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READING PASSAGE 1
The evolution of painting, and cubism in particular, shared
with science the common characteristic of drawing upon late
nineteenth-century achievements, but, in so doing, of intensifying
and transforming them. The result was the overthrow of much
of the heritage of the nineteenth and earlier centuries.
In certain respects cubism brought to an end artistic traditions
that had begun as early as the fifteenth century. At the
same time, the cubists created a new artistic tradition
that is still alive, for they originated attitudes and ideas
that spread rapidly to other areas of culture and that to
an important degree underlie artistic thought even today.
Cubism first posed, in works of the highest artistic quality,
many of the fundamental questions that were to preoccupy
artists during the first half of the twentieth century;
the historical and aesthetic importance of cubism, therefore,
renders it worthy of the most serious attention.
Cubism developed with extraordinary rapidity between the
years 1907 and 1914. From 1914 until about 1925 there were
a great many artists painting in a cubist mode, but this
later phase produced relatively few stylistic innovations
that had not been anticipated to some extent during the
pre-war years. By the mid-1920s, a crisis emerged in cubism
as in European art generally, bringing to an end a period
of almost twenty years during which cubism had been the
predominant force behind an entire artistic generation.
In its beginnings, however, and until about 1923, cubism
was an exclusively Parisian phenomenon, and it probably
could not have been born elsewhere, for reasons of history,
geography, and culture. No other city in the world in the
early years of the twentieth century could boast of a comparable
century-long history of outstanding artistic activity; and
the relatively central location of Paris in western Europe
served only to facilitate the migration of the most gifted
young artists and writers from Spain, Italy, Germany, Russia,
and the Low Countries toward this cultural mecca. Paris
offered them not only the challenge of their most gifted
contemporaries, but also its great museums; it offered a
tradition of moral and intellectual freedom, and an artistic
bohemia in which they could live cheaply at the edge of
society without suffering the ostracism inflicted by the
bourgeoisie in smaller, more conservative, and less cosmopolitan
European cities. In retrospect it is not surprising that,
by the early part of the twentieth century, Paris contained
an astonishing number of young men of genius, whose presence
constituted an intellectual ‘critical mass’
that soon produced a series of revolutionary cultural explosions.
Question 1
Which of the following was NOT a reason given by
the author that Paris became the center of the artistic
world in the early twentieth century?
A Paris was centrally located in Western Europe
B Artists were attracted to Paris because of its many museums
C Parisian society was characterized by greater freedom
than other European cities
D The bourgeoisie of Paris were wealthy and provided a vast
market for young artists to sell their work
E Paris had a century-long tradition of outstanding artistic
activity
Question 2
Which of the following is the most appropriate
title for this passage?
A Cubism and Crisis: The Transformation of Art in the
1920s
B A Brief History of Cubism
C The Parisian Art World, 1907-1925
D Nineteenth-Century Art in Europe: from Impressionism to
Cubism
E The Decline of Cubism in Europe
Question 3
Which of the following best summarizes the author’s
view of the significance of cubism?
A Cubism was a revolutionary movement that transformed
art and has continued to influence art up to the present.
B Cubism was a revolutionary movement that transformed art
in the early twentieth century but exercised little influence
after the movement waned in the 1920s.
C Cubism, though an important movement, never exercised
much influence outside of Paris.
D Cubism was a short-lived fad and doesn’t deserve
serious attention from art critics or art historians.
E Cubism inaugurated a social revolution and had far-reaching
effects that were felt far beyond the confines of the art
world
Question 4
In the third paragraph the artist describes Paris
as a "cultural mecca" because:
A he means to suggest that Paris was greatly influenced
by Middle Eastern trends
B he believes that Paris’ importance as a religious
center resulted in great amounts of artistic patronage
C he believes that Paris’ age-old importance as a
center of European art was waning
D he means to suggest that Paris represented a place to
which artists flocked from all over Europe
E he means to suggest that the Parisian art world had become
decadent
Question 5
Based on this passage it can be concluded that
the author believes that:
A Cubism never exercised much influence outside the city
of Paris
B The most innovative period of the cubist movement occurred
while Cubism was confined to Paris
C Picasso was the greatest of all cubists
D The crisis that emerged in cubism in the 1920s caused
a crisis in the rest of the art world
E Cubism had only an ephemeral impact on art
ANSWERS and EXPLANATIONS
1. D
The author writes about the other four reasons listed among
the answer choices. But nowhere in this passage is the idea
that Parisian bourgeoisie bought lots of art discussed.
It may or may not be true, but it is not mentioned in this
passage, so D is the best answer.
2. B
Short and sweet. A title doesn’t have to be flowery
to be appropriate. This passage provides a brief history
of cubism, so what better to call the passage than "A
Brief History of Cubism." Easy, right?
3. A
The author obviously has a positive view of cubism, and
believes that it was one of the most important developments
in the history of art. The author also states that cubism
originated attitudes and ideas that spread rapidly to other
areas of culture and that to an important degree underlie
artistic thought even today. Answer A is simply a restatement
of this sentence.
4. D
Mecca can be used to mean a place that attracts many visitors.
As in, the Metropolitan Opera house is a mecca for music
lovers, or Yankee Stadium is a mecca for baseball fans.
And in this passage, the phrase cultural mecca reflects
the author’s belief that Paris attracted writers and
artists from all over Europe. Good job!
5. B
Good, this is the best answer. You had to do a little inference
here. In the second paragraph the author states that the
most innovative part of the development of the cubist movement
occurred between 1907 and 1914. Then, in the next paragraph,
the passage goes on to state that until about 1923, cubism
was an exclusively Parisian phenomenon. Therefore, it is
logical that the author believes that the most innovative
period of cubsim occurred when the movement was confined
to Paris.
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