|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
13 Sep 2024, 20:59
Kudos
Bookmarks
Sculpture in ancient Maya culture spanned various media, ranging from the miniature to the monumental, as artists shaped materials sourced from the landscape. Maya art developed from interactions between societies in the Yucatan Peninsula and the Olmec civilization of the Mexican Gulf Coast. By the first millennium B.C., Maya artists began working in stone, stucco, wood, bone, shell, and fired clay.
During the Classic Period (ca. 250–900), rulers of prominent city-states such as Tikal, Calakmul, Palenque, and Copán commissioned artworks to embellish their royal courts and bodies. After the fall of these Classic Period kingdoms, Maya artists in northern cities like Chichén Itzá looked to Central Mexico and southern Central America for inspiration, decorating temples and creating impressive offerings for rulers and gods.
The most common themes in Maya art were mortal rulers and supernatural beings. Royal courts employed full-time painters and sculptors, some of whom signed their creations. In the sculpture Relief with Enthroned Ruler, the patron Shield Jaguar IV is depicted on the right, receiving tribute from Tiloom, one of his subordinate rulers. The sculptor, Chakalte’, signed this lintel along with at least two other works. In this piece, Maya sculptors portrayed the human form naturally, showing royal figures sitting, standing, holding objects, and interacting. Working with limestone or volcanic tuff using primitive stone tools, they produced lifelike portraits of divine rulers, noblewomen, captives, and deities.
Maya sculptors also dedicated substantial effort to crafting portable stone objects. A spouted chocolate vessel made of indurated limestone required meticulous carving and polishing to achieve its detailed reliefs and polished finish. Archaeologists have uncovered the necessary tools—limestone quarries, chisels, blades, and polishing stones. Flint or chert ceremonial blades also served as royal scepters.
A nearly lost medium in Maya sculpture is wood. Few wooden artifacts have survived due to the humid tropical climate. Some temple door lintels were made of wooden beams featuring carved scenes of royal conquests and rituals. Three-dimensional wooden objects are even rarer, mostly preserved in dry tombs, caves, or waterlogged environments.
Which of the following statements, if true, would most undermine the significance of Chakalte’s signed artwork as evidence of the practice of Maya artists signing their works?
A. Most Maya signatures were small in size and likely faded with time.
B. Other signed Maya artworks from the same period have been discovered, but none of them feature depictions of royal figures like Shield Jaguar IV.
C. In many Maya city-states, artworks were considered community creations, and the names of individual artists were typically omitted.
D. Some of the Maya sculptures that have been discovered are not signed, even when they depict important rulers and ceremonies.
E. Chakalte's signed works were commissioned by a single royal patron, which was a rare practice among Maya rulers during the Classic Period.
During the Classic Period (ca. 250–900), rulers of prominent city-states such as Tikal, Calakmul, Palenque, and Copán commissioned artworks to embellish their royal courts and bodies. After the fall of these Classic Period kingdoms, Maya artists in northern cities like Chichén Itzá looked to Central Mexico and southern Central America for inspiration, decorating temples and creating impressive offerings for rulers and gods.
The most common themes in Maya art were mortal rulers and supernatural beings. Royal courts employed full-time painters and sculptors, some of whom signed their creations. In the sculpture Relief with Enthroned Ruler, the patron Shield Jaguar IV is depicted on the right, receiving tribute from Tiloom, one of his subordinate rulers. The sculptor, Chakalte’, signed this lintel along with at least two other works. In this piece, Maya sculptors portrayed the human form naturally, showing royal figures sitting, standing, holding objects, and interacting. Working with limestone or volcanic tuff using primitive stone tools, they produced lifelike portraits of divine rulers, noblewomen, captives, and deities.
Maya sculptors also dedicated substantial effort to crafting portable stone objects. A spouted chocolate vessel made of indurated limestone required meticulous carving and polishing to achieve its detailed reliefs and polished finish. Archaeologists have uncovered the necessary tools—limestone quarries, chisels, blades, and polishing stones. Flint or chert ceremonial blades also served as royal scepters.
A nearly lost medium in Maya sculpture is wood. Few wooden artifacts have survived due to the humid tropical climate. Some temple door lintels were made of wooden beams featuring carved scenes of royal conquests and rituals. Three-dimensional wooden objects are even rarer, mostly preserved in dry tombs, caves, or waterlogged environments.
