PrepTest 145

[lcid:3678] Prep Test 145 LSAT — Reading Comp — S3 Reading comp

Passage

Questions 7-13  .        It is commonly assumed that even if some  . forgeries have aesthetic merit, no forgery has Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage Summary

Topic: Humanities


Paragraph 1

  • Paragraph note
    • Author questions a common assumption about forged art (never as good as the art by the original artist) with an example (van Meegeren's Vermeer forgery fooled everyone)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Common assumption:
      • Forgeries don't have as much artistic value as original (first sentence)
    • Author's view:
      • Critics and specialists can be fooled by talented forgers (second sentence)
    • Example of forgery that fooled people, according to the author:
      • Han van Meegeren's Emmaus was initially forged as a Vermeer and seen as one of Vermeer's finest works by experts (some even after forgery revealed) (third through last sentences)
    • Author's attitude: "commonly assumed" (first sentence); "even the most prominent art specialists can be duped" (second sentence); "Astonishingly" (last sentence)

Paragraph 2

  • Paragraph note
    • Philosophers' view, questions raised by example (Are forgeries worse? Are we right to change our minds about forgeries?) and Lessing's answer previewed
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Philosophers' view:
      • Given the praise, van Meegeren's work must have had aesthetic merit (first sentence)
    • Author's questions:
      • Is forgery inherently worse? Are we right to change our minds once we learn an artwork is forged? (third and fourth sentences)
    • Author's view:
      • Lessing has "convincing answers" to these "difficult questions" (second and last sentences)
    • Author's attitude: "raises difficult questions" (second sentence); "convincing answers" (last sentence)

Paragraph 3

  • Paragraph note
    • Lessing's answers (even beautiful forged art is artistically worse because it lacks originality)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Lessing's view:
      • Forged art — even accomplished, beautiful forged art — is worse because it lacks originality, and originality is one of the fundamental parts of artistic merit (first, third, and fourth sentences)
    • Example of a forged art that is accomplished/beautiful, according to Lessing/the author:
      • van Meegersen's work, which has great composition, technique, and use of color (second sentence)
    • Comparisons, according to Lessing:
      • Forged art is worse than original art (first sentence)
      • A distinction is drawn between aesthetic value (how a painting looks) and artistic value (which also includes a painter's originality) (fourth sentence)
      • Forgeries can be great aesthetically, but they don't have originality (Vermeer presented new way to see; van Meegeren copied) (fourth and last sentences)
    • Author's attitude: "brilliant" (second sentence); "flawless, even beautiful" (second sentence)

Paragraph 4

  • Paragraph note
    • Author applies Lessing's view to van Meegeren (came 300 years after Vermeer and lacks historical significance)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Author's view:
      • Even if Emmaus is good aesthetically, it's not original and thus lacks the historical significance that made Vermeer a great artist (first through last sentence)
    • Author's attitude: "undoubted master of Vermeer's innovative techniques" (first sentence); "truly impressive and historic achievement" (second sentence); "nothing new or creative" (second sentence); "lacks the historical significance that makes Vermeer's work artistically great" (last sentence)

Main Point: Forgeries might have aesthetic value, but they don't reflect an original view of the world, so they lack artistic value.

Meta-Structure?

Question/Answer: This passage best fits the Question/Answer Meta-Structure.* In a Question/Answer passage, the author will pose a question early on before spending the rest of the passage attempting to answer that question. In this passage, the author poses two questions in the second paragraph: "Is forgery inherently worse?" and "Are we right to change our minds once we learn an artwork is forged?" The author then invokes Lessing, a philosopher who "convincing[ly]" answered these questions, before outlining Lessing's answers throughout the rest of the passage.

In a Question/Answer passage, the main point is generally the answer with which the author agrees. The author ultimately endorses Lessing's answers, so we made those answers the crux of our anticipated main point.

*We debated over whether to call this a Generalization/Example passage. After the all, the author proves a general point about artistic forgeries (they're worse because they lack originality) with an example (van Meegeren's forgery of Vermeer). We ultimately sided with Question/Answer, but if you want to call this a Generalization/Example passage, you have our blessing.

