#27 - Specific Reference, Must Be True, Organization

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (D).

Answer choice (A):

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (E):

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[silent7706]

Hi,

I'm wondering whether (E) is wrong because no general principle is stated in the 1st paragraph?

Thanks in advance.

[James Finch]

Hi Silent,

The first sentence of the first paragraph could be read as a general principle, but the real key to why (E) is incorrect is that there's no general principle that the last paragraph supports.

The best approach to correctly answering this question is to Prephrase how this paragraph relates to the other parts of the passage. It serves to introduce another wrinkle or nuance into the thorny question of what it means to be fake and who defines the term, without directly answering that question. (D) reflects that understanding of the paragraph, which if Prephrased accurately should be clear.

Hope this clears things up!

[silent7706]

Thank you James.

[bhamblin]

Hello,

I am having a hard time understanding how C is wrong.
I understand the last paragraph introduces the idea of functionality as a means of determining if something is "fake."
C says "It provides additional support for an argument advanced by the author in the preceding paragraph." Is this not providing additional support that there is a spectrum between fake and original as stated in paragraph one?
Is D correct purely because functionality is a new mechanism to determine "fakeness" ?
Sorry if that was a lot- I'm having a hard time seeing what it is I'm missing with RC questions.

Thanks in advance

[Poonam Agrawal]

Hi bhamblin,

We have to treat these type of answer choices as Must Be True - every part of the answer has to be factually correct. Answer choice (C) refers to the argument in the preceding paragraph, which is paragraph 2. You're referencing something from paragraph 1. That's why answer choice (C) isn't the best pick here - I can't really find an argument in paragraph 2.

The third paragraph seems to serve mostly the role of just introducing another a new way to consider the idea of fakeness/authenticity. It talks about the cultural aspect of authenticity, which is a new way of looking at this concept of fakeness. This is really close to what answer choice (D) describes, which is why it is the best answer in this situation.

Hope that helps! Let us know if you have any other questions.

[annabelle.swift]

Hi, I was between D and E.

For E: I thought that the general principle was that there is a spectrum between fake and authentic works of art and that one possibility on this spectrum is commercial facsimiles. I thought the third paragraph supported this principle by stating that the replica mask made for sale (i.e. a commercial facsimile) was not authentic. Is this incorrect because commercial facsimiles is too specific to be in a general principle?

For D: I see how the third paragraph introduces a new way of thinking about a fake/authentic distinction, but I am not seeing how this distinction was developed in paragraph 2. To me, the passage from "The greater part" to "virtually nonexistent" only discusses fakeness, not authenticity. How can a distinction be developed if you're only talking about one part of the distinction without contrasting it with the other part?

The passage from "The modern age" to "object of imitators" does mention authenticity, but it doesn't seem to draw a clear distinction between this authenticity and fakeness.

Thank you!

[katehos]

Hi Annabelle,

A key component to keep in mind when evaluating answer choice (E) is whether or not the paragraphs function is to support a general principle. While the third paragraph illustrates an example of the spectrum of possibilities between authentic and fake, the paragraph itself does not affirm any sort of principle, or broad rule about what is authentic and what is fake.

Answer choice (D), on the other hand, describes the function of the paragraph as showing another side of the difference between authentic (real/original) and fake. If we look to the beginning of the passage, we can see that the author discusses a variety of possibilities between fake and authentic (lines 5-10). The third paragraph develops this idea, explaining another perspective/issue when determining what it means to be fake and who gets to define the term. In the case of the third paragraph, both masks were made by the Bambara people but to the "experts" referenced in line 52, only the ritual mask is authentic whilst the replica mask is fake.

Hope this helps!
-Kate