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For much of the twentieth century, the Andean harp tradition
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15 Oct 2026, 06:21
15 Oct 2026, 06:21
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Question 1
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Question Stats:
88% (03:39) correct
13% (02:06) wrong based on 8 sessions
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Question 2
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Question Stats:
75% (02:09) correct
25% (00:46) wrong based on 8 sessions
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Question 3
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Question Stats:
57% (00:41) correct
43% (01:37) wrong based on 7 sessions
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The Kalahari assemblage arrived in Berlin in 1931, and for sixty years it stood at the centre of the ethnographic collection without public controversy. In the 1990s, however, critics began to describe the assemblage as misrepresented. In the first place, the objects were displayed without any indication of the transactions by which they had left southern Africa. Against this, the collection's defenders point out that the acquisition was contractually documented. The agreements were signed, the payments recorded, and the correspondence preserved in the museum's own archive. On the documentary record, the defenders argue, the assemblage was acquired through ordinary commercial exchange, and to describe it as misrepresented is to apply present-day expectations to a transaction that was unexceptional at the time.
The dispute turns on a question the documentary record does not answer. The agreements establish that objects changed hands and that payments were made. They do not establish what the communities understood they were consenting to — in particular, whether the signatories understood that the objects would be displayed publicly, indefinitely, and outside any continuing relationship with the communities from which they came. The defenders treat documentation as evidence of consent. The critics treat it as evidence of a transaction whose terms were never explained. What would settle the dispute is therefore not further argument about the ethics of display but the recovery of records bearing on what the communities understood at the time. Until such records are located, the dispute remains open, and the assemblage continues to be exhibited.
The dispute turns on a question the documentary record does not answer. The agreements establish that objects changed hands and that payments were made. They do not establish what the communities understood they were consenting to — in particular, whether the signatories understood that the objects would be displayed publicly, indefinitely, and outside any continuing relationship with the communities from which they came. The defenders treat documentation as evidence of consent. The critics treat it as evidence of a transaction whose terms were never explained. What would settle the dispute is therefore not further argument about the ethics of display but the recovery of records bearing on what the communities understood at the time. Until such records are located, the dispute remains open, and the assemblage continues to be exhibited.
The passage implies that the recovery of the records described in the final sentence would be significant primarily because such records would
A. indicate whether the museum's archive was deliberately incomplete
B. establish whether the signatories understood the terms to which they were agreeing
C. show that the communities retained ownership of the objects after their transfer
D. demonstrate that the payments recorded in the archive were lower than market value
E. confirm that the defenders misread the contractual documents
Which of the following claims about the acquisition of the Kalahari assemblage does the passage support more strongly?
A. The acquisition was conducted in a manner consistent with the norms of its time.
B. The acquisition is properly described as misrepresented on the basis of the documentary record alone.
C. The acquisition remains disputed because the surviving documentation addresses the fact of transfer but not the scope of consent.
D. The acquisition was unexceptional when it occurred, but the passage's argument does not depend on that point.
E. The acquisition was contractually documented, but the documentation is insufficient to resolve the dispute without further evidence.
The second paragraph functions primarily to
A. supply evidence that the first paragraph's description of the dispute omitted
B. identify the specific question on which the dispute turns and name what would settle it
C. argue that the critics' position is better supported than the defenders'
D. reconcile the two positions by showing that both are partly correct
E. extend the dispute to a broader class of comparable acquisitions
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Re: For much of the twentieth century, the Andean harp tradition
[#permalink]
26 Oct 2026, 10:23
26 Oct 2026, 10:23
Expert Reply
Question 1 - Significance of the Records
Correct Answer: B. establish whether the signatories understood the terms to which they were agreeing
Explanation:
The final sentence of the passage states:
> "What would settle the dispute is therefore not further argument about the ethics of display but the recovery of records bearing on what the communities understood at the time."
The sentence immediately before this states the core question the documentary record fails to answer:
> "They do not establish what the communities understood they were consenting to - in particular, whether the signatories understood that the objects would be displayed publicly, indefinitely, and outside any continuing relationship with the communities from which they came."
