OPEN CLOZE 11-10-2021

From question 1-10, fill in each gap with a suitable word

The huge stone figures of Easter Island have beguiled explorers, researchers and the wider
for
world (1) __________ centuries, but now experts say they have cracked one of the biggest
mysteries: why the statues are where they are.

on
Researchers say they have analysed the locations of the megalithic platforms (2) _________
which many of the statues known as moai sit, as well as scrutinising sites of the island’s
resources, and have discovered the structures are typically found in close (3) __________
proximity to
sources of fresh water. This led to the belief that such constructions could be tied to the
abundance and quality of the supplies.

Prof Carl Lipo from Binghamton University in New York commented that (4) what
________ is
important about the findings is that the statue locations seem to carry a symbolic meaning
to them while integrating into the lives of the community, rather than being a weird ritual
place.

Easter Island has more than 300 megalithic platforms, (5) _________
each of which might have
been made by a separate community. The first of these are believed to have been
constructed in the 13th century.

It is thought the monuments represent ancestors and were linked to ritual activity, forming a
focal point for communities, (6) __________
but the reason for their locations was (7) __________
previously
unsolved. While studies have suggested the sites might have been chosen because of a link
to key resources, the team says the latest research is the first attempt to scrutinise such
claims.
The team (8) __________
focused on the east of the island, where various resources have been well
mapped, and looked at the distribution of 93 megalithic platforms constructed (9) _________
beforre
European sailors arrived later in the 18th century.

After finding (10) __________

no link to the proximity of rock used for tools or for the
monuments, they looked at whether the statues were found near other important resources:
gardens spread with stones in which crops like sweet potatoes were grown, fishing sites,
and sources of freshwater.