Section A

Part 1 - Art Today

"In the Western nations during the last thirty or so years art objects have come to exist that bear no resemblance to the art of former times, presenting experiences of puzzlement, disorder, and in some cases disappointment to the ordinary viewer in search of imaginative stimulation. Paintings that are blank or disorganised; sculptures that lie on the floor or fill a room with clutter; performances that seem to direct violence against the body or enact apparently meaningless communication; films or works in video that are repetitive, ritualised, or focused upon some arcane obsession of the artist – these are all descriptions that could be applied to works presented as "contemporary" by those who run our galleries and museums, as well as by artists themselves. The degraded formal condition of new art sits uneasily, however, alongside the splendour of the new spaces that have sprung up recently for its display. New museums and galleries for contemporary art have appeared everywhere – to the point where no Western city even of modest size can boast of its modernity, its civic awareness, without the presence of some gleaming piece of new architecture in which cutting-edge culture can be explored."

Source: "Art Today"
Brandon Taylor, (Laurence King Publishing, 2005)

Question 1
Which of the following is most clearly implied in the passage above?

A Contemporary art is less impressive than the new museums which exhibit it.

B The perception that the art of the last 30 years is disappointing, inferior and meaningless is due to a misguided way of perceiving it.

C Contemporary art actually is disappointing, inferior and meaningless compared to the art of the past.

D Those who design the new museums and galleries need to think more about making such places appropriate to the art they display.

E We need to forget about the art of the past if we want to experience contemporary art in a meaningful way.

Which of the following statements, if true, most weakens the sense of the passage?

A The incongruity between the new galleries and the art they display is deliberately exploited by the art in question.

B The incongruity between the new galleries and the art they display is an unintentional revelation of the quality of the art in question.

C The incongruity between the new galleries and the art they display reveals something about the social pretensions of culture.

D The difference between the galleries and the art they display is due to a difference in the funding systems for artists and public amenities.

E The new galleries and museums are to be seen as artefacts like the art they display.

Question 3
Which of the following statements cannot be inferred from the passage?

A The art of former times was better.

B The “ordinary viewer” deserves not to be disappointed.

C The descriptions of contemporary art under consideration are all irrelevant.

D Modern art galleries are inappropriate to the art they display.

E Contemporary artists do not produce work according to the preferences of the consumer.

Answers for part 1