Reading comp PrepTest 141 · Section 1 · Question 13

Passage

From a critical discussion of the work of Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. Questions 8-15  .       What Cameron called her Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage SummaryTopic:

Paragraph 1
  • Paragraph note
    • An artist's work is described, compared to others, and judged
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Cameron - "fancy-subject" photos of costumed people reenacting stories, but accidentally comical
    • Compared to serious work - Cameron's work feature "actors" who don't want to be there
    • Failed goal of Cameron - Seamless works of illustrative art
    • Compared to curiosities (e.g., Rejlander) - not extravagantly awful
    • Author - Her words are "among [Victorian photography's] most vital images."
Paragraph 2
  • Paragraph note
    • What makes Cameron's images special (truth), with more comparisons (contrast)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Truth is key - the people's faces showing how they feel creates a plot
    • Vs. painting - Can suspend disbelief because there aren't real people
    • Vs. theater - Can suspend disbelief and believe actor is character
    • Photo - We know it's an actor
Paragraph 3
  • Paragraph note
    • More on what makes Cameron's images special (combo of amateurism and artistry), with examples
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Special because of combo of amateurism and artistry
    • Ex - Arthur - Props are very fake, but it becomes magical
    • Like good amateur theatricals, not bad ones (guilty pleasures)
Main Point:
Despite some nay-sayers, Cameron's "fancy-subject" pictures are vital, true, and special because they capture something unique by showing the true experience of the actors at the same time as they depict a fictional scene.

Key Lines:
Lines 13-20 - The Author states a positive opinion of Cameron's work and highlights what gives them their "charm"
Lines 21-24 - Another reason for the value of Cameron's work
Lines 43-36 - Another reason for the value of Cameron's work
Line 47 - An example is introduced

Meta-Structure:
Comparisons - This passage relies heavily on comparing Cameron's works to others, to highlight what makes them unique and special. Her photos are compared both to traditionally "good" art and "bad" art to show that, while they don't amount to the former, they don't fall into the traps of the latter, and they instead capture something missing from other art—a truth about the circumstances under which the photos are taken, revealing a story of the actors involved.

Last Thoughts:
Since there were so many comparisons in the passage, we should expect questions and answers that reflect these details, so it'll be good to have those noted in some way (even if you just threw a "Comp" note to allow yourself to find where the comparisons are).

Also, note that all the paragraphs have a similar function—to highlight something about Cameron's photos that make them special. As such, it would be important to define the role of each paragraph a little more precisely so that we can find relevant information faster. That's why, in our Summary, we noted a bit more about how each paragraph proceeds.

Also, do yourself a favor and Google her photographs. Trust us, they don't disappoint.

Question prompt

The passage provides the Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: E

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

Question Type

Social Science

Answer choices

  1. A
    there was little interest Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 2-4; Lines 17-19) It's noted that Cameron's work was of non-contemporary things (even if you don't know when Shakespeare and Tennyson wrote, the Bible certainly wasn't contemporary to a period with photography). However, there's no indication that the subjects of her works reflected the general interest of the Victorian era. We also don't learn anything about the subject of Rejlander's work to have a second data point! This answer is therefore unsupported.
  2. B
    photography was practiced mainly Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    Incorrect. (Line 28) Even if we assume Cameron was a wealthy amateur (she did have access to housemaids, after all; though she couldn't get anything more realistic than a broomstick for a mastÉ), that doesn't mean that most photographers of her time were also wealthy amateurs.
  3. C
    publicity stills of actors Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 40-42) The closest the passage gets to discussing publicity still of actors is in talking about still photographs of theatrical scenes, but there's no indication that those were publicity stills. That section is also talking about these stills generically as a point of comparison—they don't have to be ones that were taken contemporaneously with Cameron!
  4. D
    there were no professional Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 27-31) Similar to other answers, the passage notes that Cameron didn't use professional models, but that doesn't mean that none exist. If anything, the passage suggests that such professionals did exist at some point in history in comparing the "masterpieces of Western painting" to "the family album of pictures" (LInes 7-10).
  5. E
    the time required to Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E matches the stem
    Correct. Question Type:
    Must Be True

    Strategy Overview:
    Rely on our notes and overall understanding of the passage to find the correct answer

    Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
    Since the passage discusses Cameron's work and process throughout the entire thing, the correct answer here could come from almost any part of the passage. The sections that are comparing her work to other genres probably won't serve as the basis for it, but those are limited.

    So let's head straight to the answers, focusing on ones that line up with the overall point of the passage and relying on our notes to find the section that backs up any answer we think might be correct.

    Answer Explanation:
    (Lines 31-32) A major part of the charm the Author attributes to Cameron's work is the "truth of the sitting"—the feelings of the actors captured on their faces in the photographs. It's noted that the actors are "trying desperately hard to sit still" and "endure his or her ordeal." All of that language suggests that the process wasn't a short one, supporting this answer!

    Key Takeaway:
    Note that the correct answer here reflects the purpose of an entire paragraph in the passage! Even for these detail questions, knowing the main point and big-picture role of each paragraph can help you narrow down which answers are more or less likely to be correct. If there's a clear place for the detail in an answer to fit in the passage, then that's an answer you should focus on.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A 20%
  2. B 4%
  3. C 6%
  4. D 10%
  5. E Credited 60%

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