Reading comp PrepTest 101 · Section 1 · Question 23

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.

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)

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.

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.