Scholars of medieval art have long maintained that illuminated manuscript production in Northern Europe occurred mainly within monastic settings, wher...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Scholars of medieval art have long maintained that illuminated manuscript production in Northern Europe occurred mainly within monastic settings, where solitary monks crafted religious documents exclusively for their particular religious communities. Nevertheless, contemporary research conducted by art historian Dr. Sarah Mitchell and her colleagues employing sophisticated spectroscopic methods to analyze pigment compositions has resulted in their determination that medieval illumination encompassed widespread commercial systems and specialized professional ateliers.
Which discovery from the spectroscopic investigation, if accurate, would most strongly validate Mitchell's determination?
The pigments display uniform chemical profiles suggesting materials obtained from various remote regions and combined through standardized professional methods.
The pigments exhibit differences in quality and composition aligned with solitary monks utilizing regionally accessible materials.
The pigments demonstrate traces of sacred symbolism incorporated into the chemical composition via monastery-particular preparation techniques.
The pigments reveal indicators of aging and degradation aligned with preservation in separate monastic libraries across centuries.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Scholars of medieval art have long maintained that illuminated manuscript production in Northern Europe occurred mainly within monastic settings, where solitary monks crafted religious documents exclusively for their particular religious communities. |
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| Nevertheless, contemporary research conducted by art historian Dr. Sarah Mitchell and her colleagues employing sophisticated spectroscopic methods to analyze pigment compositions has resulted in their determination that medieval illumination encompassed widespread commercial systems and specialized professional ateliers. |
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Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Recent spectroscopic research by Dr. Mitchell challenges the traditional view that medieval manuscripts were made by individual monks, suggesting instead that production involved commercial networks and professional workshops.
Argument Flow: The passage presents a classic scholarly debate structure. First, it establishes what scholars have long maintained about manuscript production being monastery-based and individualistic. Then it introduces contradicting evidence from contemporary research using scientific methods, which points toward a more commercial and professionally organized system of production.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
This is a fill-in-the-blank question asking us to choose the best logical connector. The answer must create the right relationship between what comes before and after the blank.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- Mitchell's determination is that medieval illumination involved widespread commercial systems and specialized professional ateliers rather than individual monks working in isolation for their own communities.
- So the right answer should provide spectroscopic evidence that suggests:
- Materials or techniques that point to commercial networks (not local/individual sourcing)
- Standardization that indicates professional workshops (not individual variation)
- Evidence of widespread systems rather than isolated, community-specific production
The pigments display uniform chemical profiles suggesting materials obtained from various remote regions and combined through standardized professional methods.
- Shows uniform chemical profiles from remote regions with standardized methods
- This directly supports commercial networks (materials from distant places) and professional standardization (uniform methods across different locations)
The pigments exhibit differences in quality and composition aligned with solitary monks utilizing regionally accessible materials.
- Describes quality differences aligned with monks using local materials
- This actually supports the traditional view that Mitchell is challenging
The pigments demonstrate traces of sacred symbolism incorporated into the chemical composition via monastery-particular preparation techniques.
- Points to sacred symbolism via monastery-specific preparation techniques
- This supports the traditional view of monastery-based, community-specific production
The pigments reveal indicators of aging and degradation aligned with preservation in separate monastic libraries across centuries.
- Focuses on aging patterns from separate monastic libraries
- This supports preservation in individual monasteries, which aligns with the traditional view