Digital ACT Reading Practice Question #1602

The fundamental disagreement between Passage A and Passage B centers on whether public statues primarily function as: Passage A: Public civic monuments are deliberate pedagogical instruments designed to enshrine collective historical memory. When a municipality erects a bronze statue of a historic leader, it affirms a shared civic compact with future generations. To remove or dismantle monuments whenever contemporary political orthodoxies shift is to endorse historical erasure. Monuments should be preserved in their original public plazas, supplemented if necessary by explanatory plaques that provide nuance, allowing citizens to confront the complex contradictions of the past without effacing physical history. Passage B: Statues in public squares are not objective history textbooks; they are acts of veneration that confer civic honor upon individuals. History is recorded in archives, libraries, and classrooms, where critical interrogation is possible. A towering equestrian statue overlooking a municipal courthouse does not teach history—it demands deference. When a community decides that a historical figure's actions violate fundamental modern human rights, leaving that statue in a place of civic honor forces citizens to revere the very values that harmed them. Relocating such monuments to museum collections preserves material history while ending unearned public glorification.