- Mon Aug 19, 2013 11:00 pm
#33612
Complete Question Explanation
(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=13780)
The correct answer choice is (C)
The answer to this Purpose question should be broad in scope, and is prephrased in the VIEWSTAMP analysis in the passage discussion.
Answer choice (A): This answer choice can seem attractive, because the author clearly sees the aesthetic value of using old photographic techniques. However, for the most part her tone is descriptive rather than polemic, so it is somewhat misleading to describe the entire passage as “making a case” for anything. Indeed, the author’s own beliefs do not become apparent until the last paragraph. Keep in mind that your job is to determine the primary purpose of the passage as a whole: just because the author seems convinced of something does not mean that the purpose of the passage is to convince us of that same thing.
Answer choice (B): This answer choice is the polar opposite of answer choice (A), and is also incorrect. Details about the modern uses of old photographic techniques are provided in the first three paragraphs only; the fourth and the fifth paragraphs explain why such processes are aesthetically valuable. The primary purpose of the passage is not to delve into specifics.
Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice. The phrase “give an account” is general enough to capture both the provision of detail in the first three paragraphs, and the expository content of the last two. The development in photographic arts is clearly recent, and can easily be described as “surprising” given our advanced technological age. Note also that the adjective “surprising” is synonymous to “ironic,” which—not coincidentally—was key in answering question 8.
Answer choice (D): This answer choice can be eliminated relatively quickly, because there is no evidence that the photographers received popular acclaim.
Answer choice (E): The author describes the approaches used by two contemporary photographers, but no explicit comparison is made between them. This answer choice is incorrect.
(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=13780)
The correct answer choice is (C)
The answer to this Purpose question should be broad in scope, and is prephrased in the VIEWSTAMP analysis in the passage discussion.
Answer choice (A): This answer choice can seem attractive, because the author clearly sees the aesthetic value of using old photographic techniques. However, for the most part her tone is descriptive rather than polemic, so it is somewhat misleading to describe the entire passage as “making a case” for anything. Indeed, the author’s own beliefs do not become apparent until the last paragraph. Keep in mind that your job is to determine the primary purpose of the passage as a whole: just because the author seems convinced of something does not mean that the purpose of the passage is to convince us of that same thing.
Answer choice (B): This answer choice is the polar opposite of answer choice (A), and is also incorrect. Details about the modern uses of old photographic techniques are provided in the first three paragraphs only; the fourth and the fifth paragraphs explain why such processes are aesthetically valuable. The primary purpose of the passage is not to delve into specifics.
Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice. The phrase “give an account” is general enough to capture both the provision of detail in the first three paragraphs, and the expository content of the last two. The development in photographic arts is clearly recent, and can easily be described as “surprising” given our advanced technological age. Note also that the adjective “surprising” is synonymous to “ironic,” which—not coincidentally—was key in answering question 8.
Answer choice (D): This answer choice can be eliminated relatively quickly, because there is no evidence that the photographers received popular acclaim.
Answer choice (E): The author describes the approaches used by two contemporary photographers, but no explicit comparison is made between them. This answer choice is incorrect.