Question

OPTION B MUSEUMS ARE THE NEW CHURCHES

1 Across the United States, arts institutions are in the middle of a building boom. About twelve museums have
2 been built in the past year. That means twelve temples devoted to art in a single year. Near the end of the 1990s
3 Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao marked the beginning of a new era of museums designed by star
4 architects. Churches and cathedrals once stood at the top of the architectural hierarchy, but today the museum is the
5 building that every renowned architect dreams of designing. Besides, only a museum can attract the sort of budget
6 that used to be reserved for cathedrals in the past.
7 Art museums are the new churches not because the role of the church has declined in recent centuries and
8 something had to fill the gap. The new status of museum architecture is rather a reflection of how art has changed
9 over the years. Before the 18th Century, non-religious art could only be found in palaces and lacked any public
10 function. By the 19th Century, museums were meant to serve as places for ethical and social improvement. But, in
11 the 20th Century, aesthetic contemplation became a virtue in itself, and museum architecture changed accordingly.
12 That is why modern museums are marked by pure, white walls and by giant spaces that, like the nave of a basilica,
13 make visitors seem small in comparison.
14 Art has imitated religion in other ways too. These days, we frequently use religious language when talking about
15 art. We make “pilgrimages” to museums in far-off places. We experience “transcendence” before major paintings.
16 And, of course, Sunday is the busiest day of the week for most art museums.

CHOOSE AND WRITE THE CORRECT OPTION (A, B, C or D). (0.5 points each)

ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE PRECISE WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE TEXT,
OR USE YOUR OWN WORDS. (0.5 points each)

3. The Guggenheim Bilbao marked the end of the trend for iconic buildings by famous architects.
4. Religious buildings used to be the most important constructions in the past.
5. Some expressions describe both religious and artistic phenomena.
6. Art museums often close on Sunday.

Prueba de Selectividad Andalucia, Septiembre 2015-2016, INGLES

Answer 1

ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE PRECISE WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE TEXT, OR USE YOUR OWN WORDS. 

3. The Guggenheim Bilbao marked the end of the trend for iconic buildings by famous architects.


False: It was the precursor of it,  “Near the end of the 1990s Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao marked the beginning of a new era of museums designed by star architects” (lines 2-4).

4. Religious buildings used to be the most important constructions in the past.


True. In the past, everything revolved around religion.  “Churches and cathedrals once stood at the top of the architectural hierarchy” (line 4).

5. Some expressions describe both religious and artistic phenomena.

True. As read in the text: “These days, we frequently use religious language when talking about art. (We make ‘pilgrimages’ to museums in far-off places. We experience ‘transcendence’ before major paintings)” .


6. Art museums often close on Sunday.

False: It is known that Sundays are the busiest days for most museums, because most people don’t have to work.

Prueba de Selectividad Andalucía, Septiembre 2015-2016, INGLÉS