SAT English Practice Question

The passage is about the history of American art. The author uses a series of examples to illustrate the development of painting in the United States. The passage begins by discussing the early American painters who were influenced by European traditions. The author then describes the rise of American realism in the nineteenth century, and the passage concludes by exploring the development of abstract art in the twentieth century. The author focuses on the ways in which American artists have both embraced and challenged European traditions. What is the main point of the passage?

1. A.always been more influenced by European traditions than by American traditions.
2. B.developed independently of European traditions.
3. C.always been more concerned with realism than with abstraction.
4. D.been shaped by both its embrace of and its departure from European traditions.