Among academics involved in the study of
Northern Renaissance prints (reproducible graphic
artworks), an orthodox position can be said to have
emerged. This position regards Renaissance prints as
passive representations of their time—documents that
reliably record contemporary events, opinions, and
beliefs—and therefore as an important means of
accessing the popular contemporary consciousness.
In contrast, pioneering studies such as those by
Scribner and Moxey take a strikingly different
approach, according to which Northern Renaissance
prints were purposeful, active, and important shaping
forces in the communities that produced them.
Scribner, for example, contends that religious and
political prints of the German Reformation
(ca. 1517–1555) functioned as popular propaganda:
tools in a vigorous campaign aimed at altering
people’s behavior, attitudes, and beliefs.The passage suggests that an adherent to the “orthodox position” (line 3) would agree with which of the following statements?Northern Renaissance prints should be regarded as passive representations of their time.,
Northern Renaissance prints were part of a campaign aimed at altering contemporary thinking.,
Northern Renaissance prints provide reliable records of contemporary events, opinions, and beliefs.
The key lies in the second sentence in the passage:
"This position (the orthodox position) regards Renaissance prints as passive representations of their time—documents that reliably record contemporary events, opinions, and beliefs—and therefore as an important means of accessing the popular contemporary consciousness."
So therefore, we know that the orthodox position believes that "Northern Renaissance prints provide reliable records of contemporary events, opinions, and beliefs." So C is correct.
1 Explanation