Q 01/05

Machu Picchu is located in which South American country?

A) Bolivia

B) Peru

C) Ecuador

D) Chile

Answer · why

B) Peru

Peru holds the ruins on the eastern slopes of its Andes, where the mountains drop toward the Amazon, so they stand in tropical mountain forest; they a...

Q 02/05

How do most visitors reach Aguas Calientes, the town at the foot of Machu Picchu?

A) By train

B) By highway bus

C) By riverboat

D) By cable car

Answer · why

A) By train

By train: no road reaches Aguas Calientes, so almost every visitor rides the rails through the river gorge and the rest arrive on foot.

Q 03/05

Roughly how high above sea level does Machu Picchu sit?

A) 2,430 m

B) 1,200 m

C) 3,900 m

D) 5,100 m

Answer · why

A) 2,430 m

That is more than 1,000 metres lower than Cusco, so the site enjoyed a milder climate than the Inca capital.

Q 04/05

What originally covered the roofs of Machu Picchu's stone buildings?

A) Clay tiles

B) Thatched grass

C) Stone slabs

D) Wooden shingles

Answer · why

B) Thatched grass

Thatched grass: roofs of wood and thatch once topped the walls, and when they perished only the roofless stone shells were left.

Q 05/05

Which river loops around Machu Picchu on three sides, far below the ridge?

A) The Amazon

B) The Urubamba

C) The Apurímac

D) The Marañón

Answer · why

B) The Urubamba

The Urubamba, still revered as a sacred river, nearly encircles the ridge; some scholars think that embrace is part of why the Incas chose the spot.