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Reading & writing · Grades 6–8

A caption with a question

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A caption with a question

A museum's old caption described a carved wooden box as a merchant's money chest. During a catalogue review, the curator found that the original donation note called it only a household box. The hinges and compartments were consistent with several uses. Rather than replace one certainty with another, the museum changed the caption to describe the observed features and list two possible functions. A small question invited visitors to consider what further evidence would distinguish them. The revised label was less dramatic, but it showed the boundary between observation and interpretation.

Try it yourself

  1. What did the original donation note actually call the object?

    1. a royal treasury
    2. a school desk
    3. a merchant's money chest
    4. a household box

  2. Why did the curator avoid declaring a different definite use?

  3. Which distinction is central to the revised caption?

    1. price versus size only
    2. wood versus metal only
    3. morning versus evening
    4. observation versus interpretation

  4. Suggest additional evidence that could help identify the box's use.

  5. What trade-off did the museum accept?

    1. Less accuracy for more entertainment
    2. Less dramatic wording in exchange for greater accuracy about uncertainty
    3. A lower price for the object
    4. No information at all

  1. Explain why asking visitors a question can be useful here.

Answers and marking notes

Answers and marking notes
  1. a household box

    The note did not support the more specific later label.

  2. The features were consistent with several uses, so the evidence did not settle one function.

    Credit the limits of the available evidence.

  3. observation versus interpretation

    The label separates visible features from possible meanings.

  4. A contemporary record, contents found with it, wear patterns or well-documented comparable objects.

    Accept relevant evidence with a brief link to function.

  5. Less dramatic wording in exchange for greater accuracy about uncertainty

    The ending explicitly contrasts drama with evidential care.

  6. It encourages reasoning about evidence rather than simply accepting a confident label.

    Credit engagement with the unresolved interpretation.

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