Set 7: Transitions (Intermediate)
Explanation
PASSAGE
Walter Benjamin's essay 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction' argued that technologies like photography and film strip artworks of their unique 'aura'—their singular presence in time and space. This loss, Benjamin suggested, was politically ambivalent: _______ it democratized access to art while also making visual culture more susceptible to manipulation by fascist aesthetics.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Detailed Answer Explanation
This question asks you to choose the transition that best connects two ideas. 'Politically ambivalent' means two-sided: democratization AND vulnerability to fascism. 'On the one hand' sets up this dual analysis. Transitions signal the relationship between sentences or paragraphs. Determine the logical relationship (addition, contrast, cause-effect, example) and select the transition that accurately expresses it. The right transition makes the relationship between ideas crystal clear. Consider what logical connection exists: Is the second idea adding to the first? Contrasting it? Showing a result? The transition should accurately reflect this relationship.
Key Evidence:
• "politically ambivalent"
• "democratized access... while also making... susceptible"
Why others are wrong: D (Example - the positive/negative aspects are the ambivalence, not examples of it.), B (Specific detail - the dual nature requires a two-part structure, not just specification.), A (Cause/effect - the duality is the ambivalence, not its consequence.).
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