Questions must be answered on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage itself, and not on the basis of what you may know independently about the subject matter.
Question 1
(Please note: The following questions are related to a specific reading passage, which is available solely before the first question. Remember, it may be helpful to refer back to the reading text while answering the questions to ensure accuracy.)
THE STATE AND THE ARTS
As much as I dislike having to say so, I personally would eliminate all federal funding of the arts. For, despite its benevolent intentions, the government does not know how to play the role of patron. Let's face it: bureaucrats cannot help but commission mediocre work, and their staying away from the world of the arts undoubtedly would improve matters, making possible something of a renaissance in music, painting, poetry and the other arts. That at least is my hope.
It is necessary to distinguish between patronage and encouragement in this context: The government should encourage artistic expression by all means -- and by "encourage," I mean, provide subsidies to libraries, reduce the postal rates, change the tax laws, be generous with the funding of art schools. These are the kinds of things that we may reasonably expect of a government to manage properly. This kind of involvement on the part of the state takes its roots from the traditional American notion that the enlargement of learning and expansion of knowledge are beneficial to the nation. The more books the citizens read, the better for the country; the more discussion in the marketplace, the better for the republic. I believe in that; I believe that government can help. It is when the government gets involved in the business of patronage that I am not very impressed. The United States Government traditionally has been in the business of patronizing architecture, and all one has to do is to go to Washington and look around to understand the usual level of mediocrity.
Lewis LAPHAM, "Eliminate Federal Funding to the Arts".
The writer is against federal funding of the arts because _____.
Paragraph 1 gives the reason: bureaucrats cannot help but commission mediocre work. In other words, officials are not able to choose the best art. Not "he would eliminate all federal funding", because that is his opinion, not the reason for it.
Question 2
What the government cannot do is to
Paragraph 1 says the government does not know how to play the role of patron. The other options (reducing postal rates, changing tax laws, funding art schools, encouraging artistic expression) are things paragraph 2 says the government can and should do.
Question 3
The traditional American notion is that
Paragraph 2 says the traditional American notion is that the enlargement of learning and expansion of knowledge are beneficial to the nation. So it is good for people to be better educated. The passage talks about "the marketplace" for discussion, not about prices.
Question 4
The writer thinks that
The writer is against government patronage, meaning the government choosing and commissioning particular works, because this leads to mediocrity. He still wants the government to encourage the arts in general ways. Not "the government should not support libraries or art schools": paragraph 2 asks for subsidies to libraries and generous funding of art schools.
Question 5
Mark the appropriate statement: The author
Paragraph 2 says I believe that government can help, by encouraging the arts through libraries, postal rates, tax laws and art schools. Not "thinks that patronage and encouragement are one and the same": the author says it is necessary to distinguish between them.
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