Bunker Hill Community College

Reading Comprehension

7. After seven years of construction, the new East Wing of the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., was finally opened in the public in 1978. Designed by I.M. Pei, the East Wing is probably the most expensive public building ever erected in the United States. Most of the $95 million that went into constructing it was donated by Paul Mellon and the Mellon Foundation. Interestingly enough, Paul’s father, Andrew Mellon, was the person who donated funds in the 1930’s to build what is now the main building of the National Gallery.

The main purpose of the passage is to:
a.) relate facts about the East Wing.
b.) describe how the East Wing was built.
c.) show why the East Wing is expensive.
d.) question the need for a public building like the East Wing.

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