Reading comp PrepTest 131 · Section 4 · Question 16

Topic: Humanities

Paragraph 1

• Paragraph note
  • Background on Noguchi (deeply original, creative, followed a unique path) and preview of sculpture example
• Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
  • Author's view:
    • Noguchi asked and responded to deeply original questions in his art; he charted a unique path in his career (first and second sentences)
  • Comparison, according to the author:
    • Noguchi was like a scientist and could have become one (second sentence)
  • Example of Noguchi's creativity, according to the author:
    • The story behind a sculpture (last sentence)
  • Author's attitude: "intuitively asked—and responded to—deeply original questions" (first sentence); "repeatedly veered off at wide angles" (second sentence); "creativeness" (last sentence)

Paragraph 2

• Paragraph note
  • Noguchi's background (early promise; Brancusi's stonecutter) and observation (sculptors have only used negative light/shadow)
• Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
  • Comparison, according to Noguchi:
    • Sculptors have used negative light (i.e., shadow) because only gold is reliably shiny (last sentence)
  • Author's attitude: "exquisite comprehension" (first sentence); "deft conceptual realization" (first sentence); "scientist's mind" (last sentence)

Paragraph 3

• Paragraph note
  • Noguchi's goal (purely reflective sculpture) and suggested approach (chrome-nickel steel, a permanently reflective surface now available due to Ford)
• Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
  • Noguchi's view:
    • Wanted to create a purely reflective, positive-light sculpture (first sentence)
  • Comparisons, according to the author/Fuller:
    • Like nonoxidizing gold, chrome-nickel steel is permanently reflective; unlike nonoxidizing gold, chrome-nickel steel is cheap and available in mass quantities (third and last sentences)

Paragraph 4

• Paragraph note
  • Description of sculpture ("invisible" surface that is noticed only when other objects change in reflection) and analogy (still waters)
• Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
  • Noguchi's view:
    • A positive-light sculpture would be "invisible," seen only when objects surrounding it change (fourth through last sentences)
  • Comparison, according to the author/Noguchi:
    • The surface of Noguchi's sculpture is like the surface of still water — it is only seen in reflection (second sentence)

Paragraph 5

• Paragraph note
  • After the sculpture (praised but Noguchi moved on)
• Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
  • Author's view
    • Even after Noguchi received praise for his discovery, he kept on innovating/evolving (first and last sentence)
  • Author's attitude: "stunning discovery" (first sentence); "inquisitive nature" (first sentence); "the genius of his original and fundamental conception" (second sentence); "next phase of his evolution" (second sentence)

Main Point: Noguchi confronted original questions and continually innovated in his sculptures, as is illustrated by a particular reflective sculpture of Fuller.

Generalization/Example: Check out the last sentence of the first paragraph. There, we're essentially told that the author is going to use the Generalization/Example Meta-Structure as a central feature of the passage.* The author opens the passage by claiming that Noguchi was innovative throughout his career and then closes out that paragraph by saying that one work exemplifies this general characterization of the sculptor. That example is discussed throughout the rest of the passage (except the last paragraph, but even that's used to reinforce the general point about Noguchi's boundless and restless innovation).

When a passage relies on a Generalization/Example Meta-Structure, the main piont is the author's generalization or a variation of, "[The specific example] illustrates [the generalization]. ") So, we used that template for our anticipated main point.

*That said, other Meta-Structures could apply to this passage. Most obviously, this passage conforms to the Innovative [Subject] Meta-Structure, with the place holder "[Subject]" standing in for "Artist" (Noguchi) or "Sculpture" (Fuller sculpture). We could also think of this as a Problem/Solution passage, where Noguchi looks for a way to rely on positive light in a sculpture (the problem) and eventually lands on chrome-nickel steel (the solution).

That fourth paragraph is dense and hard to understand. However, it describes the innovative sculpture, so it's important to have some handle on what it's talking about. The analogy is there to help you wrap your head around it (pun completely intended). From that paragraph, we know that the sculpture is "invisible" in that it can only be seen through the reflections in the metal. And in that way, it's like the surface of a lake - you can't really see that surface, but you can see the trees, sun, and clouds reflected in it to know where it is. Let's keep that image in mind since it's likely more familiar than a portrait of Fuller sculpted out of chrome-nickel steel!