DIRECTIONS: As you read, answer the questions on a lined piece of paper:

Cite three effects fire had on humans.
Use context clues to infer the definition of “fundamentals”.
How would this paragraph be different if it was written from the perspective of the ancient people (assuming the can read and write)?
What is the main idea of the paragraph?

FIRE AND CRITICAL THINKING

How did humans develop differently than other animals? One theory is that it all started with fire. Cooking made it easier and faster to consume more calories. Using fire also changed our social organization. Cooking, by providing quick calories, allowed human males to focus on hunting, leaving gathering and cooking to the females. On the other hand, the sight or smell of smoke reveals a cook’s location at a long distance, allowing hungry individuals who have no food to easily locate cooks. Each female could have looked for long-term protection from a male. Her bond with him protected her food from other males, and he also gave her meat. These bonds were likely so critical for the success of the species that they affected marriage customs for thousands of years. Even more significant is that the existence of fire would have established the tradition of sitting, staring into space and simply thinking. Many meditation practitioners believe that the fundamentals of meditation were first experienced while staring into a fire. Whether lost in thought or experiencing an absence of thought, the fire allowed humans more time to reflect, imagine and innovate, unlike ever before.