Reading comp PrepTest 101 · Section 1 · Question 22

Passage

Questions 21-27  .        A fake can be defined as an artwork intended to  . deceive. The motives of its Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage Summary

Topic: Humanities


Paragraph 1

  • Paragraph note
    • Background on Jones's Fake? (explores artworks that fall between fake and original)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Definition of a "fake" work of art: a work intended to deceive; artistic merit of such a work is an unrelated question (first through second sentences)
    • Examples of artworks that fall between fake and original, according to Jones:
      • Works by an artist's followers in their style that try to replicate the "master's" style, deliberately making art look old, copying for teaching purposes, production of copies for sale (last sentence)
    • Author's attitude: "decisive" (second sentence); "broader concerns" (third sentence)

Paragraph 2

  • Paragraph note
    • Fake?'s thesis (faking increases when an interest in collecting increases)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Jones's view:
      • Faking of art flourishes wherever art collecting flourishes (first sentence)
    • Examples of times that art collecting influenced faking, according to Jones:
      • Imperial Rome: Interest in collecting Greek art spurred faking of Greek art (second through third sentences)
      • Medieval Europe: Art was devotional, and they didn't care as much about the fame or skill of artists, so art was not faked at all (fourth sentence)
      • Italian Renaissance: Interest in antiquity and recognition of individual skill drove art fakery (fifth sentence)
      • Michelangelo: Encouraged to age his Sleeping Cupid sculpture to increase its value; soon after, he became famous, and people started faking his works (sixth through eighth sentences)
    • Author's attitude: "masterpiece" (seventh sentence); "great art can assimilate and transcend" (seventh sentence); "wholly original work" (seventh sentence); "genius" (last sentence)

Paragraph 3

  • Paragraph note
    • Fake?'s other point (in some cultures, authenticity is a foreign or complicated subject)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Jones's (and the author's) view:
      • Authenticity is a foreign concept in certain cultures (first sentence)
    • Example of culture where authenticity is a foreign concept, according to Jones/the author:
      • African art: Authenticity depends on whether it functions as intended initially (second sentence)
      • Chi wara mask: One version has pegs allowing it to be attached to a cap and used in a ceremony, and the other doesn't have the pegs because it is a replica; even if the first version with pegs is much more recent, it is the only one that should be considered authentic (third through sixth sentences)
    • Author's view on Chi wara mask
      • The experts may tie authenticity to function, but the artisans may not agree (seventh through last sentences)
    • Author's attitude: "reminds us" (first sentence); "authenticity is a foreign concept" (first sentence); "so-called experts" (seventh sentence); "one wonders" (last sentence)

Main Point: In his book Fake?, Mark Jones explores the concept of artistic authenticity across various eras, locations, and cultures.

Key Lines?

Paragraph 1, Sentences 1-2 (P1, S1-2) - Definition of fake

P1, S5 - Ambiguous possibilities between fake and original

P2, S1 - Jones's first point (faking art driven by collecting art)

P3, S1 - Jones's second point (in some cultures, authenticity is non-existent or complicated)

Meta-Structure?

Question/Answer: This passage uses a Question/Answer Meta-Structure.* The author poses the implicit questions explored by author Mark Jones in his book Fake? The Art of Deception —  what distinguishes faked and authentic art? According to the author, Jones begins by naming several types of art that fall somewhere in between fake and original, then traces the history of art forgery through many different eras, from ancient Rome through the Middle Ages to the Italian Renaissance, arguing that faking art is dependent on whether the market valued antiquity and individual authorship. Jones also points out that, when it comes to collecting the art of some cultures, like those of Mali, authenticity depends on the object's function rather than who made it or when.

The author doesn't really make an argument in this passage. They merely report the many possible answers that Jones explores in his book. This exploration is not argumentative but fairly nuanced, pointing out that declaring a piece of art a fake or an original is not a straightforward matter, and that standards vary depending on the time and place the art was made.

*That said, this is not an easy passage to classify. We could also call this a Phenomenon/Explanation passage (phenomenon: artworks have been "faked" throughout history; explanation: collection drives faking, but "faking" has a different meaning in some cultures). We could call this a Reporting a Viewpoint passage since the author is mostly (but not entirely) reporting Jones's view, as expressed in Fake? Remember, there's no one right answer to the question, "Which Meta-Structure does this passage use"? 

Example: The most prominent minor Meta-Structure in this passage is the example. The author lists many examples throughout the passage, collected in the Passage Summary above. Highlighting these examples can help us locate them when answering the inevitable questions about them.

