Many art conservators have long claimed that a recently uncovered landscape painting attributed to an 18th-century master must be an authentic early work because its canvas weaving matches techniques unique to that period. However, recent spectroscopic analysis revealed trace quantities of a synthetic blue pigment—one that was not commercially synthesized until the mid-19th century—embedded within the foundational primer layers of the canvas. This finding demonstrates that the artwork could not have been executed during the era to which it was originally attributed. Therefore, museum curators ought to remove the painting from the upcoming Renaissance exhibition and reclassify it as a later derivative.
In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
- The first is a position that the argument seeks to discredit; the second is an intermediate conclusion that supports the argument’s main conclusion.Answer
- BThe first is a premise offered in support of a traditional view; the second is the main conclusion of the argument.
- CThe first provides background information establishing the historical context; the second is a premise offered to support a position that the argument opposes.
- DThe first is a conclusion for which the author provides supporting evidence; the second is a counterargument intended to undermine that conclusion.
- EThe first is a claim used to support the author’s primary thesis; the second is an observation that challenges the validity of that claim.