In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank. Located 10 miles off Scotland’s north-eastern coast, the Orkney islands are a treasure trove of history. When I visited one of Orkney’s famous prehistoric (1)____, the Maeshowe tomb, my first impression was of an unremarkable green mound (2)______ by a ditch. Despite its appearance, this 5,000-year-old (3)____ place is actually a masterpiece of (4)_______ design and engineering, and a testament (5)______ the skill of Orkney’s prehistoric residents. That’s because, (6)______ around three weeks either side of the winter solstice (which takes (7)______ on 21 or 22 December each year), visitors have the chance to see something truly magical (8)_____ here. During this time of year, the narrow passage into the (9)______ becomes more than just an entrance: it was deliberately designed (10)______ with the setting of the midwinter sun. Just as the last rays start to disappear – which is at around 15:10 at this deepest, darkest time of midwinter – a shaft of light creeps down the passageway, slips across the floor of the tomb and illuminates the back wall like a golden, glowing doorway to another world.

In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank. Located 10 miles off Scotland’s north-eastern coast, the Orkney islands are a treasure trove of history. When I visited one of Orkney’s famous prehistoric (1)____, the Maeshowe tomb, my first impression was of an unremarkable green mound (2)______ by a ditch. Despite its appearance, this 5,000-year-old (3)____ place is actually a masterpiece of (4)_______ design and engineering, and a testament (5)______ the skill of Orkney’s prehistoric residents. That’s because, (6)______ around three weeks either side of the winter solstice (which takes (7)______ on 21 or 22 December each year), visitors have the chance to see something truly magical (8)_____ here. During this time of year, the narrow passage into the (9)______ becomes more than just an entrance: it was deliberately designed (10)______ with the setting of the midwinter sun. Just as the last rays start to disappear – which is at around 15:10 at this deepest, darkest time of midwinter – a shaft of light creeps down the passageway, slips across the floor of the tomb and illuminates the back wall like a golden, glowing doorway to another world.