The key answer of exercise 3
The key to exercise solutions in chapter 7e - Speaking skills for the textbook On Screen B2+ - Student's Book with authors Virginia Evans and Jenny Dooley from Express Publishing
Question
The pictures show different places of cultural interest. Compare them and say what can be interesting about these places.
Answer
A: Well, Picture A shows an art gallery. It has a lot of large paintings on the walls and there is a crowd of people looking at them.
B: Yes, it may be the national gallery of a country because the paintings look like they are hundreds of years old.
A: You could be right. They are probably by famous artists and worth a lot of money.
B: Picture B on the other hand shows a museum. The exhibits are in glass cases and there are lots of people in the background looking at them.
A: I think this must be part of an Egyptian exhibit because it looks like Egyptian statues of pharaohs and birds. What do you think?
B: You're right. At both places people walk around and look at things so they are quite similar.
A: Yes, but at an art gallery you can only see paintings whereas at a museum you can see lots of different things.
B: That's true. At the gallery the paintings are rather big and they are high on the walls in a large room, but at the museum the exhibits are smaller and they are displayed in small groups in glass cases. I think it’s easier to see things at the gallery than at the museum, don’t you think?
A: Maybe. Do you think art galleries can be interesting?
B: Yes, I think if you like art, they can be very interesting. You can see famous paintings and learn about different artists and art movements. What do you think?
A: I agree. I also think that art galleries can teach us about things from the past because they are often the subjects of old paintings.
B: That's a good point. I think museums can be interesting if you like history because you can learn lots about the past.
A: I agree. I think you can learn many different aspects of life in the past from a museum because you can see everyday items that people used such as coins, jewellery, vases and so on. You can also see weapons in some museums.
B: That's right. Museums can teach us many things about ancient civilisations and how people used to live because they are full of artefacts and objects. We can learn about our own culture's history and about ancient cultures from around the world. What do you think?
A: Yes, I agree.