Q26

[tzyc]

Although I think D is the best among the answer choices...isn't "mistaken" too strong?
I thought it should say "not enough" (or did I misunderstand the passage? )
I think the support would come from L5-9, L21-22, and L59-62...but not sure.
The reason I thought it should say it is not enough is because related to Q27 which answer is they are only cover one of them. So it's not mistaken, but not enough.
(I thought the supports for those 2 questions come from the same part.)

Thank you

[tommywallach]

Hey Strawberry,

"Mistaken" is supported by lines 21-22: "His arguments are not, finally, persuasive." Also helpful are lines 59-62: "Their paintings have two levels...what is represented and how it is represented, and no art historian can afford to emphasize one at the expense of the other." You nailed that part of it! Well done!

As for question 27, all you need is that lines 59-62 quote. The author thinks that a book that only focuses on one thing is mistaken because it is inadequate.

I think everything you wrote here was spot on!

-t

[Aquamarine]

I chose D, but I can't see what the difference between D and E.
Is it possible E can be an answer too?

Can anyone explain me?

[ohthatpatrick]

When RC questions use the words
"primarily to"
"serves to"
or
"in order to"
they're asking about the PURPOSE of a detail. How does it connect to the previous sentence or the following sentence? How does it relate to the overall message of THAT paragraph?

The point of the final paragraph is that Herbert was dumb to focus on the political content of Impressionists (and even Herbert realized it!).

Herbert complains that Impressionists weren't especially good as illustrators of their society. They didn't involve a lot of ordinary experience such as work and poverty. Their pictures were inventions, not descriptions. They were more about style than about recording/describing the world they lived in.

The author is writing all this because she's like, "Yeah! Obviously! That's why Herbert's approach of focusing too much on the content is dumb. Impressionists were VERY concerned with style."

The line we're asked about ties in to the final sentence of the passage: "art historians (such as Herbert) shouldn't emphasize the content (what is represented) at the expense of the style (how it is represented)."

My pre-phrase for this question would be "to help show why Herbert's approach was flawed ... to lead-in to that final summary sentence".

(A) At no point in the passage is the author trying to make a point that Impressionists are hoping to separate painting and photography. This is just trying to trap people by using other words WITHIN this sentence. Purpose of Detail questions are more concerned about the "bookend" sentences, the bigger claim that comes before or after the sentence they actually ask about.

(B) No one ever argued that style is the ONLY important feature. Plus, this is opposite of the real gist. The author thinks that style is MORE important than how Herbert is treating it, so the author would want to STRENGTHEN an argument that style IS an important feature.

(C) Same as (A). Completely unsupported idea about being 'strongly influenced'. Just trying to bait people with the word 'photography'.

(D) correct answer. This sounds like the paraphrase of the big claim right AFTER line 57-59. That's what we were anticipating.

(E) It's true that Impressionists neglected work and poverty, but the author isn't trying to say, "Wrong! Impressionists DID address work and poverty". Instead, the author is saying, "I know! They did not address work and poverty, so why, Herbert, are you so focused on subject matter? Their efforts were more about stylistic inventions, not real-world descriptions."

Hope this helps