Which of the following statements, if true, would most undermine the significance of Chakalte’s signed artwork as evidence of the practice of Maya artists signing their works?
A. Most Maya signatures were small in size and likely faded with time.
B. Other signed Maya artworks from the same period have been discovered, but none of them feature depictions of royal figures like Shield Jaguar IV.
C. In many Maya city-states, artworks were considered community creations, and the names of individual artists were typically omitted.
D. Some of the Maya sculptures that have been discovered are not signed, even when they depict important rulers and ceremonies.
E. Chakalte's signed works were commissioned by a single royal patron, which was a rare practice among Maya rulers during the Classic Period.
13 Sep 2024, 20:59
Kudos
Bookmarks
Official Solution:
Sculpture in ancient Maya culture spanned various media, ranging from the miniature to the monumental, as artists shaped materials sourced from the landscape. Maya art developed from interactions between societies in the Yucatan Peninsula and the Olmec civilization of the Mexican Gulf Coast. By the first millennium B.C., Maya artists began working in stone, stucco, wood, bone, shell, and fired clay.
During the Classic Period (ca. 250–900), rulers of prominent city-states such as Tikal, Calakmul, Palenque, and Copán commissioned artworks to embellish their royal courts and bodies. After the fall of these Classic Period kingdoms, Maya artists in northern cities like Chichén Itzá looked to Central Mexico and southern Central America for inspiration, decorating temples and creating impressive offerings for rulers and gods.
The most common themes in Maya art were mortal rulers and supernatural beings. Royal courts employed full-time painters and sculptors, some of whom signed their creations. In the sculpture Relief with Enthroned Ruler, the patron Shield Jaguar IV is depicted on the right, receiving tribute from Tiloom, one of his subordinate rulers. The sculptor, Chakalte’, signed this lintel along with at least two other works. In this piece, Maya sculptors portrayed the human form naturally, showing royal figures sitting, standing, holding objects, and interacting. Working with limestone or volcanic tuff using primitive stone tools, they produced lifelike portraits of divine rulers, noblewomen, captives, and deities.
Maya sculptors also dedicated substantial effort to crafting portable stone objects. A spouted chocolate vessel made of indurated limestone required meticulous carving and polishing to achieve its detailed reliefs and polished finish. Archaeologists have uncovered the necessary tools—limestone quarries, chisels, blades, and polishing stones. Flint or chert ceremonial blades also served as royal scepters.
A nearly lost medium in Maya sculpture is wood. Few wooden artifacts have survived due to the humid tropical climate. Some temple door lintels were made of wooden beams featuring carved scenes of royal conquests and rituals. Three-dimensional wooden objects are even rarer, mostly preserved in dry tombs, caves, or waterlogged environments.
Which of the following statements, if true, would most undermine the significance of Chakalte’s signed artwork as evidence of the practice of Maya artists signing their works?
A. Most Maya signatures were small in size and likely faded with time.
B. Other signed Maya artworks from the same period have been discovered, but none of them feature depictions of royal figures like Shield Jaguar IV.
C. In many Maya city-states, artworks were considered community creations, and the names of individual artists were typically omitted.
D. Some of the Maya sculptures that have been discovered are not signed, even when they depict important rulers and ceremonies.
E. Chakalte's signed works were commissioned by a single royal patron, which was a rare practice among Maya rulers during the Classic Period.
A. Incorrect. This answer choice suggests that signatures existed but may have faded, which actually supports the idea that artists commonly signed works. It does not weaken the significance of Chakalte’s signature.
B. Incorrect. This only highlights a difference in subject matter, which does not challenge the broader practice of signing artworks.
C. Correct. This undermines the significance of Chakalte’s signed artwork by suggesting that the norm was to omit individual names, making Chakalte’s signature more of an exception than an indicator of a common practice. Also, potentially cast down on whether it was even the author's signature or just someone adding their name later.
D. Incorrect. This answer choice is neutral. It seems it is telling us something but in reality, it simply tells us that not all Maya works were signed. This fact does not prove either fact, that signing never happened or was very common. Since many traditions can coexist (some works signed, others not), we cannot use this information for any specific purpose.
