A work of architecture, if it is to be both inviting and functional for public use, must be unobtrusive, taking second place to the total environment. Modern architects, plagued by egoism, have violated this precept. They have let their strong personalities take over their work, producing buildings that are not functional for public use.
Which one of the statements below follows logically from the statements in the passage?
OPTIONS[A]. Unobtrusive architecture is both inviting and functional.
[B]. Modern architects who let their strong personalities take over their work produce buildings that are not unobtrusive.
[C]. An architect with a strong personality cannot produce buildings that functional well for the public.
[D]. A work of architecture that takes second place to the environment functions well for public use.
[E]. A work of architecture cannot simultaneously express its architect’s personality and be functional for public use.
Explanation:
If buildings have to be unobtrusive in order to be inviting and functional, and modern architects produce buildings that are not functional because their strong personalities take over their work, then we can conclude that these specific architects are producing buildings that are not unobtrusive.
(A) and (D), much like (A) in the previous question, confuse necessity with sufficiency. It may be necessary for a building to be unobtrusive (A) and take second place to the environment (D) in order for it to be inviting and functional, but that doesn’t mean either is sufficient for that to happen.
(C) Simply because an architect has a strong personality, it doesn’t mean that he or she must let that personality take over. We know that in some cases this has been true, but perhaps some architects can control their strong personalities, and still be able to produce unobtrusive buildings.
(E) It’s never stated that an architect can’t put his or her personality into a building without having it be obtrusive; we’re told only that architects who let their strong personalities take over their work haven’t produced buildings that are functional for public use.
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