Bunuel
Competition Mode Question
Curator: The decision to restore the cloak of the central figure in Veronese’s painting from its present red to the green found underneath is fully justified. Reliable x-ray and chemical tests show that the red pigment was applied after the painting had been completed, and that the red paint was not mixed in Veronese’s workshop. Hence it appears likely that an artist other than Veronese tampered with Veronese’s painting after its completion.
Art critic: But in a copy of Veronese’s painting made shortly after Veronese died, the cloak is red. It is highly unlikely that a copyist would have made so major a change so soon after Veronese’s death.
The assertion that a later artist tampered with Veronese’s painting serves which one of the following functions in the curator’s argument?
(A) It is the main point toward which the argument as a whole is directed.
(B) It is a subsidiary conclusion that supports the argument’s main conclusion.
(C) It is a clarification of a key term of the argument.
(D) It is a particular instance of the general position to be defended.
(E) It is a reiteration of the main point that is made for the sake of emphasis.
The curator's assertion that an artist other than Veronese likely tampered with the painting serves as a subsidiary conclusion that supports the argument's main conclusion.
Here's why:
Main Conclusion: The curator's primary claim is that "The decision to restore the cloak of the central figure in Veronese’s painting from its present red to the green found underneath is fully justified".
Premises: The curator provides two pieces of evidence:
The red pigment was applied after the painting was completed.
The red paint was not mixed in Veronese's workshop.
Subsidiary Conclusion: Based on these two premises, the curator infers that "Hence it appears likely that an artist other than Veronese tampered with Veronese’s painting after its completion." This statement is a conclusion in itself because it is supported by the two previous statements.
Support for Main Conclusion: This subsidiary conclusion, in turn, provides the justification for the main conclusion that the restoration is justified. The reasoning is that if someone other than Veronese altered the painting, then restoring it to its original green state is appropriate.
Therefore, the statement about a later artist tampering with the painting acts as an intermediate step in the curator's argument, supported by the test results and, in turn, supporting the overall claim that the restoration is justified.