Vocabulary Study 3 Grade 10

In 1891, Australian farmer John Bradshaw discovered a rock painting in the Kimberley region of western Australia while taking his cattle out to .........................

• scatter

• depict

• graze

• blend

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'graze' because it refers to cattle feeding on grass, which aligns with the context of a farmer taking his cattle out. The other options do not fit the context of cattle activities.

The rock painting that he uncovered turned out to be only one of 100,000 that were ........................ throughout the region.

• marvelled

• determined

• scattered

• contended

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'scattered' because it indicates that the rock paintings are spread out over a wide area, which fits the context of uncovering one among many. The other options do not convey this meaning.

Art historians ...................... at the realistic representations of humans and animals that are featured in the paintings.

• portray

• marvel

• contend

• blend

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'marvel' because it conveys admiration for the realistic representations in the paintings. The other options do not fit the context of expressing awe or appreciation.

Unfortunately, archaeologists have mostly been unsuccessful in ................ when the Bradshaws were painted, due to the chemical changes that the rocks have experienced.

• fluctuating

• resembling

• portraying

• determining

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'determining' because the sentence discusses the challenge archaeologists face in establishing when the Bradshaws were painted, which aligns with the meaning of 'determining'.

In one extraordinary case, the ....................... of an ancient wasp nest was found covering a painting

• fluctuation

• fossil

• cattle

• controversy

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'fossil' because it refers to the preserved remains of an ancient wasp nest, which could indeed cover a painting. The other options do not fit the context of an ancient nest.

On one side of the argument are those who believe that these paintings were created by the Australian Aborigines, the largest ............................ group in Australia

• indigenous

• estimated

• blended

• depicted

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'indigenous' because it accurately describes the Australian Aborigines as the original inhabitants of Australia, fitting the context of the sentence about their paintings.

While the painting itself could not be analyzed, scientists could determine the age of the nest, which would help them ............ how old the painting beneath was.

• depict

• estimate

• contend

• belnd

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'estimate' because determining the age of the nest allows scientists to make an educated guess about the age of the painting beneath it. 'Depict', 'contend', and 'blend' do not fit the context.

However, other archaeologists ......................... that the Bradshaws were painted by a cultural group that lived in Australia before the Aborigines.

• depict

• contend

• portray

• resemble

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'contend' because it means to assert or argue a position, which fits the context of archaeologists presenting a theory about the Bradshaws. The other options do not convey this meaning.

Furthermore the images ...................... on the Bradshaws hint that the artists who created them were not originally from Australia

• estimated

• scattered

• marvelled

• depicted

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'depicted' because it indicates that the images show or represent something. The context suggests that the artists' origins are revealed through what is represented in the images.

Many archaeologists point out that there are many examples of indigenous artwork in the Kimberley region that closely .................... Aboriginal works created elsewhere in Australia

• portray

• resemble

• undertake

• contend

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'resemble' because it indicates that the indigenous artwork in the Kimberley region is similar to Aboriginal works created elsewhere, which aligns with the context of comparing artworks.