▶ Your Answer :
The reading passage contends that there are
a few possible explanations for the masonry works in Easter Island. On the
other hand, the lecturer brings up several points that contradict this
statement.
The speaker argues that moai were not a
prize for a yearly contest between chiefs. If they were erected annually, the
number of statues must have been 500, considering that it were built in
500 years. However, roughly 900 statues exist in that area. Thus, the numbers
do not add up. This casts doubt on the reading passage’s claim that moai would
be a reward for competition held annually, with one statue being each year to honor winners.
The speaker insists that moai were not
mediators between people and divines. This is because some statues look forward,
but others look down. Moreover, experts could not find any religious evidence,
such as artifacts or remnants of ceremony at mounds. This counters the
reading passage’s assertion that the statues were established to intermediate between
humans and deities.
The professor maintains that moai would
have not been constructed to indicate reverence of their ancestors who came
from western islands. In fact, a few statues face west but others gaze north
and east. Furthermore, the test on DNA reveals that Easter Island residents are
related to Polynesions who dwelled in northern and southern parts of Easter
Island. Hence, it is implausible that they came from only western islands. This
refutes the reading passage’s explanation that moai were built to show
adoration to their ancestors from western islands.
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