The following passage is adapted from an essay on library architecture.
Paragraph 1
For centuries, European libraries operated primarily as research archives designed to preserve books rather than facilitate public access. Under this traditional model, patrons were restricted to a grand reading room while library pages retrieved volumes from locked, closed-stack chambers. This spatial division reflected a cultural view of books as rare, fragile treasures to be guarded against the unwashed masses, ensuring that scholarship remained the domain of a privileged elite.
Paragraph 2
The late nineteenth century, however, witnessed a dramatic architectural transformation led by progressive reformers who envisioned libraries as agents of democratic education. Architects began designing buildings with open-stack layouts, placing books directly in public areas where patrons could browse shelves freely. By dismantling the physical barriers between readers and texts, this new design not only democratized access to knowledge but also transformed the library from a silent temple of preservation into a dynamic community hub.
Which of the following best describes how Paragraph 2 functions in relation to Paragraph 1?
- AIt describes the democratic educational ideals introduced in Paragraph 1 to explain why traditional research archives were successfully dismantled.
- It contrasts a newer, more open library layout with the restrictive architecture described in Paragraph 1 to illustrate a change in the institution's purpose.Answer
- CIt suggests that the open-stack layout was abandoned because patrons demanded a return to the preservation priorities described in Paragraph 1.
- DIt details the specific construction materials and engineering techniques needed to build the grand reading rooms mentioned in Paragraph 1.