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

[Stephanie Oswalt]

Hi,

I see how answer choice E is supported by the text, but it seems to me that answer choice B (The nineteenth-century knowledge of light and movement provided by photography inspired the abstract works characteristic of modern art.) is also strongly supported, namely by this section of the passage :

" In addition, Impressionist artists like Degas studied the elements of light and movement captured by instantaneous photography and used their new understanding of the way our perceptions distort reality to try to more accurately capture reality in their work. Since photos can capture the “moments” of a movement, such as a hand partially raised in a gesture of greeting, Impressionist artists were inspired to paint such moments in order to more effectively convey the quality of spontaneous human action. Photography freed artists from the preconception that a subject should be painted in a static, artificial entirety, and inspired them to capture the random and fragmentary qualities of our world. "

(especially the last sentence copied).

Could you explain what should make us confidently eliminate this answer choice?

Thanks a lot for your help

Hi d,

Thanks for the post! I moved your post to the thread discussing this question. Please review the discussion here—particularly Jon's comment about why B can be eliminated—and let us know if that helps, or if you still have further questions! Thanks!

[olenka.ballena@macaulay.cuny.edu]

Hi Powerscore,

So I originally chose B, but after reading through this thread I do understand how E is actually the correct answer. But I just want to clarify the following:

Would it also be valid to eliminate B because the "elements of light and knowledge" studied by Degas was introduced/cited basically as an example? (it starts with in addition, and then impression artists "like Degas" which kind of indicates its usage as an example?)

and if it is cited as an example, is that good enough to basically eliminate the answer choice since the question stem is asking for the main point/author's perspective? I was just kinda confused because I couldn't tell if this was a main point/author's perspective question or a concept reference/more specific kind of question. Because if it is MP, I would kinda right away eliminate anything that was a bit too specific.

So I'm also kinda curious about the following: is the scope of this question specific to the last paragraph, since it's asking about changes in painting since the 19th century (which is only discussed In the last paragraph)? So if this is a concept reference question - kind of more specific that a global reference/MP question - does that mean I should only focus on that specific paragraph?

I had focused on the last sentence of the passage as well, specifically the phrase "giving rise to the abstract creations characteristic of modern art," and because I thought this was a more specific concept reference question, when I saw those words mirrored in B) - in addition to the reference to light and movement discussed earlier in the paragraph - I thought it was the right answer. I get that B is perhaps more stronger, but I kinda get confused because I was also under the impression that it's suggested to look for the information specifically stated in the passage in the answer choices themselves in order to find the right answer.

Sorry if this is kind of confusing (please let me know if I can clarify further) and thank you so much in advance!

[Adam Tyson]

This is not a Main Point question, Olenka, but a concept reference. We're looking for something the author would say about the way painting has changed since the 19th century, when the portable camera and snapshot were developed. In general, we can say that snapshots had an influence on painting. The example of Degas and the elements of light and movement is one effect, but answer B construes it too broadly. Answer E is better because it is supported by the last sentence. Basically, it became less common to paint portraits, since photography began to dominate that task, and so painters were then free to explore less literal subject matter and get more abstract.