PrepTest 127

Incorrect. Monique believes this. Tania believes that art is a passion, but she doesn't state whether it is more than that, so this answer is out of scope of her argument.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument/Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed/Flawed

Question Type:
Point at Issue

Stimulus Summary:
T: Art critics aren't "fair" in that they are passionate about art, and their emotions factor into their criticism.

M: The best art critics may be passionate, but they shed that before criticizing.

Answer Anticipation:
Both Tania and Monique talk about art criticism, and about how the critics are passionate about art. However, Tania believes that this passion drives the criticism, whereas Monique believes that it is left behind before criticism is rendered. This difference in opinion as to the role of passion in art criticism is the point at issue. They both also use strong language to discuss this—Tania states that art "cannot" be separated from emotion, while Monique says the best critics render criticism "only after shedding all" bias.

Answer Explanation:
This answer touches on the debate over the role of passion (i.e., bias) in art criticism, and it reflects the strong feelings the two speakers have on that topic. Tania states that good criticism "cannot be separated from emotion," so she's committed to disagreeing with this answer. Monique, on the other hand, believes that the best critics render their verdict "only after shedding all" bias, thus agreeing with this statement.

Key Takeaway:
As with all Point at Issue questions, noting concepts that are shared between the two speakers was a key first step in finding the correct answer. Here, additionally, we noted that the strength of the statements was equally very strong, which made it more likely that a disagreement could be highlighted between the two.

Incorrect. Both Tania and Monique believe that passion/emotion plays a role in criticism—the disagreement is over whether it should be put aside before rendering criticism.

Incorrect. Monique never raises the issue of fairness, so this answer is out of scope of her argument. Tania also notes that her discussion of fairness is not in the ordinary sense, so it's not a discussion of what it generally requires.

Incorrect. Neither Tania nor Monique discusses what the most important aspect of art criticism is.