- PowerScore Staff
- Posts: 8950
- Joined: Feb 02, 2011
- Tue May 31, 2016 6:57 pm
#25871
Complete Question Explanation
Method of Reasoning—AP. The correct answer choice is (E)
In this Method of Reasoning question, your task is to identify the role in the argument played by the claim that “paintings are not works of art.” The argument proceeds:
The question stem tasks you with identifying the role played by the claim that “there are paintings that are not works of art,” contained in the italicized portion of the third premise, above. Your prephrase is that this information is part of a premise, meaning it is offered in support of the conclusion. Further, it is information not in dispute, because both parties agree there are paintings that are not works of art, and the lack of dispute over this claim informs the conclusion that the dispute between the critics must involve something else.
Answer choice (A): This choice is the opposite of the role played by the claim in the argument, which was the area of agreement, not disagreement.
Answer choice (B): This answer choice describes pieces of argumentation that are not present in the stimulus. There is no independent evidence offered for accepting a hypothesis.
Answer choice (C): While it is true that the critics who differ on other issues accept the claim identified in the question stem, their acceptance is not cited as evidence of the truth of the statement that there are paintings that are not works of art. This is the kind of half-right, half-wrong answer choice that will often trap someone who rushes through the test.
Answer choice (D): This choice is incorrect because the art critics referenced by the linguist appear to agree concerning this claim, such that it would not “account for disputes” regarding the aesthetic merits of certain types of paintings.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. The claim that there are paintings that are not works of art is accepted by both groups of art critics, and it is cited as evidence for the conclusion that the disagreement between the critics is not over the meaning of the word “art.”
Method of Reasoning—AP. The correct answer choice is (E)
In this Method of Reasoning question, your task is to identify the role in the argument played by the claim that “paintings are not works of art.” The argument proceeds:
- Premise: one group of art critics claims that postimpressionist paintings are not really art and should be neither studied nor displayed
Premise: another group of critics disagrees, insisting that these paintings are works of art
Premise: but since the second group grants that there are paintings that are not works of art and should be ignored in the manner suggested by the first group
Conclusion: the disagreement of the art critics is not over the meaning of the word “art”
The question stem tasks you with identifying the role played by the claim that “there are paintings that are not works of art,” contained in the italicized portion of the third premise, above. Your prephrase is that this information is part of a premise, meaning it is offered in support of the conclusion. Further, it is information not in dispute, because both parties agree there are paintings that are not works of art, and the lack of dispute over this claim informs the conclusion that the dispute between the critics must involve something else.
Answer choice (A): This choice is the opposite of the role played by the claim in the argument, which was the area of agreement, not disagreement.
Answer choice (B): This answer choice describes pieces of argumentation that are not present in the stimulus. There is no independent evidence offered for accepting a hypothesis.
Answer choice (C): While it is true that the critics who differ on other issues accept the claim identified in the question stem, their acceptance is not cited as evidence of the truth of the statement that there are paintings that are not works of art. This is the kind of half-right, half-wrong answer choice that will often trap someone who rushes through the test.
Answer choice (D): This choice is incorrect because the art critics referenced by the linguist appear to agree concerning this claim, such that it would not “account for disputes” regarding the aesthetic merits of certain types of paintings.
Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. The claim that there are paintings that are not works of art is accepted by both groups of art critics, and it is cited as evidence for the conclusion that the disagreement between the critics is not over the meaning of the word “art.”
