Paragraph:
(1) ______. Curator Helena Marsh put it bluntly in suggesting that stainless steel and outdoor lighting eroded this function. As she explained to the author, 'Bronze, when lit by gaslight, glows with warmth and almost breathes before the eyes, but under modern floodlights it becomes cold and inert.' (2) ______. Civic and economic shifts may have worked against the market, but the London bronze trade remained prosperous, thanks to the patronage of municipalities seeking grand public sculpture at the top end, and the buyers of 'decorative pieces', like candlesticks and door handles and 'ornaments', at the bottom. (3) ______. Another factor that came into play was the systematic collection building of certain American museums over the period. Philadelphia, the Frick Collection and Monticello, among others, were largely supplied by London foundries. (4) ______.
Q12. Where should the given sentence be inserted?
Answer and solution
Correct answer: B
Solution
1. The sentence to insert states that bronze publicly displays status.
2. The paragraph begins with a curator claiming steel and lighting eroded “this function”. That phrase needs the function introduced immediately beforehand.
3. Blank 1 supplies exactly that antecedent and lets the following quotation explain why the function weakened.
4. The other blanks leave the opening reference unresolved or interrupt later discussion of markets and collectors. Answer blank 1, option B.
Detailed reasoning and elimination check:
The missing sentence introduces bronze’s status-display function. The opening continuation uses this function before any other function has been named, creating a mandatory backward reference. Blank 1 resolves it; later insertion leaves the paragraph’s first reference dangling.
G Strategy shortcut
Spot: Resolve references and sentence roles.Apply: “This function” needs an antecedent. The inserted sentence supplies the status-display function, forcing blank 1.
Check: The missing sentence introduces bronze’s status-display function. The opening continuation uses this function before any other function has been named, creating a mandatory backward reference. Blank 1 resolves it; later insertion leaves the paragraph’s first reference dangling.
G Strategy: Spot: Resolve references and sentence roles. Apply: “This function” needs an antecedent. The inserted sentence supplies the status-display function, forcing blank 1. Check: The missing sentence introduces bronze’s status-display function. The opening continuation uses this function before any other function has been named, creating a mandatory backward reference. Blank 1 resolves it; later insertion leaves the paragraph’s first reference dangling.