Question

read the passage. on rapa nui, also called easter island, stone figures stare out across the land. these statues are called moai in the local language. for many years, the moai were referred to as \stone heads\ in books and movies. this is because photographs often showed a group of moai whose heads seem to rise out of the earth. since the early 1900s, scientists have known that these heads are attached to bodies hidden underground. however, this fact was not widely known by the public until 2012. that is when pictures from a moai excavation site spread rapidly across the internet. what is the main, or central, idea of the passage? stone statues on easter island became famous when a picture of them spread on the internet. the figures on easter island are called moai, which means \statue\ in the rapa nui language. until recently, most people thought the statues on easter island had heads but not bodies. books and movies often refer to rapa nui statues as the \stone heads\ of easter island.

Explanation:

The passage starts by introducing the moai on Easter Island, then explains why they were called "stone heads" and that scientists knew they had bodies underground but the public didn't widely know until 2012. The main focus is on the public's misconception of the statues having only heads until recently.

Answer:

Until recently, most people thought the statues on Easter Island had heads but not bodies.