Review 2: Unit 4 - 5 - Skills

Read the passage, and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D for each question. Angkor was an early civilization that flourished in north-western Cambodia from the early 800’s to the 1400’s. The most famous capital of this civilization was also called Angkor. Cambodian kings built several cities between 820 and the 1100’s. The city of Angkor was the most magnificent. It may have had a million people, more than any European city at that time. The city included Angkor Thom, which was actually a city within the city of Angkor. The city of Angkor also contained many temples and palaces. The city and its temples rank as one of the artistic and architectural wonders of the world. Carved scenes of Cambodian life and Buddhist or Hindu mythology decorate the walls of the temples. One of the temples, Angkor Wat, is probably the finest architectural monument in Cambodia. It has a pyramidal form which imitates the mythological home of the Hindu gods. Angkor Wat was constructed in the 1100’s to honour the Hindu god Vishnu. It was also used as an astronomical observatory. Angkor Wat later became the tomb of the Cambodian king who had ordered its construction. Another temple, the Bayon, stands at the centre of Angkor Thom. It was dedicated to Buddha and the reigning king. The civilization of Angkor reached its peak during the 1100’s and then began to decline. Invasions from neighbouring Thailand, epidemics of malaria and disputes within the Royal Cambodian family may have caused this decline. Thai forces captured the city of Angkor in 1431 but soon abandoned it and forest growth gradually covered most of the city. From the 1860’s to the mid-1900’s, French and Cambodian archaeologists restored many of its temples.