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.Replacement of the word “passive” (line 5)
which of the following words results in the least
change in meaning for the passage?disinterested, submissive, flaccid, supine, unreceptive
4 Explanations
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1
Yingshi Huang
I am still a little confused after listening to the explanation. "submissive" means "comply to" can be explained in this meaning in the sentence: this position regards R prints as representations complying to (the fact) of their time. Since "passive" have similar meaning with "submissive", would it be better to choose "submissive" instead of "disinterested"?
The word "submissive" has a strong connotation of someone or something that is "meek" and "yielding to authority." That's not implied in the passage. All we know is that the prints are not active in shaping ideas. They are disinterested. It doesn't make sense to say they're "submissive" because the sentence doesn't specify what they would be submissive to. We can make something up, but the passage itself doesn't indicate this.
Your explanation in the video is slightly confusing. You talk about how disinterested means unbiased and who that would change the meaning, but you still say "clearly" it's the correct answer. Please explain. Thanks!
Thanks for your comment! I can see how the explanation could be confusing, and I'm happy to clarify.
In the context of the sentence, that the prints were "passive" reflects the fact that reliably documented the events, opinions, etc. of their time rather than the biased views of the artists that created the prints. So, the correct answer also needs to express the unbiased nature of the prints, and this idea points us to (A) disinterested.
Hope this clears up the practice question for you :)
In some contexts, "passive" can also mean "submissive," but that's not the case in the passage. We're told that Renaissance prints reliably recorded contemporary events, so we can trust any information that's in them. This means that the prints are "disinterested" (which means "unbiased"), but there is no suggestion in the passage that the prints are "submissive."
4 Explanations