Explanation

1.Choices A and C are correct.
We know from the final sentence that the collection falls short of several criteria established by the author. Choice A is correct: the book does not demonstrate sufficient awareness of the “tenuous nature of representations of reality.” Choice B is incorrect: there is no mention in the passage of any concern on the part of the author about the accuracy of detail.
Choice C is correct: the book does not offer an adequate “critical contextualization of florid detail.”

2. B
This question asks about the function of the second sentence. The correct choice is Choice B. As discussed in the description of the passage, that sentence describes what
is appealing about the collection in the context of the author’s childhood tastes. Choice A is incorrect both because the sentence does not provide examples and because the collection does not display an awareness of the tenuous nature of representations of reality. Choice C is not correct: although one might suspect that the author’s enjoyment of
collections as an adult would be on a more sophisticated level than when she was young, there is no discussion or even suggestion of that in the passage. Choice D is incorrect because the sentence describes the virtues of the collection. The aspects of the collection that the author finds inadequate are not addressed until later. Choice E is incorrect because,
according to the passage, the fact that the collection is varied makes it a “rich” read. There is no suggestion that the variety hinders proper contextualization.