Renaissance oil paintings

This topic has expert replies
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 318
Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2009 3:55 am
Thanked: 12 times

Renaissance oil paintings

by nikhilkatira » Sat Jun 19, 2010 5:39 am
When storing Renaissance oil paintings, museums conform to standards that call for careful control of the surrounding temperature and humidity, with variations confined within narrow margins. Maintaining this environment is very costly, and recent research shows that even old oil paint is unaffected by wide fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Therefore, museums could relax their standards and save money without endangering their Renaissance oil paintings.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

A. Renaissance paintings were created in conditions involving far greater fluctuations in temperature and humidity than those permitted by current standards.

B. Under the current standards that museums use when storing Renaissance oil paintings, those paintings do not deteriorate at all.

C. Museum collections typically do not contain items that are more likely to be vulnerable to fluctuations in temperature and humidity than Renaissance oil paintings.

D. None of the materials in Renaissance oil paintings other than the paint are vulnerable enough to relatively wide fluctuations in temperature and humidity to cause damage to the paintings.

E. Most Renaissance oil paintings are stored in museums located in regions near the regions where the paintings were created.
Best,
Nikhil H. Katira
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 186
Joined: Fri May 28, 2010 1:05 am
Thanked: 11 times

by jube » Sat Jun 19, 2010 5:52 am
Mis-read the question! I'd go with D too
Last edited by jube on Sat Jun 19, 2010 5:54 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 758
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 9:32 pm
Location: Bangalore,India
Thanked: 67 times
Followed by:2 members

by sumanr84 » Sat Jun 19, 2010 5:53 am
I would pick D.
Passage only tells us that "oil paint is unaffected by wide fluctuations " but what about the material on which the paint is applied..
I am on a break !!

User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 318
Joined: Mon Jul 13, 2009 3:55 am
Thanked: 12 times

by nikhilkatira » Sat Jun 19, 2010 6:02 am
sumanr84 wrote:I would pick D.
Passage only tells us that "oil paint is unaffected by wide fluctuations " but what about the material on which the paint is applied..
why is C wrong ?
Best,
Nikhil H. Katira

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 758
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 9:32 pm
Location: Bangalore,India
Thanked: 67 times
Followed by:2 members

by sumanr84 » Sat Jun 19, 2010 6:12 am
nikhilkatira wrote:
why is C wrong ?
C is out-of-scope as it discusses about other items not of any concern here. The premise is about preserving Renaissance oil paintings and not about any other item.
I am on a break !!

Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 135
Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2009 10:59 am
Thanked: 4 times

by missionGMAT007 » Sat Jun 19, 2010 7:28 am
IMO D
C is out of scope - even if the this is true, it doesn't affect the question.