IELTS Reading is one of the four parts of the test, and it checks how well you understand written English under time pressure. You read passages and answer questions that test different skills, like finding facts, understanding opinions, and spotting how ideas connect.
This passage is called What Destroyed the Civilisation of Easter Island, and it comes from Cambridge IELTS 11 Academic, Test 2. It's a well-known passage that shows up often in practice books, mainly because two researchers argue different sides of the same story throughout.
The passage has seven paragraphs and comes with thirteen questions in total. You'll see three question types here: matching headings, summary completion, and a question where you pick two correct letters out of five options.
Here's the official answer key for this exact test, pulled straight from Cambridge sources.
Question
Answer
Question Type
1
ii
Matching Headings
2
ix
Matching Headings
3
viii
Matching Headings
4
i
Matching Headings
5
iv
Matching Headings
6
vii
Matching Headings
7
vi
Matching Headings
8
farming
Summary Completion
9
canoes
Summary Completion
10
birds
Summary Completion
11
wood
Summary Completion
12
B
Choose Two Letters
13
C
Choose Two Letters
These are the answers for the original What Destroyed the Civilisation of Easter Island passage. You can now work through the practice passage and questions below, then check them against the explanations to see exactly how each answer connects back to the text.
Want to understand the complete IELTS test before practising Reading passages? Check the IELTS Exam page for the test format, sections, duration, and key details.
What Destroyed the Civilisation of Easter Island IELTS Reading Passage for Practice
Cambridge never reuses the exact same wording for the What Destroyed the Civilisation of Easter Island reading passage answers across practice sites, so reading a word-for-word copy somewhere else doesn't actually prepare you for anything. What helps is practicing on a version that says the same things, argues the same points, and follows the same paragraph order, just written with different sentences.
That's what you've got below. Same seven paragraphs, same facts about Diamond, Hunt, and Lipo, same sequence of events on Rapa Nui. Read it the way you would on test day, time yourself, try to spot where each answer might sit, then check your work against the explanations further down.
What Destroyed the Civilisation of Easter Island IELTS Reading Passage for Practice
Paragraph A: Easter Island goes by Rapa Nui locally. It's known for its giant stone statues, the moai. Polynesian settlers landed there and stayed cut off from everyone else for generations. By the time Dutch sailors showed up in 1722, islanders were still using Stone Age tools. And yet those tools had somehow carved and moved statues weighing thousands of kilos. For most of the last century, nobody actually knew who built them. Some theories got pretty strange. One adventurer figured pre-Inca Peruvians did it. Another writer blamed aliens. Genetic and archaeological work eventually closed the case for good; it was Polynesians. What's still up for debate is how they hauled statues that heavy across the island with no wheels and no animals.
Paragraph B: Europeans landed on a mostly bare island. Just grassland, a few thin trees. But pollen samples pulled from lake beds years later told a different story: this place used to be thick with palm forest. That forest disappeared right after people arrived. Jared Diamond puts the blame on the islanders themselves. He calls Rapa Nui a fragile place to begin with, dry, remote, not built to bounce back from heavy use. His theory goes like this. People cleared land for farming and cut wood for fuel, and the forest never grew back. No trees meant no canoes, no canoes meant no fishing, so people started eating birds instead. Soil eroded, crops failed, and Diamond says all this pushed islanders into war and cannibalism before Europeans even showed up.
Paragraph C: Diamond doesn't stop at deforestation. He thinks the moai made things worse. His idea is that local chiefs built bigger and bigger statues just to outdo each other, since a small island doesn't leave many other ways to show power. Moving those statues took wooden sledges and log tracks, which ate through timber and manpower fast. More workers meant more land cleared to feed them. Wood ran out, fighting broke out, and islanders started knocking their own statues down. By the 1800s, not one was left standing.
Paragraph D: Not everyone buys Diamond's version. Archaeologists Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo agree that the island lost its forest; they call it a real ecological disaster. But they don't put that blame on the islanders or the statues. Their digs found something different: thousands of small stone circles built to shield crops from wind, plus broken volcanic rock used to keep soil moist. To Hunt and Lipo, that's not carelessness. That's careful, resourceful farming.
Paragraph E: Here's where Hunt and Lipo really break from Diamond. They think building moai actually kept the peace between island groups instead of causing conflict. And they don't think the statues were dragged at all; they think they were walked upright, needing far fewer people and zero wood. That lines up with old local stories saying the statues literally walked. Researchers even tested it. About 18 people, three ropes, some practice, and a 1,000 kg replica could be rocked forward step by step. The statue's shape does most of the work.
