Several artworks found among the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii depict a female figure fishing with a cupid nearby. Some scholens fave asserted that the figure in the goddess Venus, since she is known to have been linked with cupids in Roman culture, but University of Leicester archaeologist Carla Brain suggests that cupids may have also been associated with fishing generally. The fact that a cupid is shown near the female figure, therefore,
Which choice most logically completes the text?
A. is not conclusive evidence that the figure is Venus.
B. suggests that Venus was often depicted fishing.
C. eliminates the possibility that the figure is Venus.
D. would be difficult to account for if the figure is not Venus.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is A. is not conclusive evidence that the figure is Venus.
Here’s why: The passage presents two different views about the identity of the female figure in the artwork. One view suggests that the figure might be Venus, as she is associated with cupids in Roman culture. However, Carla Brain, an archaeologist from the University of Leicester, proposes an alternative interpretation: that cupids could have a broader association with fishing, not necessarily linked only to Venus. The crucial point is that the presence of a cupid near the female figure does not necessarily confirm her identity as Venus. The artwork could be depicting something else entirely, and the connection between cupids and fishing might imply a more general symbolism.
Option A directly addresses this ambiguity. It states that the presence of a cupid near the female figure does not offer definitive proof that the figure is Venus, which aligns with the overall point made by the archaeologist that the symbolism might be more generalized than previously assumed.
Option B is incorrect because there is no evidence in the passage to suggest that Venus was commonly depicted fishing, and this idea is not supported by the text.
Option C is not correct either because the passage does not eliminate the possibility that the figure is Venus, only that the presence of the cupid does not conclusively confirm it.
Option D is misleading because it implies that the presence of the cupid would be hard to explain if the figure is not Venus, which contradicts Brain’s argument that the association between cupids and fishing could be more general.
Thus, A is the best choice, as it reflects the uncertainty presented in the passage.