- PowerScore Staff
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- Mon May 15, 2017 2:41 pm
#34868
Complete Question Explanation
Main Point. The correct answer choice is (B)
The author introduces a famous artist’s claim that all great art imitates nature:
Your ability to quickly identify the correct answer to a Main Point question is directly tied to your understanding of the structure of the argument. Since the correct answer is often simply a paraphrase of the conclusion, test makers often introduce competing viewpoints and counterarguments in order to increase the level of difficulty of the question. In this particular question, the author’s conclusion is implied but not explicitly stated. It was imperative to prephrase the main point before examining the answer choices, making a clear distinction between the author’s position and that of the artist.
Answer choice (A): This answer choice is incorrect because the author never argued that music is inferior to other forms of art. The only logical implication of the artist’s claim is that most great music is not great art, not that all music is inferior to all other art forms. Furthermore, this answer choice does not acknowledge the possibility that the artist’s claim is incorrect.
Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice. Either the artist’s claim is incorrect, and great music need not imitate anything to be considered great art, or his claim is correct—in which case most great music is not great art.
Answer choice (C): The author never compares music to other art forms such as painting or sculpture. This answer choice falls entirely outside the scope of the argument.
Answer choice (D): Whether great art can represent all elements of nature cannot be determined with the information provided in the stimulus.
Answer choice (E): This is an attractive answer choice because it can easily be concluded by the contrapositive of the artist’s claim. Indeed, if all great art imitates nature, then sounds that do not imitate nature cannot be great music. The question stem, however, never asked us to identify the artist’s hypothetical conclusion given the facts presented by the author. Instead, our goal is to express the author’s main point, who does not necessarily agree with the artist (note the conditional qualifier “if this claim is correct…” at the beginning of the second sentence).
Main Point. The correct answer choice is (B)
The author introduces a famous artist’s claim that all great art imitates nature:
- Great art
Imitate nature
- Great artmusic Imitate naturemusic
Your ability to quickly identify the correct answer to a Main Point question is directly tied to your understanding of the structure of the argument. Since the correct answer is often simply a paraphrase of the conclusion, test makers often introduce competing viewpoints and counterarguments in order to increase the level of difficulty of the question. In this particular question, the author’s conclusion is implied but not explicitly stated. It was imperative to prephrase the main point before examining the answer choices, making a clear distinction between the author’s position and that of the artist.
Answer choice (A): This answer choice is incorrect because the author never argued that music is inferior to other forms of art. The only logical implication of the artist’s claim is that most great music is not great art, not that all music is inferior to all other art forms. Furthermore, this answer choice does not acknowledge the possibility that the artist’s claim is incorrect.
Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice. Either the artist’s claim is incorrect, and great music need not imitate anything to be considered great art, or his claim is correct—in which case most great music is not great art.
Answer choice (C): The author never compares music to other art forms such as painting or sculpture. This answer choice falls entirely outside the scope of the argument.
Answer choice (D): Whether great art can represent all elements of nature cannot be determined with the information provided in the stimulus.
Answer choice (E): This is an attractive answer choice because it can easily be concluded by the contrapositive of the artist’s claim. Indeed, if all great art imitates nature, then sounds that do not imitate nature cannot be great music. The question stem, however, never asked us to identify the artist’s hypothetical conclusion given the facts presented by the author. Instead, our goal is to express the author’s main point, who does not necessarily agree with the artist (note the conditional qualifier “if this claim is correct…” at the beginning of the second sentence).
