ParadoxDiff: Hard
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Even though a conservative organization funded both painting and sculpture in 19th-century France, painters were still very creative while sculptors were not.
Reasoning: The academy funded both arts and hated innovation, which explains the lack of it in sculpture, but somehow painting remained highly innovative despite the same funding source.
Analysis: The paradox lies in the divergent outcomes for two groups subject to the same restrictive influence. We need a piece of information that explains why painters could bypass the academy's influence or why the academy's control over painting was weaker than its control over sculpture. Perhaps painters had alternative funding sources or the academy's rules were harder to enforce in that medium. Look for an answer that introduces a relevant difference between the two art forms.
Reasoning: The academy funded both arts and hated innovation, which explains the lack of it in sculpture, but somehow painting remained highly innovative despite the same funding source.
Analysis: The paradox lies in the divergent outcomes for two groups subject to the same restrictive influence. We need a piece of information that explains why painters could bypass the academy's influence or why the academy's control over painting was weaker than its control over sculpture. Perhaps painters had alternative funding sources or the academy's rules were harder to enforce in that medium. Look for an answer that introduces a relevant difference between the two art forms.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage25.Which one of the following, if true, most helps to explain the difference between the amount of innovation in French painting and the amount of innovation in French sculpture during the nineteenth century?
Correct Answer
C
If stone was far more expensive than paint and canvas, many more unsponsored (self-funded) paintings than sculptures could be produced. Painters could therefore work outside the academy’s control and innovate, while sculptors, needing costly resources, stayed dependent on the academy and thus were discouraged from innovating. This directly explains the discrepancy.
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