Dicembre 2016 e ditoriale

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Nuova Secondaria - n. 4 2016 - Anno XXXIV - ISSN 1828-4582

ing the correct answers are mainly conceptual, the ques-

tions are devised in such a way as to re-construct the log-

ical reasoning throughout the text. In addition, the candi-

dates can probably rely on their knowledge of different

artistic theories, of the Aesthetic Movement, and on their

readings from J. Ruskin’s The Stones of Venice (1851-53),

W. Pater’s Studies in the History of the Renaissance

(1873), and W. Morris’ The Aims of Art (1887).

Suggested answers to the questions

1. Why does Desmond Morris believe that it is difficult

to explain the association between “aesthetic behaviour”

and the “pursuit of beauty”?

According to Desmond Morris the association is difficult

to explain because beauty cannot be scientifically de-

fined, since it appears to be totally disconnected from any

other human behaviour associated with primary needs

and instincts.

After reading for gist and activating their own well-in-

formed schemata about the topic, the candidates will look

for confirmation of their hypothesis at lines 1-3. However,

they will have to focus on key-phrases, such as ”viewed bi-

ologically” (l.2), “basic survival patterns” (l.3) which will

lead them to notice the relevance of “feeding, mating,

sleeping or parental care”  (l.3) and the lack of relation-

ship between them and the concept of beauty. This might

trigger the idea that this outlook on beauty is different from

others they have studied so far and lead them to formulate

further hypotheses on how the argument will follow.

2. What sort of perspective is he approaching his discus-

sion of beauty and aesthetic behaviour from?

The perspective from which he is approaching the dis-

cussion of beauty and aesthetic behaviour looks at beauty-

reaction as one of the ways human behaviour expresses

itself constantly.

The answer can be found at lines 4-5. The candidate

should focus on the key-word “beauty-reaction” and un-

derstand its semantic relationship with “the way people

spend their time” (l.4).

3. What are some of the types of “beauty-reaction” that he

lists? Mention at least three.

Morris mentions “standing silently”, “sitting quietly”,

“watching”, “viewing”, “gazing”, “wandering” and

“savouring”.

This is not a difficult answer, which the candidates can

find at lines 6-8, by looking for details. They are likely to

make associations with their own experience or with liter-

ary examples, such as W. Wordsworth’s wanderings in the

countryside to admire the beauty of nature, J. Keats stand-

ing silently in front of the beauty of the Grecian urn in the

British Museum, or Dorian Gray savouring delicious dishes.

4. Why does Morris say that “no absolutes” can be in-

volved in considering aesthetic beauty?

Morris says that there is no absolute aesthetic beauty be-

cause, although there is a feeling that there must be one,

beauty is instead absolutely subjective.

The answer is drawn from the second paragraph, which

starts with two topic sentences and then develops the con-

cept of the subjectivity of beauty. Therefore, understand-

ing the structure of the paragraph can be of great help to

the candidates, who might, however, predict the answer on

the basis of their knowledge of one of the most popular

quotes about beauty “ Beauty is in the eye of the be-

holder”. Here the candidate will understand the lexical co-

hesion of synonymity between “eye” and “brain” from

the text and will have to decode and explain the metaphor.

5. In what ways are aesthetics “invented” when it comes

to Art?

Art “invents” aesthetics because it is made by man.

This, i.e. “Art can best be defined as man-made beauty” (l.

21), can be found at the beginning of the third paragraph,

just after the topic sentence, i.e. “Turning to the question of

invented aesthetics, we move into the area usually desig-

nated as Art.” (l. 20) Since there is no explicit cause-effect

relationship between the two sentences, the candidate has to

grasp it by understanding the grammatical and lexical co-

hesion obtained through the repetition of the word “Art”.

6. What main forms can these “invented aesthetics” take,

as explained in the passage?

Invented aesthetics can take the form of Performing Arts,

which deal with aesthetic events, and of Plastic Arts,

which deal with aesthetic objects.

There is absolute lexical identification between the ques-

tion and the text itself, which goes on at line 21 by stat-

ing that “it [Art] appears in two main forms” and then

specifies them. The candidate just needs to read on and

follow the argument.

7. According to the author, how is natural beauty differ-

ent from artistic beauty?

According to the author, natural beauty exists and the

theme is only isolated from the world, while artistic beauty

creates the theme itself.

Again, the answer is to be found at lines 24-26 with little

lexical variation from the question and comes as the nat-

ural follow-up to question 6. 

8. What dilemma is the artist faced with?

The artist has to face the fact that creating aesthetic beauty

implies that he has infinite choice in theme and form.

This is somehow a difficult question about the message

conveyed in the fourth and fifth paragraphs. The candi-

dates are expected to read them, understand the main con-

cept and summarize it. They should make use of their cog-

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