Multiple Choice Questions
1. In the Quechua Indian language, “Machu Picchu” means ______.
A. “Giant Rocks”
B. “Royal Temple”
C. “Old Mountain”
D. “Forbidden Forest”
2. Unfortunately, most cities built by the Inca civilization were destroyed by the ______ conquest. Machu Picchu was in a hidden location—invisible from below—and not found, making it one of the most well-prerved Inca cities and an archeological gem.
A. Spanish
B. French
C. Portugue
D. Hobbit
3. According to historians, Machu Picchu might have many functions. Which is not true?
A. astronomical obrvatory
B. royal estate
C. cret ceremonial center
D. stone-pit
4. The Incas were experts at using a building technique called ashlar in which blocks of _____are cut so precily as to fit together tightly without mortar.
A. stone
B. brick
C. clay
D. iron
5. Machu Picchu is located ______ (7970 ft) above a level on a ridge between the Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu mountains in Peru.
A. 9800m
B. 2430m
C. 50m
D. 13700m
6. It is estimated that _____ of the construction done at Machu Picchu was underground, including deep building foundations and crushed rock for drainage.
A. 60%
B. 95%
C. 3%
D. 30%
Machu Picchu
Tucked away in the rocky countryside northwest of Cuzco, Peru, Machu Picchu is ________ to have been a royal estate or sacred religious site for Inca leaders, who civilization was virtually ___________ by Spanish invaders in the 16th century. For hundreds of years, until the American archaeologist Hiram Bingham ________ upon it in 1911, the abandoned citadel’s existence was a cret known only to peasants living in the region. The site ________ over an impressive 5-mile distance, _________ more than 3,000 stone steps that link its many different levels. Today, hundreds of thousands of people tramp through Machu Picchu every year, braving crowds and landslides to e the
sun t over its towering stone monuments and marvel at the mysterious splendor of one of the world’s most famous manmade wonders.
1. Fill in the blanks using the verbs below. You may need to change the verb form according to the context.
stretch, believe, stumble, feature, wipe out
MACHU PICCHU’S INCA PAST
Historians believe Machu Picchu was ______ at the height of the Inca Empire, which ____________ western South America in the 15th and 16th centuries. It was abandoned an estimated 100 years after its construction, probably around the time the Spanish began their conquest of the mighty pre-Columbian civilization in the 1530s. There is no evidence that the conquistadors ever ________ or even reached the mountaintop citadel, however; for this reason, some have __________ that the residents’ dertion occurred becau of a smallpox epidemic.
Many modern-day archaeologists now believe that Machu Picchu rved as a royal estate for Inca emperors and nobles. Others have ___________ that it was a religious site, pointing to its proximity to mountains and other geographical features that the Incas held sacred. Dozens of alternate hypothes have cropped up in the years since Machu Picchu was first __________ to the world, with scholars variously interpreting it as a prison, a trade hub, a station for testing new crops, a women’s retreat or a city devoted to the coronation of kings, among many examples.
2. Fill in the blanks using the verbs below. You may need to change the verb form according to the context.
dominate, unveil, build, attack, theorize, suggest
