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When another old cave is discovered in the south of France, it is not usually news. Rather, it
is an ordinary event. Such discoveries are so frequent
these days that hardly anybody pays heed to them. However,
when the Lascaux cave complex was discovered in 1940,
5 the world was amazed. Painted directly on its walls were
hundreds of scenes showing how people lived thousands
of years ago. The scenes show people hunting animals,
such as bison or wild cats. Other images depict birds and,
most noticeably, horses, which appear in more than
10 300 wall images, by far outnumbering all other animals.
Early artists drawing these animals accomplished
a monumental and difficult task. They did not limit
themselves to the easily accessible walls but carried
their painting materials to spaces that required climbing
15 steep walls or crawling into narrow passages in the
Lascaux complex.
Unfortunately, the paintings have been exposed to the
destructive action of water and temperature changes, which
easily wear the images away. Because the Lascaux caves have
20 many entrances, air movement has also damaged the images inside.
Although they are not out in the open air, where natural light would have
destroyed them long ago, many of the images have deteriorated and are barely
recognizable. To prevent further damage, the site was closed to tourists in 1963, 23 years after
it was discovered.
- Which title best summarizes the main idea of the passage?
(a) Wild Animals in Art
(b) Hidden Prehistoric Paintings
(c) Exploring Caves Respectfully
(d) Determining the Age of French Caves
- In line 3, the words pays heed to are closest in meaning to ______.
(a) discovers
(b) watches
(c) notices
(d) buys
- Based on the passage, what is probably true about the south of France?
(a) It is home to rare animals.
(b) It has a large number of caves.
(c) It is known for horse-racing events.
(d) It has attracted many famous artists.
- According to the passage, which animals appear most often on the cave walls?
(a) Birds
(b) Bison
(c) Horses
(d) Wild cats
- In line 8, the word depict is closest in meaning to _______.
(a) show
(b) hunt
(c) count
(d) draw
- Why was painting inside the Lascaux complex a difficult task?
(a) It was completely dark inside.
(b) The caves were full of wild animals.
(c) Painting materials were hard to find.
(d) Many painting spaces were difficult to reach.
- In line 12, the word They refers to _______.
(a) walls
(b) artists
(c) animals
(d) materials
- According to the passage, all of the following have caused damage to the paintings
EXCEPT _______ .
(a) temperature changes
(b) air movement
(c) water
(d) light
- What does the passage say happened at the Lascaux caves in 1963?
(a) Visitors were prohibited from entering.
(b) A new lighting system was installed.
(c) Another part was discovered.
(d) A new entrance was created.
ANSWER Key:
- B
- C
- B
- C
- A
- D
- B
- D
- A