#13 - Concept Reference, Must Be True, Author's Perspective

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=7427)

CR, Must—AP. The correct answer choice is (B)

This question asks for the author’s attitude about the foreign collectors of the terra-cotta sculptures
from Mali. The author does not say much about such collectors, so the answer to this question may
be difficult to prephrase, but the correct answer will be the only choice that passes the Fact Test.

Answer choice (A): The author makes no mention of such appreciation in the passage.

Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice. In the first paragraph the author shows a
clear appreciation for the sculptures, calling them “wonderful” and “fine,” and that the works were
“rightly admired.” As such, the author would clearly approve of such collectors’ aesthetic judgment
in this context.

Answer choice (C): The passage reflects no such sentiment, and the author does not point the finger
at foreign collectors in this way.

Answer choice (D): The author does not relay any such frustration with regard to foreign collectors,
so this choice fails the Fact Test and should be eliminated.

Answer choice (E): While the author does appreciate such collectors’ taste, there is no suggestion
that the author sympathizes with collectors’ motives, which were also not discussed in the passage.

[plac23]

It may come from my perspective as a non-native English speaker, I found it really hard for me to understand why I shouldn't choose A. The passage said “rightly", and basically no more information is provided for this question. Considering the first paragraph said Mali government did not protect the antiques well, the "rightly" seems meaning the collectors know how to protect the antiques. While I know B also makes sense, a lot. But, How should I tell?
Thank you for your help.

[Jeff Wren]

Hi plac23,

Very careful reading and attention to detail are critical skills tested on the LSAT, especially in the Reading Comprehension section, and this question is a great example of this.

Here, the relevant sentence in the passage tells us that "many fine Djenne-jeno terra-cotta sculptures were illicitly excavated in the 1980s and sold to foreign collectors who rightly admired them" (lines 6-8).

The word "rightly" is modifying the verb "admired," so what this means is that the author believes that the collectors were correct in their admiration for the sculptures. In other words, the author agrees that the sculptures are worthy of admiration. The author's positive view of the sculptures can also be found in the word "fine" in the same sentence and the word "wonderful" in line 2. In short, the author is a big fan of the sculptures.

This shouldn't really come as a surprise based on the overall point of the passage (the importance of preserving cultural knowledge at sites like Djenne-jeno and the possible solutions to doing so). Also, this passage falls within the category of diversity passages. The primary reason for diversity passages on the LSAT is to positively portray traditionally underrepresented groups, cultures, etc.. What this means from a practical standpoint is that you are unlikely to find an LSAT passage that is critical of art, culture, etc. of a non-Western country such as Mali.

As for the foreign collectors themselves, however, it is safe to say that the author is not a fan of what they have done. Simply put, they are the "bad guys" in this passage. How do we know this? First, the words "illicitly excavated" in the sentence above means "illegally excavated," and you generally don't see passages on the LSAT that advocate breaking the law/criminal activity. (While the collectors aren't actually the ones doing the illegal excavating, they are ones buying the illegally obtained sculptures and providing a market for those who are stealing them.)

Also, the next sentence in the passage states that "Because these sites were looted, much of what we would most like to know about this culture-- much that we could have learned had the sites been preserved by careful archaeology--may now never be known" (lines 9-12). In other words, the foreign collectors haven't helped preserve the culture artifacts, but have actually prevented the learning of the culture. (While technically the sculptures are "preserved" in the private collections of these foreign collectors, the author believes that the sculptures should be preserved at the original site and studied by archeologists.) This directly contradicts what is stated in Answer A.