Example: We could surely call this a Generalization/Example passage; but if we didn't, the example is the most prominent minor Meta-Structure in this passage. The author returns to the van Meegeren example multiple times in this passage, so we should expect several questions about it.

Last Thoughts?

Be careful with examples discussed throughout the passage, as there are two primary ways that such examples can be used. Sometimes, the example is the main point, and the passage is about that specific example. Other times, as in this passage, the point is more general, with the example being used to highlight that general point. Here, the author starts with a general discussion of forgeries and then shifts into discussing van Meegeren's Emmaus as an example of that. As such, Emmaus isn't a part of the main point, and we can select answers that don't bring it up.

Also, don't forget that the author brought up a common assumption, so we should know how the author eventually feels about it. But be careful, as there's a subtlety to it! The common assumption is that forgeries don't have as much "aesthetic merit" as an original (P1, S1). It would be easy to say that the author thinks this assumption is wrong, but they don't. In fact, the author brings up the possibility that at least one forgery was "aesthetically superior" to the original (P4, S1). The author questions the assumption by making a distinction the assumption doesn't consider — the difference between aesthetics and art (P3, S4). And from this, the author shows that the assumption is right but not the relevant question — forgeries can be aesthetically superior, but they can't be artistically superior because they lack originality.

Finally, as with any passage that makes a distinction, let's always think about it as we read through the answers. It's common for answers to be right except for failing to use the right "part" of the distinction. Here, the author made a point of distinguishing between artistic value and aesthetic value, and so we should expect some answers to be wrong because they use the wrong one of those terms.

Question prompt

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

Credited answer: B

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

Question Type

Humanities

Strategy Overview

Review your notes to recall Lessing's views, then find an answer that must be true according to the passage

Answer Anticipation

This question is functionally equivalent to the second question in this passage, so everything we said there applies here:This question stem asks us to infer a belief Lessing would agree with. Often, one's views are described at length throughout the passage, so reviewing the passage or anticipating what the correct answer will say is not a wise investment of our limited time. In this case, however, our notes tell us that Lessing's view is presented primarily in the third paragraph. Therefore, we can use our notes and what we highlighted/underlined to anticipate what the correct answer will likely say.Reviewing the third paragraph, we'll be reminded that Lessing says that forgeries are lesser art not because they're aesthetically inferior but because they lack the "intangible qualit[y]" of "originality in vision" (P3, S1, S3-S4). Lessing also draws a distinction between aesthetic value (how a painting looks) and artistic value (which also includes a painter's originality) (P3, S4). While this overview might miss some details, we should feel comfortable at this point heading to the answers, referring back to the third paragraph as needed to check the details.

Answer choices

  1. A
    It is probable that Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited

    (A) Is this consistent with what we reviewed about Lessing's beliefs?

    Nope. The passage never discusses Lessing's views on how many forgeries are out there — just his reasoning as to why they're inherently inferior as art. This answer is thus unsupported.

  2. B
    The historical circumstances surrounding Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B matches the stem

    (B) Is this consistent with what we reviewed about Lessing's beliefs?

    Yes! Lessing's central argument is that artistic value is determined by the originality of a work of art (P3, S4). Whether a work of art has an original vision is determined by whether someone else has expressed that vision before, which is a historical consideration. As such, Lessing would agree that historical circumstances are relevant in assessing the artistic value of a work of art, making this the correct answer. In fact, we'd be justified in selecting (B) and advancing straight to the next question.

  3. C
    The greatness of an Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited

    (C) Is this consistent with what we reviewed about Lessing's beliefs?

    Nope. Lessing argues that originality is a key factor in determining artistic value (P3, S4). An original work doesn't necessarily influence others — something could be so unique that no one else even attempts to co-opt that style for their own work!

  4. D
    The standards according to Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited

    (D) Is this consistent with what we reviewed about Lessing's beliefs?

    No. Lessing's argument is about what should be used to determine artistic value, not what has been used in different historical periods, so this answer is unsupported.

  5. E
    An artist who makes Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited

    (E) Is this consistent with what we reviewed about Lessing's beliefs?

    Negative. Lessing ties technique to aesthetics, not to originality (P3, S4). So, according to Lessing, someone could use an established technique to present a unique vision, and thus, they could create innovative and valuable art.

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