Single correct option
Passage: A recurring complaint against modern art museums is that visitors spend more time photographing paintings than looking at them. Yet longitudinal studies of visitor behaviour suggest the picture is more complicated: photography is frequently a prelude to closer attention rather than a substitute for it, with many visitors reviewing and re-examining their photos, sometimes at length, well after leaving the gallery. The camera, on this account, is less a barrier to engagement than an extension of it into a second, delayed sitting.
Which of the following best summarises the passage?
Which of the following best summarises the passage?
- A. Museum visitors never look carefully at paintings anymore because they are too distracted by their phones.
- B. Photographing artworks in museums may extend rather than replace genuine engagement with the art, contrary to the common complaint.
- C. Longitudinal studies prove that photography is a superior way to experience art compared to direct viewing.
- D. Art museums should ban photography to force visitors to pay closer attention to the paintings.
Show answer and solution
Answer: (B) Photographing artworks in museums may extend rather than replace genuine engagement with the art, contrary to the common complaint.
The passage complicates the 'photography replaces looking' complaint by showing photography can be 'a prelude to closer attention,' extending engagement into a 'second, delayed sitting' — precisely option B. Option A restates the complaint the passage challenges; C overstates the finding into a claim of superiority; D proposes a policy the passage never suggests.
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