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| Line (5) (10) (15) (20) (25) | The study of the astronomical practices, celestial lore, mythologies, religions and world-views of all ancient cultures is called archaeoastronomy. It is described, in essence, as the "anthropology of astronomy", to distinguish it from the "history of astronomy". Many of the great monuments and ceremonial constructions of early civilizations were astronomically aligned, and two well-known ancient archaeological sites seem to have had an astronomical purpose. The Orion mystery, as it is dubbed, purports that the geometry and brightness of the stars in the Orion constellation are mirrored in the alignment and size of the great pyramids of Egypt. While this claim remains hypothetical, it is nevertheless clear that ancient Egyptians incorporated astronomy with architecture. In the Temple of Abu Simbel, for example, sunlight penetrates a sacred chamber to illuminate a statue of Ramses on October 18, which ushered in the start of the Egyptian civil year. Astronomy did not exist on its own, however, but as one limb of a larger body whose other limbs included agriculture and the after-life. In this sense, astronomy linked the two themes humans are most obsessed with: life and death. Around the same period, another monument was erected that combines religion, architecture and astronomy. Stonehenge was built in three separate stages, starting in approximately 3000 B.C. Mostly it remains a mystery, but two clues offer some enlightenment. One is that the megalithic arrangement is not random nor purely aesthetic but astronomical: It marks the solstice and lunar phases. The other is that archaeological excavations have revealed it was also used in religious ceremonies. Chinese records suggest their own astronomical observations dated from the same period; Indian sacred books point to earlier observations; and Babylonian clay tablets show Chaldean priests had been observing the sky (including the motion of the visible planets and of eclipses) shortly thereafter. But the earliest physical vestige of an observatory in fact, lies in southern Egypt. Surprisingly it is probably not the product of a Semitic (Syrian or Babylonian) peoples but rather sub-Saharan, as evidenced by analysis of a human jawbone found on site. The Nabta site is the African equivalent of Stonehenge except it predates it by some 1,500 years. |
22. What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) the definition and some examples of archaeoastronomy
(B) the possible astronomical significance of ancient monuments
(C) the history of astronomy
(D) the oldest known site possibly used for astronomy
23. The word “celestial” in line 1 could best be replaced by
(A) ancient (B) historical (C) heavenly (D) scientific
24. According to the passage, archaeoastronomy
(A) pre-dates astronomy (B) is the anthropology of astronomy
(C) is also called the history of astronomy (D) is not a true science
25. Which of the following, according to the passage, is true about the great pyramids of Egypt?
(A) they were built for purposes of astronomy
(B) they mark the solstice and lunar phases
(C) one of them contains a statue of Ramses in a sacred chamber
(D) they are part of the Orion mystery
26. The word “ushered” in line 11 is closest in meaning to
(A) brought (B) identified (C) marked (D) signaled
27. The word “illuminate” in line 11 is closest in meaning to
(A) light up (B) warm up (C) touch (D) explain
28. Where in the passage does the author make reference to the moon?
(A) lines 5-9 (B) lines 10-14 (C) lines 15-19 (D) lines 20-24
29. The word “enlightenment” in line 18 is closest in meaning to
(A) awareness (B) hope (C) evidence (D) explanation
30. According to the passage, the earliest known site of an observatory is probably
(A) Semitic (B) Babylonian (C) Chaldean (D) Sub-Saharan
31. In line 27, the word “it” refers to which of the following?
(A) Stonehenge (B) the Nabta site (C) African (D) sub-Saharan
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