Passage 10: Who Invented Paper? Imagine you were in the final round of qu show. You were one question this away from winning the grand prize. You a because y were were very nervous ready for your vin or lose all situation when the host asked you if you were host glanced at nat question, you forced ajittery smile and gave a quick nod. The possible his cue card and read aloud, "Who invented paper?"Right away, two answers raced through your mind, and one predicament emerged. You simply couldn't decide if it was the ancient Chinese or the ancient Egyptians that inv paper. While you were struggling for an answer, the clock was winding dow you only had more seconds to formulate a response What would it be? ten The word "paper" was derived from an ancient Egyptian word "papyrus." Papyrus is a grass like aquatic plant that thrives along the riverbanks of the Nile in Egypt. The plant can grow up to 20 feet tall. Its stems are upright and triangular shaped. Its leaves are long And its flowers bloom in clusters at the tip of each stem. Dating as far back as 5,000 years, the ancient Egyptians began to use papyrus in several different ways. Among the various applications, one -as a writing materia stood out and later helped coin the word "paper" Making papyrus was both time-consuming and expensive. To start, the ancient Eayptians needed to peel away the plant's green outer layer of skin and slice the nner pith into fine strips. Once that was done, they laid the mostenes lengthwise and crosswise