Paragraph F: Hunt and Lipo push back on one more thing: that people alone destroyed the forest. They found ancient palm nuts with tiny bite marks, left by Polynesian rats that arrived with the settlers. Those rats bred fast. Fast enough, Hunt and Lipo argue, to eat through palm seeds and stop the forest from ever regrowing, no matter what people do. The rats probably went after bird eggs too. And here's another twist: they see no proof that the population crashed when the forest did. It likely grew steadily and stayed stable, right up until Europeans brought diseases islanders had no defence against. Slave traders finished the job later, and by 1877, only 111 people were left.
Paragraph G: So you end up with two very different stories. Diamond's version is a warning: a society that wrecked its own home through short-sighted choices. Hunt and Lipo's version is almost the opposite: a peaceful, resourceful community mostly undone by things outside their control. Both sides think there's a lesson in what happened at Rapa Nui. They just can't agree on what that lesson actually is.
What Destroyed the Civilisation of Easter Island Reading Questions
Cambridge tests three separate reading skills in this passage, and each one pulls information out of the text in a completely different way. This practice set uses the same paraphrased passage from above, but with a different mix of questions than the official test, so you can practise better from the foundation.
Here's a quick look at how the questions break down before you dive in.
Question Range
Type
What It's Testing
1–7
True/False/Not Given
Checking specific claims against the passage
8–11
Summary Completion
Pulling exact words from Hunt and Lipo's argument
12–13
Choose Two Letters
Identifying reasons behind the forest's disappearance
This set is built to test the same reading skills as the real Cambridge test, matching claims to text, pulling exact words, and comparing arguments, just using a different question format so you get genuine practice rather than a repeat of the answer key above.
Do the statements below agree with the information in the practice passage? Write TRUE if the statement agrees, FALSE if it contradicts the passage, or NOT GIVEN if there's no information on this.
The identity of the moai builders remained a mystery for most of the twentieth century.
Diamond believes the islanders turned to cannibalism before Europeans arrived.
Hunt and Lipo were the first researchers to study Rapa Nui's ecological history.
Hunt and Lipo believe the moai statues were dragged using wooden sledges.
Rats arrived on the island before the Polynesian settlers.
The population of Rapa Nui dropped to just over one hundred people by the late 1800s.
Questions 8–11: Summary Completion
This summary covers Hunt and Lipo's side of the argument instead of Diamond's. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage above for each blank.
Hunt and Lipo agree the island suffered an ecological (8) ____, but they don't blame the (9) ____ for it. Instead, they point to thousands of stone (10) ____ built to protect crops from wind. They also argue that moving the statues needed very few (11) ____, and no wood at all.
Questions 12–13: Choose Two Letters
Choose TWO letters, A to E.
Which TWO of the following are reasons Hunt and Lipo give for the forest's disappearance, according to the passage?
A. Volcanic ash made the soil too poor to support trees B. Rats ate palm seeds fast enough to stop new trees growing C. Islanders deliberately cleared every tree for firewood D. The forest would have vanished even without human clearing, because of the rats E. A long drought killed off the palm trees
What Destroyed the Civilisation of Easter Island Reading Answers with Explanation
Getting the right answer matters, but knowing why it's right matters more. Below, every answer comes with where it sits in the passage and why it's correct, matching the practice question set above rather than repeating the official key.
Answers and Explanations of 1–7: True/False/Not Given
Seven statements, seven verdicts, and each one comes down to matching a claim against exactly what the passage says, no more, no less. The table below gives you the quick version first, correct answer next to each question, followed by the full reasoning behind each one.
Q
Answer
1
TRUE
2
FALSE
3
TRUE
4
NOT GIVEN
5
FALSE
6
FALSE
7
TRUE
Q1: The identity of the moai builders remained a mystery for most of the twentieth century A: TRUE Location: Paragraph A Explanation: The passage states plainly that "for most of the twentieth century, nobody actually knew who built them." That's a direct match, no inference needed.
Q2: Rising sea levels destroyed Rapa Nui's palm forest A: FALSE Location: Paragraph B Explanation: The passage blames the forest's disappearance on clearing land for farming and firewood, not sea levels. Sea levels never come up anywhere in the passage.