E. Incorrect.This answer choice implies that the commissioning arrangement might have been unusual, but it doesn’t undermine that signing was or wasn’t generally recognized. It does not have a specific direct conclusion we can draw about other works that may not have been signed or not commissioned by a single ruler.
Answer: C
Sculpture in ancient Maya culture spanned various media, ranging from the miniature to the monumental, as artists shaped materials sourced from the landscape. Maya art developed from interactions between societies in the Yucatan Peninsula and the Olmec civilization of the Mexican Gulf Coast. By the first millennium B.C., Maya artists began working in stone, stucco, wood, bone, shell, and fired clay.
During the Classic Period (ca. 250–900), rulers of prominent city-states such as Tikal, Calakmul, Palenque, and Copán commissioned artworks to embellish their royal courts and bodies. After the fall of these Classic Period kingdoms, Maya artists in northern cities like Chichén Itzá looked to Central Mexico and southern Central America for inspiration, decorating temples and creating impressive offerings for rulers and gods.
The most common themes in Maya art were mortal rulers and supernatural beings. Royal courts employed full-time painters and sculptors, some of whom signed their creations. In the sculpture Relief with Enthroned Ruler, the patron Shield Jaguar IV is depicted on the right, receiving tribute from Tiloom, one of his subordinate rulers. The sculptor, Chakalte’, signed this lintel along with at least two other works. In this piece, Maya sculptors portrayed the human form naturally, showing royal figures sitting, standing, holding objects, and interacting. Working with limestone or volcanic tuff using primitive stone tools, they produced lifelike portraits of divine rulers, noblewomen, captives, and deities.
Maya sculptors also dedicated substantial effort to crafting portable stone objects. A spouted chocolate vessel made of indurated limestone required meticulous carving and polishing to achieve its detailed reliefs and polished finish. Archaeologists have uncovered the necessary tools—limestone quarries, chisels, blades, and polishing stones. Flint or chert ceremonial blades also served as royal scepters.
A nearly lost medium in Maya sculpture is wood. Few wooden artifacts have survived due to the humid tropical climate. Some temple door lintels were made of wooden beams featuring carved scenes of royal conquests and rituals. Three-dimensional wooden objects are even rarer, mostly preserved in dry tombs, caves, or waterlogged environments.
Which of the following statements, if true, would most undermine the significance of Chakalte’s signed artwork as evidence of the practice of Maya artists signing their works?
A. Most Maya signatures were small in size and likely faded with time.
B. Other signed Maya artworks from the same period have been discovered, but none of them feature depictions of royal figures like Shield Jaguar IV.
C. In many Maya city-states, artworks were considered community creations, and the names of individual artists were typically omitted.
D. Some of the Maya sculptures that have been discovered are not signed, even when they depict important rulers and ceremonies.
E. Chakalte's signed works were commissioned by a single royal patron, which was a rare practice among Maya rulers during the Classic Period.
A. Incorrect. This answer choice suggests that signatures existed but may have faded, which actually supports the idea that artists commonly signed works. It does not weaken the significance of Chakalte’s signature.
B. Incorrect. This only highlights a difference in subject matter, which does not challenge the broader practice of signing artworks.
C. Correct. This undermines the significance of Chakalte’s signed artwork by suggesting that the norm was to omit individual names, making Chakalte’s signature more of an exception than an indicator of a common practice. Also, potentially cast down on whether it was even the author's signature or just someone adding their name later.
D. Incorrect. This answer choice is neutral. It seems it is telling us something but in reality, it simply tells us that not all Maya works were signed. This fact does not prove either fact, that signing never happened or was very common. Since many traditions can coexist (some works signed, others not), we cannot use this information for any specific purpose.
E. Incorrect.This answer choice implies that the commissioning arrangement might have been unusual, but it doesn’t undermine that signing was or wasn’t generally recognized. It does not have a specific direct conclusion we can draw about other works that may not have been signed or not commissioned by a single ruler.
Answer: C
28 Nov 2024, 06:42
Kudos
Bookmarks
I think this is a poor-quality question and I don't agree with the explanation. I am still not convinced why it is not E. C says "in many", not 'mostly', or 'all'. Whereas E says the single patron was "rare"- I feel like that is a better indicator of what was more common and therefore E should be the answer.
