medium · SAT Reading & Writing

Which choice best describes the main purpose of the text? The following text is from a scholarly review of 19th-century architecture. While it is common to describe the Gothic Revival as a conservative movement driven by nostalgia for the Middle Ages, historian Peter Thorne offers a more nuanced interpretation. Thorne argues that the movement's architects were not merely looking backward but were instead using medieval forms to solve modern engineering problems, such as the need for larger, light-filled spaces in expanding urban centers.

1. It describes the specific engineering techniques used to build larger urban spaces in the 19th century.
2. It identifies Peter Thorne as the most influential historian of the Gothic Revival.
3. It refutes the claim that nostalgia played any role in the Gothic Revival movement.
4. It presents an alternative perspective on the motivations behind a particular architectural movement.

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