An important piece of modern Cairo history
may soon be no more. Cairo's houseboats on
the Nile have been docked at the river's shore
for generations, and several of the owners
were born on the boats. A symbol of Egyptian
intellectual life made famous by Nobel laure-
ate Naguib Mahfouz in The Cairo Trilogy and
Adrift on the Nile, houseboats were the loca-
tions of restaurants and cafes where authors,
poets, and scholars would meet to exchange
deas. Many Cairenes are petitioning the
Overnment to retain the houseboats for their
Itural and historic importance.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
The government of Cairo should preserve
the houseboats on the Nile.
B
The existence of the historic Cairo house-
boats is threatened.
for
Naguib Mahfouz won the Nobel prize
writing about the Cairo houseboats.
Many intellectual and cultural gatherings
were held on Cairo houseboats.