501 Critical Reading Questions

(Sean Pound) #1

  1. b.Line 11 states that the oldest PRB member was only 21 years
    old, so it is clear that the members were young and still devel-
    oping their skills as artists.

  2. e.In the third paragraph (lines 14–26), the author states that the
    PRB believed their peers’ art lack[ed] in meaning and aesthetic
    honestybecause it often depicted overly idealized landscapes, care-
    fully arranged family portraits and still lifes, and overly dramatic
    nature scenes. In contrast, the PRB believed art should more accu-
    rately depic[t] realityand portray people, places, and things realis-
    tically instead of in an idealized way.

  3. a. Lines 34–36 state that the PRB’s realism—especially as it related to
    the Biblical figures—was not well received by many in the art world
    at the time.

  4. c. Lines 14–16 state that the PRB was formed in response to the
    brotherhood’s belief that the current popular art being produced in
    England was lacking in meaning and aesthetic honesty. In addition,
    line 24 states that the PRB was committed to bringing greater
    integrity to art, suggesting that their peers’ work did not have
    integrity.

  5. e.The topic sentence of the sixth paragraph states that one of the
    most distinctive aspects of PRB works—both in contrast to the works
    produced during the early nineteenth century and with the art of
    today—is their dramatic use of color(lines 45–47).

  6. b.Throughout the passage, the author describes the principles of
    the PRB—why the group was formed (paragraphs 2 and 3) and
    how the group attempted to live up to its principles (paragraphs
    4–6). There is little or no information offered about the other
    answer choices.

  7. a. In the third paragraph, the author states that the PRB rejected
    the style and subjects of the Royal Academy, seeking instead
    subjects that, by their very nature, had greater meaning and more
    accurately depicted reality(lines 22–23). In paragraph four, the
    author describes how the PRB chose its subjects and aimed to
    portray people more realistically, thus implying that the mem-
    bers of the PRB had a greater awareness of social issues. In
    addition, in lines 38–39, the author states that the PRB often
    chose subjects that highlight[ed] the societal and moral challenges of
    the time.

  8. e.The three examples in the first paragraph show that there is a
    wide range of styles of public art in New York City and that
    public art can be found in a variety of places, including more
    mundane locations such as the subway and post office.

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