Scholars often present the Renaissance as a sharp break from medieval intellectual culture. There is something to this: certain humanist scholars consciously distinguished their classical revivals from immediate predecessors. Yet many of those same scholars drew heavily on medieval Latin commentaries, often without acknowledgment, even as they criticized the period.
Which choice best describes the function of the third sentence in the text?
- Acheck_circle
It complicates the conventional account by showing that humanists' practice belied their own self-presentation.
- B
It introduces a separate Renaissance figure.
- C
It restates the second sentence in different words.
- D
It strengthens the claim that the Renaissance broke from medieval culture.
Explanation
The third sentence shows humanists' practice contradicting their stated break. B captures this complicating function.