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Difficulty: Very hardMeeting Specific Rhetorical Goals

During the 2018 restoration of the Prague Astronomical Clock, conservators replaced the replica of the nineteenth-century calendar dial with a new version. The original paintings by Josef Mánes celebrate Bohemian agricultural life. [2] The new replica, however, featured thick, harsh outlines and stylized features that critics argued belonged in a mid-century comic book rather than on a medieval monument.

The writer wants to add a sentence at Point [2] that establishes a clear stylistic contrast between Mánes's original paintings and the newly installed replica. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?

  1. These original pieces utilized a delicate, academic realism to personify the months of the year as peasants engaged in seasonal labor.Answer
  2. B
    The original paintings are now safely housed in the Prague City Museum to protect them from environmental wear.
  3. C
    Mánes completed these twelve medallions in 1865, and they remain among his most famous works of public art.
  4. D
    The original designs relied on subtle shading, the new version replaces this with flat color fields.

Answer

The correct option is the one stating that the original pieces utilized a delicate, academic realism to personify the months of the year as peasants engaged in seasonal labor.
The correct choice is the option that describes the original pieces utilizing a delicate, academic realism. This sentence is grammatically correct and successfully establishes a contrast between the traditional style ('delicate, academic realism') and the modern style described in the following sentence ('thick, harsh outlines').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the prompt's rhetorical goal.
The prompt requires a sentence that establishes a clear stylistic contrast between Josef Mánes's original paintings and the newly installed replica.
This helps target only the choices that describe artistic style rather than historical dates or preservation efforts.
2
Evaluate the choices for grammatical correctness.
The option describing the original designs relying on subtle shading and the new version replacing it with flat color fields is a comma splice, joining two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction or proper punctuation.
ACT English requires all correct choices to be grammatically flawless, eliminating options with structural errors regardless of their content.
3
Evaluate the remaining grammatically correct choices against the rhetorical goal.
The option about museum preservation and the option about the completion year (1865) do not describe style. Only the option describing 'delicate, academic realism' provides the correct stylistic contrast.
This identifies the single choice that is both grammatically correct and rhetorically appropriate.

Key Concept

Meeting Specific Rhetorical Goals
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Topics

Meeting Specific Rhetorical Goals

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