PrepTest 101

[lcid:3500] Prep Test 101 LSAT — Reading Comp — S1 Reading comp

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

The author implies which Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: C

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

Question Type

Humanities

Strategy Overview

Refer to notes or what you highlighted/underlined to locate where the passage discusses the artistic merits of fakes, and refer to the relevant part of the passage as needed to find that answer choice that must be true.

Answer Anticipation

For questions that ask us to infer, from a few details in the passage, an answer choice that must be true, quickly finding and reviewing those details is critical. That is why we make brief notes describing the role of each paragraph and highlight or underline definitions and the minor Meta-Structures — doing so helps us find the salient information efficiently and reliably. Once we review that part of the passage, we can look through the answer choices to see which one is best supported by what we reviewed. Since the question stem asks us to make an inference, the correct answer probably won't restate something from the passage. Instead, the question will likely require us to draw a connection between a few different pieces of information.Here, the question asks about the artistic merits of fakes. Where did the passage discuss this topic? Our note for the first paragraph is, "Background on Jones's Fake? (explores artworks that fall between fake and original)." The word "background" suggests that the basic facts and opinions about "fakes" artwork are likely to appear in that paragraph, likely before the author discusses artwork that falls "between fake and original."Reviewing the beginning of the first paragraph, we'll recall that the author says that, while a fake can be identified by its author's intent to deceive, whether or not that piece has artistic merit is "a separate issue." The author does not say that a fake piece necessarily does have, or necessarily does not have, artistic merit, merely that the question of its artistic merit is separate from the motives of its creator.Let's look for an answer choice that can be inferred from that statement.

Answer choices

  1. A
    Because of the circumstances Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited

    (A) Can we infer that this answer choice is true based on the author's assertion that the artistic merit of a fake piece is a separate issue from the motives of its creator?

    No. The author never says that a fake does not have artistic merit simply because it is a fake; in fact, the author clearly separates the work's status as a fake from the question of its artistic merit (P1, S2). Because (A) contradicts the passage, it is not the right answer choice.

  2. B
    A fake can be Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited

    (B) Can we infer that this answer choice is true based on the author's assertion that the artistic merit of a fake piece is a separate issue from the motives of its creator?

    No. Again, this answer choice links the artist's motives in creating the fake (intention to deceive) with whether the fake has artistic merit. The author explicitly denies this connection (P1, S2). Because this contradicts the passage, this is not the right answer choice.

  3. C
    A fake may or Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C matches the stem

    (C) Can we infer that this answer choice is true based on the author's assertion that the artistic merit of a fake piece is a separate issue from the motives of its creator?

    Yes. This answer choice clearly divides the question of whether a fake does or does not have artistic merit from the motives of its creator, just like our anticipation. It also doesn't make any definitive conclusions about a "fake's" artistic merit, just like we noted when making our anticipation. Because this is aligned with our anticipation, we can be confident this is the right answer choice. We'd be justified in selecting it and advancing to the next question.

  4. D
    Whether a fake has Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited

    (D) Can we infer that this answer choice is true based on the author's assertion that the artistic merit of a fake piece is a separate issue from the motives of its creator?

    No. The relevant part of the passage didn't mention anything about an artist's accomplishments, so this answer choice cannot be inferred from the passage. All the author says about the artistic merit of a fake is that it is a separate question from whether the work is intended to deceive (P1, S2). Because there is no support for this answer choice in the passage, we can be sure it isn't the right one.

  5. E
    The artistic merit of Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited

    (E) Can we infer that this answer choice is true based on the author's assertion that the artistic merit of a fake piece is a separate issue from the motives of its creator?

    No. The relevant part of the passage didn't say or suggest that the artistic merit of a "fake" work depends on the original work, so this answer choice lacks support in the passage. Moreover, a "fake" artwork doesn't even need an "original" artwork. It's perfectly possible to have a fake artwork that merely copies the style of a particular artist or school, and is intended to pass as the work of that artist or one of the artists of that school. So, this answer chioce lacks support in the passage and is incorrect.

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