The records would therefore be significant because they would reveal whether the signatories understood the terms of the agreement - precisely what the current documentation leaves unclear.
Why the others are wrong:
A - The passage does not suggest the archive was deliberately incomplete.
C - The passage does not claim the communities retained ownership; it asks what they understood about the terms.
D - The passage does not mention market value or suggest payments were too low.
E - The records would not "confirm that the defenders misread" the documents; they would settle the underlying question of consent.
Correct Answer: B. establish whether the signatories understood the terms to which they were agreeing
Explanation:
The final sentence of the passage states:
> "What would settle the dispute is therefore not further argument about the ethics of display but the recovery of records bearing on what the communities understood at the time."
The sentence immediately before this states the core question the documentary record fails to answer:
> "They do not establish what the communities understood they were consenting to - in particular, whether the signatories understood that the objects would be displayed publicly, indefinitely, and outside any continuing relationship with the communities from which they came."
The records would therefore be significant because they would reveal whether the signatories understood the terms of the agreement - precisely what the current documentation leaves unclear.
Why the others are wrong:
A - The passage does not suggest the archive was deliberately incomplete.
C - The passage does not claim the communities retained ownership; it asks what they understood about the terms.
D - The passage does not mention market value or suggest payments were too low.
E - The records would not "confirm that the defenders misread" the documents; they would settle the underlying question of consent.
Re: For much of the twentieth century, the Andean harp tradition
[#permalink]
26 Oct 2026, 10:24
26 Oct 2026, 10:24
Expert Reply
Question 2 - Supported Claim About the Acquisition
Correct Answer: C. The acquisition remains disputed because the surviving documentation addresses the fact of transfer but not the scope of consent.
Explanation:
This choice captures the central argument of the entire passage. Paragraph 1 establishes the dispute (critics vs. defenders) and the documentary evidence (agreements, payments). Paragraph 2 identifies the gap:
> "The agreements establish that objects changed hands and that payments were made. They do not establish what the communities understood they were consenting to."
The dispute remains open because the documentation proves a transfer occurred but does not establish the scope of consent - i.e., what the communities understood the terms to be.
Why the others are wrong:
A - The passage reports the defenders' claim that the acquisition was consistent with the norms of its time, but the author does not endorse it as the stronger claim. The author presents it as one side's argument.
B - The passage does not support the claim that the acquisition is "properly described as misrepresented on the basis of the documentary record alone." The whole point is that the documentary record is insufficient.
D - The passage says the defenders argue it was unexceptional, but the author's argument explicitly does not depend on whether it was unexceptional; the author focuses on the missing records of understanding.
E - This is a close paraphrase of C, but C is more precise: the documentation addresses the fact of transfer (objects changed hands, payments made) but not the scope of consent (what the communities understood). C better captures the two-part structure of the gap.
Correct Answer: C. The acquisition remains disputed because the surviving documentation addresses the fact of transfer but not the scope of consent.
Explanation:
This choice captures the central argument of the entire passage. Paragraph 1 establishes the dispute (critics vs. defenders) and the documentary evidence (agreements, payments). Paragraph 2 identifies the gap:
> "The agreements establish that objects changed hands and that payments were made. They do not establish what the communities understood they were consenting to."
The dispute remains open because the documentation proves a transfer occurred but does not establish the scope of consent - i.e., what the communities understood the terms to be.
Why the others are wrong:
A - The passage reports the defenders' claim that the acquisition was consistent with the norms of its time, but the author does not endorse it as the stronger claim. The author presents it as one side's argument.
B - The passage does not support the claim that the acquisition is "properly described as misrepresented on the basis of the documentary record alone." The whole point is that the documentary record is insufficient.
D - The passage says the defenders argue it was unexceptional, but the author's argument explicitly does not depend on whether it was unexceptional; the author focuses on the missing records of understanding.
E - This is a close paraphrase of C, but C is more precise: the documentation addresses the fact of transfer (objects changed hands, payments made) but not the scope of consent (what the communities understood). C better captures the two-part structure of the gap.