Q3: Diamond believes the islanders turned to cannibalism before Europeans arrived A: TRUE Location: Paragraph B Explanation: The passage says this directly, Diamond claims the collapse "pushed the population into war and even cannibalism before Europeans ever arrived."
Q4: Hunt and Lipo were the first researchers to study Rapa Nui's ecological history A: NOT GIVEN Location: Not stated anywhere in the passage Explanation: The passage introduces Hunt and Lipo's findings but never claims they were the first to research the island's ecology. There's simply no information to confirm or deny this.
Q5: Hunt and Lipo believe the moai statues were dragged using wooden sledges A: FALSE Location: Paragraph E Explanation: This is actually Diamond's theory. Hunt and Lipo argue the opposite, that statues were walked upright using ropes, needing no wood at all.
Q6: Rats arrived on the island before the Polynesian settlers A: FALSE Location: Paragraph F Explanation: The passage says rats "arrived alongside the settlers," meaning they came at the same time, not earlier.
Q7: The population of Rapa Nui dropped to just over one hundred people by the late 1800s A: TRUE Location: Paragraph F Explanation: The passage gives the exact figure, population dropped to 111 people by 1877, which fits "just over one hundred."
Answers and Explanations of 8–11: Summary Completion
Four blanks here, all pulled from Hunt and Lipo's side of the argument rather than Diamond's. The table below gives you the quick version first, correct answer next to each blank, followed by the full reasoning for each one.
Q
Blank
Answer
8
ecological ___
disaster
9
don't blame the ___
islanders
10
stone ___
circles
11
very few ___
people
Q8: Hunt and Lipo agree the island suffered an ecological ___ A: disaster Location: Paragraph D Explanation: The passage says Hunt and Lipo "accept that the island lost its forest and suffered environmental damage," calling it an ecological disaster directly.
Q9: They don't blame the ___ for it A: islanders Location: Paragraph D Explanation: The passage states clearly that Hunt and Lipo "don't blame the islanders or the statues for it." Islanders is the exact word needed here.
Q10: They point to thousands of stone ___ A: circles Location: Paragraph D Explanation: The passage describes "thousands of small stone circular walls" built to shield crops from wind. Circles is the noun the blank needs.
Q11: Moving the statues needed very few ___ A: people Location: Paragraph E Explanation: The passage says moving the moai needed "far fewer people and zero wood." Since wood is already given in the sentence, people is the missing word.
Answers and Explanations of 12–13: Choose Two Letters
Rats get most of the blame in this last section, and figuring out exactly why takes reading Hunt and Lipo's argument as one connected piece rather than picking out scattered lines. Two correct letters this time, both pointing to the same explanation.
Q12 and Q13: Which TWO of the following are reasons Hunt and Lipo give for the forest's disappearance? A: B and D Location: Paragraph F Explanation: Hunt and Lipo point to Polynesian rats eating palm seeds fast enough to stop new trees from growing, which covers option B. They also argue this alone would've doomed the forest "even without the settlers' campaign of deforestation," which covers option D. Volcanic ash, deliberate burning, and drought never appear anywhere in the passage, so none of the other three options hold up.
How to Approach What Destroyed the Civilisation of Easter Island Reading Questions?
This passage isn't really testing your vocabulary. Working through the What Destroyed the Civilisation of Easter Island reading passage answers is really about holding two arguments in your head at the same time and remembering who said what.
Each question type in this passage rewards a different habit. Here's what actually works for each.
Skimming kills you on this question type. Structure saves you. Read the first and last sentence of every paragraph before you even glance at the heading list, since that's usually where the real point sits.
Paragraph B opens with the pollen detail, and that alone hints at "diminishing food resources" before you've read the rest
Paragraph G closes on the "two visions" line, which gives its heading away almost instantly
Never lock in a heading just because one word matches; check what the whole paragraph's actually saying first
Summary Completion
Word limits here don't bend. This passage says ONE WORD ONLY, and going even slightly over costs you the mark, no matter how correct your answer is otherwise.
Read the full sentence around each blank, not just the two or three words sitting right next to it
Q9 and Q10 share one sentence in this passage, so cracking one usually cracks the other
Check that your words fit the grammar too, not just the meaning, a plural where a singular is needed still counts as wrong
Choose Two Letters
People overcomplicate this one. They go hunting across the entire passage for two separate answers, when both usually sit right next to each other.
