Question 155·Medium·Text Structure and Purpose
Popular accounts often claim that every Renaissance masterpiece was the solitary achievement of a singular genius. In reality, many masters supervised workshops in which apprentices prepared materials and executed portions of the composition. Although master painters signed the finished works, their assistants’ contributions were substantial and sometimes decisive.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion?
For function questions, read the full sentence containing the underlined portion and identify structural signal words (e.g., although, however, because). Then paraphrase the underlined part’s role (concession, contrast, example, definition, etc.) and pick the choice that matches that role without adding ideas not stated in the passage.
Hints
Zoom out to the full sentence
Reread the entire sentence that contains the underlined portion. How does the clause after the comma relate to the underlined clause before the comma?
Pay attention to the word “Although”
What kind of relationship does “although” usually signal between two ideas?
Name the job the underlined portion is doing
Is the underlined clause mainly conceding something, defining a term, criticizing assistants, or describing a process?
Connect to the paragraph’s main point
The paragraph challenges the idea of the lone genius. How does the underlined clause help set up that challenge?
Step-by-step Explanation
Read the full sentence, not just the underlined part
Look at the full sentence: “Although master painters signed the finished works, their assistants’ contributions were substantial and sometimes decisive.” The underlined portion is the opening clause, so its function depends on how it connects to what follows.
Use the signal word to identify the relationship
The word “Although” signals a concession: the author acknowledges one true point (masters signed the works) before emphasizing a contrasting main point (assistants’ contributions were substantial).
State the function in your own words
The underlined clause acknowledges the usual way credit is given (the master’s signature), but it does so to set up the contrast that assistants meaningfully shaped the final artwork.
Match to the best choice
The choice that matches this concede-and-contrast function is: It acknowledges that masters signed the finished works, then contrasts that credit with assistants’ major contributions.