READING COMPREHENSION TEXT ABOUT MACHU PICHU

TEXT III
What is Machu Picchu? In the strict sense of the term it is “the great peak” at which the cliff on the
left ends; but today the name is used to designate the Inca city that crowns the depression that
extends between “the great peak” and the small one. “Little beak!” Huayna Picchu! It stands in the
sky like the spire of a cathedral of giants. And the city settled between the two peaks rivals its
natural contours in grandeur, while surpassing them in mystery. Already reached by the Spanish
conquerors of the Inca Empire, it was discovered in our days by a North American explorer, Hiram
Bingham. He made his way through the thicket that hid her and brought her into the light like a
Sleeping Beauty. But neither Bingham nor the younger generation of archaeologists could
determine the age or function of the city. Was it a fortress? And if it is, was it a border fortress of
the Inca Empire against the independent mountain tribes or was it a city to take refuge from the
Spanish invaders who overthrew the Inca Empire? The city is fortified with a dry moat and a wall
on the side of the “Great Peak”, a place where approaching it would have been very easy for
infantry soldiers with feet like those of mountain goats. And this suggests that the city was built for
military purposes; but, of the skeletons found in the tombs on the slopes below, all but a small
percentage are skeletons of women; and this indicates that the inhabitants of the place were not
warriors, but virgins dedicated to the cult of the sun. The enigma leaves us perplexed and an
analysis of the architecture does not resolve it either, since all the styles of Inca architecture are
represented there, from the crudest to the most exquisite.

7. The author of the text centrally intends:

A) discover what the word “Machu Picchu” means

B) make a description of the precise location of the Inca fortress.

C) present the hypothesis that Machu Picchu is a fortress

D) investigate the role that Machu Picchu played in the times of the Incas

E) show your amazement at the enigmatic Machu Picchu

8. Point out the correct thing according to the text:

YO. Hiram Bingham, American archaeologist, was the discoverer of Machu Picchu

II. Huayna Picchu is a citadel that means “small peak”

III. Machu Picchu is as mysterious as the natural landscapes that surround it.

A) Only I and III C) Only III E) None

B) Only II and III D) Only I and II

9. According to the text above, which statements are true:

YO. If Machu Picchu had been a fortress, it would more likely be to protect itself from Spanish
invaders than from independent mountain tribes.

II. Stylistically, Machu Picchu has complex architecture.

III. Machu Picchu could have been a place of worship, judging by the large number d of female
skeletons found in certain tombs.

A) Only I and III C) Only III E) I, II and III

B) Only II and III D) Only I and II