In this passage, both correct answers live inside paragraphs C through E
Read that whole stretch once, properly, before you start matching it against the five-lettered options
Cross off any option the passage never actually mentions; that alone narrows things down fast
Look for Paraphrased Information
Nothing in the headings or summary blanks copies the passage word for word. "Undisputed answer" stands in for "definitively proved," and that same swap happens again and again through the heading section.
Train your brain to catch meaning, not exact phrasing, when you're scanning
If a heading feels close but not identical to the passage's wording, that's usually the sign it's right, not a reason to doubt it
Follow the Word Limit Carefully
Worth repeating because this trips up so many students. Write "wooden canoes" instead of just "canoes" for Q9, and it's marked wrong, even though you clearly understood the passage.
Trim every answer down to exactly what the instruction allows, nothing extra
Reread the instruction line right before you submit, not just once back at the start
Put these five together and you've basically covered everything this passage throws at you. Matching headings wants structure. Summary completion wants precision. The two-letter question wants focused reading in one spot, not a scattered hunt across seven paragraphs.
Looking for more IELTS Reading practice? Read these answer guides to practise different passage topics and question types:
This passage isn't really testing your vocabulary. It's testing whether you can hold two arguments in your head at the same time and remember who said what. Diamond blames the islanders. Hunt and Lipo blame outside factors. Every question here circles back to that one disagreement.
A few things that make this passage click once you've practiced it:
Read paragraph by paragraph, and note which researcher's speaking in each one
Once you're tracking who said what, the matching headings section stops feeling random
Use the full What Destroyed the Civilisation of Easter Island IELTS reading answers above to check your work, but only after a real attempt at the paraphrased passage first, not before
What is the Easter Island IELTS reading passage about?
It's a Cambridge 11 Academic reading passage about the collapse of Rapa Nui's civilisation and its famous moai statues. It presents two competing scientific theories, one blaming the islanders for their own environmental collapse, the other blaming outside factors like rats and disease that arrived with settlers.
Which Cambridge IELTS book is this passage from?
This passage comes from Cambridge IELTS 11 Academic, Test 2, Reading Passage 2. It typically appears as questions 14 to 26 in the official book, though many practice platforms renumber it 1 to 13 for standalone tests.
What question types appear in this passage?
There are three types in total, matching headings for all seven paragraphs, summary completion with one-word answers, and a choose-two-letters question at the end. All three test different reading skills, which makes this a strong passage for mixed practice.
Is the What Destroyed the Civilisation of Easter Island reading passage difficult?
Many students find it moderately challenging mainly because of the two conflicting viewpoints running through the whole thing. The vocabulary itself isn't especially hard, the real difficulty is tracking who argues what across seven paragraphs.
What is the correct answer for Question 1?
The answer is ii, "An undisputed answer to a question about the moai," since paragraph A confirms through genetic and archaeological evidence that Polynesians built the statues.
Why did the forests on Easter Island disappear?
According to Jared Diamond, islanders cleared forests for farming and firewood and the trees never grew back. Hunt and Lipo add that Polynesian rats also ate palm seeds fast enough to stop natural regrowth, regardless of how much land people cleared themselves.
What do Hunt and Lipo disagree with Diamond about?
They disagree on how the moai statues were transported and what impact building them had on Rapanui society. Diamond argues it took heavy sledges and fuelled conflict between groups, while Hunt and Lipo argue it took very few resources and actually helped maintain peace.
How were the moai statues actually moved?
This is genuinely still debated among researchers. Diamond believes they were dragged on wooden sledges using large amounts of labour and timber, while Hunt and Lipo argue they were walked upright using ropes, a theory supported by a real replica experiment involving 18 people.
What caused the population of Easter Island to decline?
Hunt and Lipo argue disease brought by Europeans, followed later by slave traders, caused the real population collapse, dropping numbers to just 111 people by 1877. This is separate from the earlier environmental changes tied to deforestation and food shortage.
How should I prepare for the What Destroyed the Civilisation of Easter Island IELTS reading answers section specifically?
Focus on reading the first and last lines of each paragraph first, since that's usually where the main idea sits for matching headings. Also expect heavily paraphrased wording between the headings and the passage rather than exact word matches, and always double check word limits on summary completion questions.
Where can I find more practice passages like this one?
upGrad's IELTS reading resources offer additional Cambridge-style passages that use the same mix of question types. Practicing passages built around multiple conflicting viewpoints, like this one, is especially useful groundwork before sitting the actual test.
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