As used in the text, what does the word "command" most nearly mean?

Question

Muralist Judith Baca is best known for The Great Wall of Los Angeles, a half-mile-long painting that runs along the concrete wall of a flood-control channel. Because the channel is bordered by a busy roadway, most people encounter the mural through a car window rather than on foot. Baca planned for this: she filled each section with oversized figures and high-contrast colors that command attention even from a vehicle traveling forty miles an hour.

Accepted Answer

B. Draw. The text says the mural's oversized figures and bold colors are designed so that drivers notice them at high speed, so "command attention" means the mural draws, or attracts, attention. (A) "Order" reflects the most literal, military sense of "command" (to issue a directive), but a painting cannot issue instructions to passing drivers, and "order attention" is not what the passage describes. (C) "Control" reflects a second dictionary sense of "command" (to have authority over); the text is about capturing viewers' notice, not exercising authority over their attention. (D) "Overlook" reflects the sense in which a hill "commands" a view; the mural is being seen, not doing the viewing.

Answer

A. Order — That's the literal, military sense of "command"—issuing a directive—but a painting can't order drivers to do anything; it attracts their notice.

Answer

C. Control — "Control" is a real dictionary sense of "command" (to have authority over), but the passage is about capturing viewers' notice at forty miles an hour, not exercising authority over it.

Answer

D. Overlook — "Overlook" is the sense in which a hill commands a view—the mural is the thing being seen, not the thing doing the viewing.

Craft and Structure practice question

Answer: B. Draw

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