QUESTIONS 31-36

31.

What claim does the author make about his book in the first paragraph?

A.    It benefits from new evidence that has not been available to previous historians.
B.    It looks at history from the point of view of society rather than individuals.
C.    It approaches the interpretation of the past from a novel perspective.
D.    It re-evaluates the significance of certain events.

32.

The Rosetta Stone serves as an example of an object...

A.    whose meaning has been re-interpreted many times.
B.    whose significance has changed over time.
C.    which has been fought over for many reasons.
D.    which explains key events over various historical periods.

33.

The author believes that basing a history of the world on texts alone...

A.    leads to too many interpretations.
B.    distorts oral versions of history.
C.    fails to take account of cultural difference.
D.    results in a biased view of history.

34.

The author says that compared to the interpretation of texts, the interpretation of objects calls for...

A.    a greater level of intuition.
B.    more specialised historical background.
C.    a more analytical approach.
D.    greater attention to detail.

35.

What is the author's attitude to the fact that objects often change over time?

A.    He welcomes this as a further layer of significance.
B.    He regrets that so many objects have been accidentally damaged.
C.    He believes that this makes it easier to judge the importance of the object.
D.    He deplores the fact that people have deliberately altered ancient artefacts.

36.

Why does the author include comments from people who live in the area where the object was made?