PrepTest 141

[lcid:3660] Prep Test 141 LSAT — Reading Comp — S1 Reading comp

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

Based on the passage, 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

Social Science

Answer choices

  1. A
    a playwright who introduces Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 36-38; Lines 47-50) If anything is incongruous in Cameron's photographs, it's the "doubleness" of the actor and character they're playing, or the "obviously" fake props. But in both cases, there's no indication that Cameron intended them to be incongruous, let alone to create distance between her work and those viewing it. Especially since her stated goal was to create "seamless" works of illustrative art (Line 16).
  2. B
    a rap artist whose Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 14-16) Cameron's stated goal ("her project") was to make seamless works of illustrative art—not to subvert or parody certain works, as this rap artist aimed to do.
  3. C
    a sculptor whose works Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C matches the stem
    Correct. Question Type:
    Parallel Reasoning

    Strategy Overview:
    Describe Cameron and her photographs, then abstract away from it to get a generalization that can be used to analyze the answers

    Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
    For this question, we need to have a solid understanding of Cameron and her relationship to her photographs—her goals, her process, etcÉ—in order to have a shot at answering the question.

    Here, we know that Cameron's goal was "making seamless works of illustrative art" (Lines 15-16). She brought in people from her family and neighborhood to portray famous characters (Lines 27-31), and she used props that were almost laughable (Lines 47-50). Despite this, her work is charming (Line 14), vital (Line 20), true (Line 24), and magical and mysterious (Line 53).

    So we should look for an answer where someone has lofty goals and amateur execution, but somehow manages to transcend that to create something meaningful.

    Answer Explanation:
    (Lines 27-31; Lines 46-50; Lines 19-20) The passage notes that Cameron's photographs used actors from around town and in her family, and props that she pulled out of her closet, and that the viewers are aware of this. And yet, they managed to become "among [Victorian photography's] most vital images." That's analogous to a sculptor creating works out of "clearly" ordinary objects (reflecting the audience's recognition of this fact) but managing to create something vital/grand. This answer's elements all match up with elements in Cameron's work, so this is the correct answer.

    Key Takeaway:
    As with Parallel Reasoning questions in LR, you want to make sure that all of the elements in the answer you select line up with something in the original situation. Work through the answers one piece at a time and, if something doesn't match up, eliminate it.
  4. D
    an architect whose buildings Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 14-16) Cameron's goal was to create "seamless works of illustrative art"—there's no indication that this means they were "as functional as possible.
  5. E
    a film director who Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 27-31; Lines 14-16; Line 47) While using ordinary people as actors lines up with Cameron's process, her goal wasn't to create something that appeared to represent real life. After all, the example of her work is about King Arthur, and it's noted that she worked to capture images from "mythology, Shakespeare, or Tennyson" (Line 4). So this answer about making a film appear like a documentary doesn't line up with her work.

What this tests

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