Magy's English Edu. Club
Cambridge 11 Academic Reading Test Two Passage Two
What destroyed the civilization of Easter Island?
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings.
14. Paragraph A
The answer is II. > An undisputed answer to a question about the moai
In paragraph one, modern science – linguistic, archaeological, and genetic evidence – has definitively proved the moai builders were Polynesians, but not how they moved their creations.
15. Paragraph B
The answer is IX. > Diminishing food resources
In paragraph two, as trees became scarce and they could no longer construct wooden canoes for fishing, they ate birds. Soil erosion decreased their crop yields.
16. Paragraph C
The answer is VIII. > How the statues made a situation worse
In paragraph three, they competed by building ever bigger figures. Diamond thinks they laid the moai on wooden sledges, hauled over log rails, but that required both a lot of wood and a lot of people.
17. Paragraph D
The answer is I. > Evidence of innovative environment management practices
In paragraph four, they built thousands of circular stone windbreakers and gardened inside them, and used broken volcanic rocks to keep the soil moist.
17. Paragraph E
The answer is IV. > A theory which supports a local belief
In paragraph five, on that issue, Hunt and Lip say, archaeological evidence backs up Rapanui folklore.
17. Paragraph F
The answer is VII. > Destruction outside the inhabitants’ control
In paragraph six, archaeological finds of nuts from the extinct Easter Island palm show tiny grooves, made by the teeth of Polynesian rats.
17. Paragraph G
The answer is VI. > Two opposing views about the Rapanui people
In paragraph seven, Hunt and Lipo’s vision, therefore, is one of an island populated by peaceful and ingenious moai builders and careful stewards of the land, rather than by reckless destroyers ruining their own environment.
Complete the summary.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
21. Diamond believes that the Polynesian settlers on Rapa Nui destroyed its forests, cutting down its trees for fuel and clearing land for ……
The answer is FARMING.
In paragraph two, when the islanders cleared the forests for firewood and farming, the forests didn’t grow back.
22 and 23. When the islanders were no longer able to build the ….. they needed to go fishing, they began using the island’s …… as a food source, according to Diamond.
The answer is CANOES.
The answer is BIRDS.
In paragraph two, as trees became scarce and they could no longer construct wooden canoes for fishing, they ate birds.
24. Diamond also claims that the moai were built to show the power of the island’s chieftains, and that the methods of transporting the statues needed not only a great number of people, but also a great deal of ……
The answer is WOOD.
In paragraph three, Diamond thinks they laid the moai on wooden sledges, hauled over log rails, but that required both a lot of wood and a lot of people.
Choose TWO letters, A–E.
On what points do Hunt and Lipo disagree with Diamond?
25 and 26
The answer is B. > how the moai were transported
In paragraph five, they also believe that moving the moai required few people and no wood because they were walked upright.
The answer is C. > the impact of the moai on Rapanui society
In paragraph six, however, Hunt and Lipo are convinced that the settlers were not wholly responsible for the loss of the island’s trees.