Timed Reading 2 - Art and Artists

What is art? This is a difficult question to answer. Many people say they know art when they see it
but they cannot explain what it is. People have many different ideas about what art is or is not.

Most of us think art is something beautiful. The problem is that people do not always agree on what
beauty is. One person might think a painting is lovely while another thinks it is not pretty at all.

People also usually think that an artist is someone who has a special ability, so, art must be
something very special. One person might think a certain drawing is difficult for an artist to create.
However, another person might say the drawing is so simple a child can draw it.

Another confusing thing about art is that art does not mean something on a wall or in a museum. Art
can also mean the way someone does something. We talk about the “art” of business or the “art” of
singing. People who are good at what they do are “artists” in their field.

Art, then, means different things to different people. We could say that art is whatever you think it
is. This makes life more fun. We can have different ideas than others. If people always agreed about
everything life would not be very interesting. We would not have much to talk about. Another good
thing about art is that it has so much variety. Each person can find some kind of art and some type
of artist that makes him or her feel good. This is the best thing about art. It makes us feel good.

So, whatever art is, we should be happy that we have it. It adds colour to our lives.

Choose the best answer for the following questions:

1. The reading is about:

a) different artists b) what art is c) famous artists

2. According to the writer:

a) most people can explain what art is b) art is difficult to explain but easy to know

c) art is always in a museum

3. The writer says that:

a) art must be something that everyone thinks is beautiful

b) people believe an artist must have a special skill or ability

c) people must agree about art

4. According to the reading, which fact is true?

a) art can be more than paintings b) someone who is good at business cannot be a type of artist

c) art means the same thing to most people

5. The writer mentions that a person can be an artist at all of the following EXCEPT:

a) singing b) business c) cooking