#8 - Main Point

[mariahenain]

Can you please explain the analysis behind identifying the main point of this passage? I chose answer choice A, and thought the main point could be found in lines 5-10. Although I eliminated C, D, and E, I seem to be having trouble finding the Main Point in most Reading Comprehension passages.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[nicholaspavic]

Hi Maria,
Great question. When answering main point questions, one great tip is to do them last, after working through the rest of the questions for that passage. You will likely have a much better grasp of the main point after working with the passage for 8-9 minutes. Alternatively, answer the MP first, but then doublecheck your answer before moving on to another passage.

Also, remeber that when all the answers seem equally bad, go for the answer that 1) you can prove: these are still Prove-family questions, and 2) that covers the most textual "real estate" on the page. Correct MP answers rarely focus on a single paragraph of the passage.

So with this specific passage, the first paragraph discuusing the comic book style combined with the long last paragraph discussing Roy's realism and nostalgia help push us towards Answer choice (B).

But if you apply our real estate advice between (A) and (B) you will also see that Answer Choice (A) is really limited mostly to the short first paragraph while Answer Choice (B) has a lot more text!

Thanks and I hope that helped.

[deck1134]

I am very confused as to why "E" is true. I eliminated A, C and D, but thought that B's "not solely an parodic reaction" was somewhat weak. In contrast (at least in my mind), answer E does seem to match the main point, that Lichtenstein is sophisticated because he reconciled popular realism with fine tradition; a response to sophistication. What am I doing wrong?! I can't afford to miss these and yet keep doing so.

[Jennifer Janowsky]

deck1134,

In this case, I think it's useful to break the passage into smaller points.

At first, the passage discusses the artistic climate that gave rise to Roy's work (at the time, expressionism and pop art), the comic style that he had, and how this style was a rebellion from the current artistic climate.

Then, the passage changes course. "But" (30) is an important word marking this. For the remainder of the passage, they discuss how Roy's work was more than just a rebellion/response/criticism to the artistic climate. It also demonstrated modernism, realism, and innocence.

For answer (E), what is special about Roy's work is not that it "reconciles pop art and fine art." Rather, what the author finds special besides its comic style is it's "realistic and nostalgic effects" (B). This is summarized starting in the second half of the passage. For this reason, (B)'s "not solely an parodic reaction" is actually right on the head with what line (30) said!

When approaching these problems, try not to get lost in the wordiness of the answer choices. "not solely an parodic reaction" sounds weird and unlikely as an answer, but all it is saying is that his art is more than just parody.

Hope that helps!

[pf26]

I don't think there's enough evidence to reliably eliminate E over B.

While the main point could certainly be characterized in the way it is in answer choice B, namely that the passage claims that Lichtenstein's work is not merely parodic, but also represents a significant attempt to achieve realistic and nostalgic effects in his paintings, this characterization is at best equally valid as that of answer choice E.

E includes a key part of the passage's discussion, namely that what is so impressive and innovative about Lichenstein's work is how it reconciles pop art and fine art. Looking to both the last sentence of the first paragraph and the last sentence of the conclusion (often good indicators of what the main idea of a passage is) we see the following quotes:
"His merger of a popular genre with the forms and intentions of fine art generated a complex result: while poking fun at the pretensions of the art world, Lichtenstein's work also managed to convey a seriousness of theme that enabled it to transcend mere parody."
and
"His persistent use of comic-art conventions demonstrates a faith in reconciliation, not only between cartoons and fine art, but between parody and true feeling."

Focusing on the first part of each answer choice (B and E) they are more or less saying the same thing: "not solely a parodic reaction to the high-mindedness of later abstract expressionism..." and "though a response to the excessive sophistication of the art world," so the difference that makes one true over the other must lie in their second parts. But based on the above quotations and the rest of the passage, there is no good reason to think "demonstrates an attempt to achieve realistic and nostalgic effects" is any more germane a characterization of the main idea "manages to reconcile pop art and fine art."

Both are valid characterizations of the main idea and there needs to be more for us to select one or eliminate the other.

[Brook Miscoski]

pf26,

(E) can be eliminated because the passage never discusses L's work as "sophisticated." Answer choice (E) is saying that the main point of the passage was to establish that L's work was highly sophisticated, when that isn't even mentioned. Instead, the passage says his work was deliberately naive (line 45), which is the opposite of sophistication.

(B) is the right choice because the passage is showing that L's work isn't just parody, it's also an attempt at realism (line 36) and nostalgia (line 50).

You make a valid point that the passage mentions reconciliation, but the right answer choice must not elaborate beyond the passage. (E) imposes a judgment on L's work--that it is actually very sophisticated--that the author of the passage did not make. Thus, you must eliminate (E). Answer choice (B), on the other hand, stays within the passage scope, and discussing the simultaneity of parody with nostalgia and realism does capture the reconciliation of "not only cartoons with fine art, but also parody with true feeling."

[mollylynch]

Why can D be eliminated? Because it is not solely a parodic reaction?

[Jeff Wren]

Hi Molly,

That's exactly right. The key idea that the author expresses is that Lichtenstein's art was more than just parody. This is best expressed in lines 8-10 "Lichtenstein's work also managed to convey a seriousness of theme that enabled it to transcend mere parody."

This is brought up again in lines 31-35 "But if rebellion against previous art by means of the careful imitation of a popular genre were all that characterized Lichtenstein's work, it would possess only the reflective power that parodies have in relation to their subjects." The author then describes the other features of Lichtenstein's work (such as realism and nostalgia) that make it more than just parody. Answer B captures all of these elements, making it the best choice.