#13 - Must Be True, Except

[sarae]

I'm having a little trouble understanding why answer choice D is correct. The passage states, "Another important element of Bearden's compositions was his use of muted colors, such as dark blues and purples, to suggest moods of melancholy or despair." (lines 34-37)

[Steve Stein]

Hi sarae,

Good question! The lines you reference point to the painter's use of colors to suggest mood, but take a closer look at the question stem: "...human figures do all of the following except..."

Subtle! Again, good question--I hope this is helpful--please let me know whether this is clear--thanks!

~Steve

[sarae]

i thought so. but at the same time, colors could be used on the human figures. that's why i was confused!

[p.arya]

Aren't colors used to convey mood painted on human figures in Bearden's paintings? Or is that a bad assumption to make?

I think I assumed that the colors symbolizing melancholy must have been used to paint human figures, but I worry that is a bad assumption to make.

[Jeff Wren]

Hi p.arya,

The passage does not state that the muted colors used were specifically of the human figures in the painting and that would be a bad assumption to make in this case. Notice the question asks, "According to the passage," so each wrong answer in this case (due to the word "EXCEPT") must be directly supported by the passage.

The discussion of Bearden's use of muted colors occurs directly after the discussion of Bearden's use of human figures, but it is a separate topic. The relevant sentence begins "Another important element of Bearden's composition was his use of muted colors"(my emphasis)(lines 34-36). This is introducing a new, different element of Bearden's painting that is separate from his use of human figures.

The test makers realize that many people will incorrectly mix these two different elements/topics because they appear right next to each other in the passage.

Of course, if you weren't sure about Answer D, you could also determine that Answer D is correct by process of elimination, since all of the other answers are directly supported by the passage.

Answer A is supported by lines 24-29.
Answer B is supported by lines 30-34.
Answer C is supported by lines 33-34.
Answer E is supported by lines 30-31.