16Hit1600
Craft and StructureVery hardTwo texts on whether a painting is a self-portrait

Craft and Structure practice question

Text 1 The painting is a self-portrait: the sitter holds a brush and looks directly at the viewer. Text 2 Brush and gaze were conventions of the portrait trade; sitters who never painted were shown with brushes to flatter them. The artist's own account books record a fee paid by a client for this picture.

Based on the texts, how does Text 2 bear on the claim in Text 1?

  1. A. It undermines the claim by showing that the brush proves nothing and that a client paid for the picture.Correct
  2. B. It confirms the claim by identifying the artist.
  3. C. It shows that the sitter was a famous painter.
  4. D. It has no bearing, because it concerns a different painting.

Answer: A. It undermines the claim by showing that the brush proves nothing and that a client paid for the picture.

A convention, and a paying client.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. It confirms the claim by identifying the artist.
The artist's books point away from a self-portrait.
C. It shows that the sitter was a famous painter.
Text 2 says many sitters never painted.
D. It has no bearing, because it concerns a different painting.
The same picture.

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