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Difficulty: HardRecognizing Explicit Cause and Effect

When conservators in the mid-twentieth century attempted to clean the fourteenth-century frescoes of the Scrovegni Chapel, they applied a protective coating of animal glue. They believed this would stabilize the deteriorating pigments. However, this treatment backfired because the animal glue absorbed ambient moisture from the damp chapel air. As the glue swelled and contracted with changes in humidity, it exerted mechanical stress on the paint layer beneath it, ultimately causing the delicate tempera paint to flake off the plaster walls. Later, in the 1970s, restorers introduced a solvent wash to dissolve the glue, but the chemical reaction between the solvent and the copper-based blue pigments created a green patina. This unexpected discoloration altered the original color scheme of the sky panels. Consequently, modern conservation protocols now forbid the use of organic glues and organic solvents on plaster-based frescoes, opting instead for non-reactive synthetic polymers.

According to the passage, what was the direct cause of the tempera paint flaking off the plaster walls?

  1. A
    The chemical reaction that occurred between the solvent wash and the copper-based blue pigments
  2. The mechanical stress produced as the animal glue swelled and contracted with variations in humidityAnswer
  3. C
    The ambient moisture directly dissolving the plaster support structure behind the paint
  4. D
    The modern implementation of protocols requiring the use of non-reactive synthetic polymers

Answer

The mechanical stress produced as the animal glue swelled and contracted with variations in humidity
The passage states that the flaking of the tempera paint was caused by mechanical stress, which occurred as the animal glue swelled and contracted due to changes in humidity.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the key effect mentioned in the question: the flaking of the tempera paint from the plaster walls.
Locate the portion of the passage discussing this flaking effect: '...exerted mechanical stress on the paint layer beneath it, ultimately causing the delicate tempera paint to flake off the plaster walls.'
To trace the explicit cause, we must first locate the target effect in the text.
2
Trace the text backward from the effect to find the direct cause explicitly linked to it.
The sentence begins: 'As the glue swelled and contracted with changes in humidity, it exerted mechanical stress...'
This identifies the physical action (swelling and contracting of the glue under humidity changes) that generated the mechanical stress causing the flaking.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one that accurately matches this cause without introducing unsupported details or distortions.
The option stating that the cause was the mechanical stress produced as the animal glue swelled and contracted with variations in humidity is a direct paraphrase of the explicit cause-and-effect relationship.
This confirms the correct option based on literal comprehension of the text.

Key Concept

Recognizing Explicit Cause and Effect
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Topics

Recognizing Explicit Cause and Effect

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