Last Thoughts?

Since the author doesn't reach any definitive conclusions in this passage, be extremely skeptical of any answer choice that suggests the author reached one.

Question prompt

Which one of the Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: D

The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.

Question Type

Humanities

Strategy Overview

Reiterate the main point as we summarized it after reading through the passage, then find the answer that best matches it.

Answer Anticipation

As discussed in the Meta-Structure section above, this passage utilizes a Question/Answer Meta-Structure. In such a Meta-Structure, the main point is generally a summary of the various answers to the questions the author poses. Here, the author doesn't come to any definite answers to the questions, instead pointing out the complexities of defining real and fake art that Mark Jones explored in his book Fake? So, we summarized the main point as: In his book Fake?, Mark Jones explores the concept of artistic authenticity across various eras, locations, and cultures.

Answer choices

  1. A
    The faking of art Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited

    (A) Does this answer choice match our anticipation of the main point ("In his book Fake?, Mark Jones explores the concept of artistic authenticity across various eras, locations, and cultures")?

    No. This answer choice is quite a bit bolder than our anticipation. We can cross it off for that reason.

    The author points out that Jones traces the history of forging art through many eras and locations (P2, S1; P3, S1), but they never say that such forgery has taken place during every era and in every culture. In fact, the author says that in Medieval Europe, faking art was virtually unknown because it was used for devotional purposes and not for individual glory or status.

  2. B
    Whether a work of Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited

    (B) Does this answer choice match our anticipation of the main point ("In his book Fake?, Mark Jones explores the concept of artistic authenticity across various eras, locations, and cultures")?

    No. This answer choice suggests that the author or Jones reached a definitive conclusion about "fake" art, unlike our anticipation. We can eliminate (B) for that reason.

    In fact, the author doesn't really address this issue at all. The author points out that a "fake" is intended to deceive and that the question of its artistic merit is "a separate issue" (P1, S2). The author never takes a stand on whether the artistic merit of a fake is more or less important than the fact that it is made to imitate the work of someone else. Throughout the passage, the issue of a fake's artistic merit is addressed only in this brief mention at the beginning.

  3. C
    It is possible to Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited

    (C) Does this answer choice match our anticipation of the main point ("In his book Fake?, Mark Jones explores the concept of artistic authenticity across various eras, locations, and cultures")?

    No. Like (B), this answer choice makes it seem like the author or Jones reached a definitive conclusion about "fake" art. However, our anticipated main point does not suggest that either reached a definitive conclusion. So, we can eliminate (C).

    Indeed, the author never says or implies that the authenticity of a work cannot be proved conclusively. Most of the passage is devoted to the different factors that can affect whether a work of art is designated as fake (P1, S4; P2, S1; P3 S1). This discussion suggests that what constitutes a "fake" or a "authentic" artwork is complex and depends in large part on the time and place the artwork was made and who decides whether the art is "fake" or "authentic."

  4. D
    A variety of circumstances Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D matches the stem

    (D) Does this answer choice match our anticipation of the main point ("In his book Fake?, Mark Jones explores the concept of artistic authenticity across various eras, locations, and cultures")?

    Yes. This answer choice matches our anticipation, casting it in a slightly different light than we did but still expressing the same idea. We said that Jones explores varjious concepts of authenticity across eras, locations, and cultures, which matches up to the answer choice's "variety of circumstances." Our anticipated the notion of artistic authenticity while the answer choice says "whether a work of art can appropriately be called a fake," but these concepts are two sides of the same coin.

    Also, neither our anticipation nor this answer choice declare that Jones or the author came to a definite answer about whether or not a work of art can be defined as fake or authentic; both emphasize the different considerations that go into that decision.

    Because it matches our anticipation, this is the right answer choice. We would be justified in selecting it and advancing straight to the next question.

  5. E
    Without an international market Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited

    (E) Does this answer choice match our anticipation of the main point ("In his book Fake?, Mark Jones explores the concept of artistic authenticity across various eras, locations, and cultures")?

    No. Our anticipation was not about how to end the "faking" of artworks so we can eliminate (E).

    Although the author implies in the second paragraph that the motive for faking art is making money, this is not explicitly stated and is certainly not a focus of the passage. The focus of both Jones and the author is the various factors that influence which artworks can be called fake and which can be called authentic. Because it lacks support in the passage, this is not the right answer choice.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 22%
  2. B 9%
  3. C 7%
  4. D Credited 59%
  5. E 2%

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