scholars say that writing systems developed independently
in at least three different parts of the world: Mesopotamia, China, and Mesoarmertca.
The oldest known writing system developed among the ancient Sumertans in Mesopotamia around 3000 B.C.
Along with the rise of agricultural societies carne the development of property ownership and the need to keep records of
it. In early agricultural societies, property consisted largely of land, livestock such as cattle, and grain. Originally, clay
tokens of various shapes were used to count these possessions. From this developed a system of impressing the shapes
onto clay tablets. One of the earliest clay tablets of this type was found in excavations in Mesopotamia and dates from the
time of the Sumertan culture. Scribes then began using reeds instead of tokens to mark the clay, developing a system of
wedgelike shapes to represent the tokens. This system of writing using wedge shapes is known as cuneiform. It was later
adopted by other cultures and became the basis for other writing systems. Originating in a system that used pictures to
represent objects, cuneiform writing eventually developed into systems that used symbols to represent the sounds of
language.
The oldest form of Chinese writing dates from around 1500 B.c. It is called oracle bone script because it was
carved on animal bones and shells that were used for predicting the future. At a later period, Chinese writing appeared on
bronze vases and later still developed into a system that was used to record government affairs. The Chinese writing
system was also the original basis for both the Japanese and Korean writing systems.
In Mesoarnertca, a region that encompasses parts of Mexico and Central Arnertca, it is the ancient Mayans who
are famous for the writing they inscribed on temple walls. And other religious structures. However, scholars believe that
writing in that part of the world may have begun before the rise of the Mayan civilization. The Zapotec culture, centered
on Oaxaca, Mexico, was already using writing around 400 B.C, or possibly earlier. The Olmec culture may have
developed a writing system even earlier than that Recent discoveries show that the Mayans may have begun writing
around 2,300 years ago. They used a system of symbols that represented words and syllables to record information about
the deeds of their rulers as well as information connected to their calendar and astronomy. Their system of writing
survived until the time of the Spanish Conquest in the 1500s.
In ancient times, only specialized people such as scholars, priests, or government officials used writing. Today,
close to three-quarters of the world’s adult population can read and write, and literacy is considered a basic skill necessary
to function in the modern world.

Origins of Writing

Thesis Statement: The origin of writing systems can be attributed to ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, China, and
Mesoamerica.

I. Ancient Sumerian in Mesopotamia

A. Recording of property ownership
1. Clay tokens
2. Clay tablets
3. Reeds
4. Cuneiform
II. Oldest form of Chinese writing
A. Oracle bone script
1. Used for predicting the future
B. Chinese writing system
2. Basis for Japanese and Korean writing system
III. Writing system in Mesoamerica
A. Ancient Mayans
1. Temple walls and religious structure inscriptions
2. Used a system of symbols
B. Zapotec Culture
1. Writing around 400 B.C.
C. Olmec Culture
1. Developed earlier a writing system