Famous Monuments of the World: Places and Builders

The correct answer is B, Paris. The Eiffel Tower was built by Gustave Eiffel and completed in 1889 in Paris for the world exposition held to mark the centenary of the French Revolution, and it has remained the best known landmark of France. Option A is wrong because London's landmarks are Big Ben in the Elizabeth Tower of the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge. Option C is wrong because Rome is the city of the Colosseum, the great amphitheatre of the Roman empire, and of the Vatican beside it. Option D is wrong because Berlin is the city of the Brandenburg Gate. A detail worth adding is that Gustave Eiffel also designed the internal framework of the Statue of Liberty, which connects two of the most frequently set monuments in this chapter.

The correct answer is B, France. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to the United States, dedicated in 1886, designed by the sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi with its internal framework by Gustave Eiffel, and it stands on an island at the entrance to New York harbour. Option A is wrong because Britain was the power from which the American colonies had won independence, so a gift of this kind from Britain would make no sense. Option C is wrong because Spain's connection with the Americas lies in the earlier age of exploration and colonisation. Option D is wrong because Italy made no such gift, and the name is placed in the options only because of the country's reputation in sculpture. The statue stands on Liberty Island at the entrance to New York harbour and was raised there as a mark of the friendship between the two republics.

The correct answer is B, Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat in Cambodia is the largest religious monument in the world; it was built in the twelfth century as a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu and later became a Buddhist site, and its image appears on the national flag of Cambodia. Option A is wrong because Borobudur in Java, Indonesia, is the largest Buddhist temple in the world, which is a narrower superlative and the commonest confusion here. Option C is wrong because Hagia Sophia at Istanbul is famous as a church that became a mosque, not for its size. Option D is wrong because the Potala Palace at Lhasa was the residence of the Dalai Lama and is remembered for its setting rather than for being the largest.

The correct answer is B, Peru. Machu Picchu is the Inca citadel set high in the Andes of Peru, and it was chosen in 2007 as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Option A is wrong because the wonder in Mexico is Chichen Itza, the Mayan site in Yucatan, and the two are the pair most often interchanged because both are pre-Columbian sites of Latin America. Option C is wrong because the wonder in Brazil is Christ the Redeemer, the statue above Rio de Janeiro. Option D is wrong because Chile has no entry in the list. Learning the three Latin American wonders together, Machu Picchu in Peru, Chichen Itza in Mexico and Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, prevents the usual mistake.

The correct answer is B, Jordan. Petra is the city carved into rose-red rock in southern Jordan, built by the Nabataeans, and it was included among the New Seven Wonders of the World chosen in 2007. Option A is wrong because Egypt's entry in the wider list is the Great Pyramid of Giza, which was given honorary standing as the only survivor of the ancient wonders rather than being voted in. Option C is wrong because Turkey's famous monuments are Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque at Istanbul, neither of which is in the list. Option D is wrong because Iran, with Persepolis among its ancient sites, has no entry either. Petra and Jordan are best learnt as a fixed pair. Petra is also known as the rose-red city for the colour of the sandstone from which its facades were carved, a description papers sometimes use in place of the name.

The correct answer is C, Rio de Janeiro. Christ the Redeemer stands on a peak above Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and was chosen in 2007 as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Option A is wrong because Lisbon is the capital of Portugal; a similar figure stands near it, which is exactly why the option is placed here. Option B is wrong because Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina and has no entry in the list. Option D is wrong because Lima is the capital of Peru, whose entry in the list is Machu Picchu, set high in the Andes and far from the capital. The three Latin American wonders should be kept as a block: Brazil, Peru and Mexico.

The correct answer is B, Great Pyramid of Giza. The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing, and for that reason it was given honorary standing alongside the New Seven Wonders chosen in 2007. Option A is wrong because the Colossus of Rhodes, a huge bronze statue, was destroyed by an earthquake in antiquity. Option C is wrong because the Lighthouse of Alexandria, also called the Pharos, was likewise brought down by earthquakes. Option D is wrong because the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was destroyed and rebuilt more than once and finally lost. The remaining ancient wonders were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus.

The correct answer is C, Indonesia. Borobudur stands on the island of Java in Indonesia and is the largest Buddhist temple in the world, built as a great stepped monument whose terraces carry hundreds of relief panels and stupas. Option A is wrong because Cambodia's great monument is Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world, built first as a Hindu temple; Angkor Wat and Borobudur are the pair most often interchanged in this chapter. Option B is wrong because Thailand, though full of important Buddhist temples, has none that carries this superlative. Option D is wrong because Sri Lanka's famous Buddhist sites, such as the Temple of the Tooth at Kandy, are also not the largest. The simplest rule to carry is that the largest religious monument of any faith is Angkor Wat, while the largest of the Buddhist temples alone is Borobudur.

The correct answer is A, Jorn Utzon. The Sydney Opera House, with its shells rising above the harbour, was designed by the Danish architect Jorn Utzon and is the best known building in Australia. Option B is wrong because Le Corbusier is remembered in India for planning the city of Chandigarh and its Capitol Complex, which makes him a tempting choice for an Indian candidate. Option C is wrong because Frank Lloyd Wright, the American architect, is remembered for Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Option D is wrong because Antoni Gaudi designed the Sagrada Familia at Barcelona, the church left unfinished at his death. Four architects, four very different buildings, is the way to hold this question in memory. The building took many years to complete and its roof shells are the detail by which it is recognised in any photograph set alongside such a question.

The correct answer is B, Rome. The Colosseum is the vast amphitheatre of the Roman empire, standing in the heart of Rome in Italy, and it was chosen in 2007 as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Option A is wrong because Athens in Greece is the city of the Parthenon, the temple of Athena on the Acropolis, which is not in the list. Option C is wrong because Istanbul in Turkey is the city of Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Option D is wrong because Barcelona in Spain is the city of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia. Italy also holds the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the bell tower that settled to one side on soft ground, which is often set alongside the Colosseum.

The correct answer is B, Athens. The Parthenon is the temple of the goddess Athena, built in the fifth century before the common era on the Acropolis, the rocky height above Athens in Greece, and it is the most famous monument of the classical Greek world. Option A is wrong because Rome holds the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Pantheon, which belong to a different civilisation and are often confused with the Greek monuments. Option C is wrong because Cairo in Egypt stands near the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. Option D is wrong because Jerusalem's monuments, such as the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall, belong to a different tradition altogether and are not connected with Athena. Greece and Italy are the two countries whose ancient monuments appear most often in this chapter, so the civilisation named in the question is itself a clue to the country.