Reading comp PrepTest 101 · Section 1 · Question 27

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

Consult notes to review the role of the third paragraph, and choose the answer choice based on your understanding of the purpose of that paragraph in the passage's overall argument.

Answer Anticipation

After reading each paragraph, we should take a few seconds to note or reflect on its role. Doing so will help us track the author's argument, find details for questions, and directly answer Argument Structure questions like this one.Looking at our note on the third paragraph we see that we tagged its role as "Fake?'s other point (in some cultures, authenticity is a foreign or complicated subject)." So, the third paragraph explores another criterion for declaring an artwork real or fake, this time with respect to different cultures. How does this relate to the main point? Well, if the main point is that there are many factors to the complex question involving whether art is "fake," the third paragraph points out another layer of complexity. So, the third paragraph is intended to explore another criterion that makes the question of an artwork's authenticity even more complex. Let's look for that idea in the answer choices.

Answer choices

  1. A
    It offers a tentative Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited

    (A) Does this say that the third paragraph is intended to explore another criterion that makes the question of an artwork's authenticity even more complex?

    No. This answer choice is an overstatement. The author never answers — even "tentative[ly]" — a question posed in the first paragraph. The author never says that "function" is the criterion we can use to determine whether any artwork is a "fake" or "authentic." So (A) definitely doesn't describe the third paragraph's role.

  2. B
    It summarizes an account Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited

    (B) Does this say that the third paragraph is intended to explore another criterion that makes the question of an artwork's authenticity even more complex?

    No. The third paragraph discusses a new concept entirely from that discussed in the second paragraph. The second paragraph talks about different eras in which faking art has flourished and languished). So the second paragraph was about faking art in different time periods.

    The third paragraph talks about faking art in different cultures, and mentions that in African cultures like that of the Bambara people of Mali, art is authentic only if it performs its original function (P3 S2-6). This example in no way ties into the topic of the second paragraph, so we can eliminate (B).

  3. C
    It provides additional support Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited

    (C) Does this say that the third paragraph is intended to explore another criterion that makes the question of an artwork's authenticity even more complex?

    No. The second paragraph doesn't advance an argument, per se. It merely describes Jones's explanation that art forgery flourishes where people collect art (P2, S1). There is no argument implicit or explicit in Jones' statement; it's more of an observation. So we can't say that anything in the third paragraph advances the second paragraph's argument because there was no argument.

  4. D
    It examines another facet Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D matches the stem

    (D) Does this say that the third paragraph is intended to explore another criterion that makes the question of an artwork's authenticity even more complex?

    Yes. The entire passage is concerned with the questions of what constitutes forged art and what constitutes authentic art (P1, S1-5). The distinction referred to in this answer choice is the distinction between forged art and authentic art, and the third paragraph discusses a facet of that distinction — that in some cultures, an artwork is authentic only if it fulfills an original function (P3, S2, S6). In other cultures, presumably, art is authentic if it was made by the person it was advertised to have been made by, for instance, in the case of Michelangelo (P2 S8).

    This answer choice matches our anticipation by pointing out another layer of complexity in answering the passage's two implicit questions. Therefore, we'd be justified in selecting (D) and wrapping up this passage.

  5. E
    It affirms the general Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited

    (E) Does this say that the third paragraph is intended to explore another criterion that makes the question of an artwork's authenticity even more complex?

    No. The principle enunciated at the beginning of the passage is that fake art was made with an intent to deceive (P1 S1-2). The third paragraph doesn't mention anyone making art to deceive, simply that, in some cultures, the only authentic art is that which fulfills an original function (P3, S2, S6). The third paragraph, then, doesn't advance the principle mentioned in the first paragraph at all, so this cannot be the right answer choice.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 11%
  2. B 5%
  3. C 10%
  4. D Credited 66%
  5. E 8%

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