Question

Difficulty: MediumRhetorical Structure and Sentence Function

Read the passage below and select the sentence that fulfills the specified rhetorical function.

Answer:[1] In nineteenth-century architectural theory, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc championed "stylistic restoration," arguing that restoring a medieval structure entailed re-establishing it in a state of ideal unity that might never actually have existed at any given moment in history. [2] Proponents of this interventionist methodology asserted that modern architects possessed the stylistic rigor necessary to complete unfinished medieval designs according to their original architectural logic. [3] However, John Ruskin vehemently repudiated this approach, contending in The Seven Lamps of Architecture that restoration constituted the total destruction of a building's historic authenticity and tangible material memory. [4] To substantiate his preservationist alternative, Ruskin drew an analogy between an architectural monument and a human life, insisting that a building's aging, weathering, and subsequent modifications represent an unrepeatable biological trajectory that no contemporary craftsman can replicate. [5] Consequently, Ruskin urged architectural custodians to confine their interventions to minimal structural stabilization rather than conjectural aesthetic reversal. [6] While nineteenth-century municipal authorities frequently favored Viollet-le-Duc's polished re-creations for civic monuments, modern conservation doctrine has increasingly vindicated Ruskin's emphasis on material integrity over stylistic purity.

The sentence that functions to bolster the anti-restoration stance by comparing a physical structure to an organic entity is Sentence 【4】.

Answer

Sentence 4
Sentence 4 directly fulfills the specified function: it substantiates Ruskin's preservationist (anti-restoration) stance by introducing an analogy between a building and a human life ('biological trajectory').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the passage structure and identify the core debate.
Sentences 1 and 2 define Viollet-le-Duc's 'stylistic restoration.' Sentence 3 introduces Ruskin's counterargument (anti-restoration). Sentences 4 and 5 expand on Ruskin's view, while Sentence 6 evaluates modern reception.
Understanding the overall rhetorical flow isolates where Ruskin's specific argument is developed.
2
Locate the sentence that employs an analogy between an architectural building and an organic entity.
Sentence 4 explicitly states that Ruskin 'drew an analogy between an architectural monument and a human life,' comparing a building's aging to a 'biological trajectory.'
The prompt asks for the sentence that supports the anti-restoration view by drawing an organic analogy.
3
Confirm the rhetorical role of Sentence 4 within Ruskin's argument.
Sentence 4 provides evidence/reasoning via analogy to substantiate the anti-restoration claim introduced in Sentence 3.
This aligns precisely with the targeted sentence function requested by the question.

Key Concept

Rhetorical Structure and Sentence Function
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