PrepTest 147

[lcid:3685] Prep Test 147 LSAT — Reading Comp — S2 Reading comp

Passage

  Best known for her work with lacquer, Eileen Gray (1878-1976) had a fascinating and multifaceted artistic career: she became a Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage Summary

Topic: Humanities


Paragraph 1

  • Paragraph note
    • Background on Eileen Gray and description of her lacquer work
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Comparisons, according to the author:
      • Gray focused on smaller objects at beginning of her career and larger objects later, but her focus on hidden details remained the same (second sentence)
      • Gray's work is distinct from the flowing lines of the Art Nouveau movement at the time, focusing instead on straight lines and simple forms (last sentence)
    • Author's attitude: “best known” (first sentence); "fascinating and multifaceted" (first sentence); "fit well" (last sentence); "austere beauty" (last sentence)

Paragraph 2

  • Paragraph note
    • Author: Gray's structural use of lacquer and her interior design display an architectural quality
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Comparison, according to the author:
      • Gray made flat panels at first, but later made three-dimensional panels (third sentence)
    • Examples of Gray's work that have an architectural quality, according to the author:
      • Door panels (third sentence)
      • Screen in the lobby of an apartment, which folded out and melded with wall/brick (fourth and fifth sentences)
      • Furniture using modern materials (like tubular steel) that met occupants' needs (sixth and last sentences)
    • Author's attitude: "painstaking" (first sentence); "critical but not always apparent" (second sentence); "fully realizes" (fourth sentence); "thus becomes" (fifth sentence)

Paragraph 3

  • Paragraph note
    • Author: Gray's architecture was informed by her layering and holistic lacquer work
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
    • Comparison, according to the author:
      • Gray's architecture was similar to the holistic, inside-out approach of her lacquer work (third and fourth sentences)
      • The inside and outside of an architectural work was, for Gray, same (last sentence)
    • Examples of Gray's architecture that were similar to her holistic, layered lacquer work, according to the author:
      • Storage cabinets in the staircase, desks that also functioned as cabinets, and tables that can be moved inside and outside (sixth through last sentences)
    • Author's attitude: "prefigures" (first sentence); "integrated whole" (third sentence)

Main Point: Eileen Gray's work encompassed work from the small to the large, including houses, with a focus on detail and an integration of the whole work, which was exemplified and informed by her work in lacquer.

Key Lines?

Lines 5-7 - The Author's summary of Gray's work is noted

Line 20-23 - How Gray's focus/work and lacquer's characteristics overlapped

Lines 28-33 - An example of the pinnacle of this work

Lines 40-41 - A connection between steps in Gray's progression is made

Lines 41-43 - Gray's belief on architectural design

Lines 52-56 - An example of Gray's interior/exterior connection

Meta-Structure?

Importance of Subject: Passages that focus on a single artist or artistic movement tend to fall into one of two camps. The first describes the artist as an innovator. The second describes the artist's importance, often addressing their influences and development over time. This passage arguably flirts with the former camp in discussing how Gray brought lacquer from Japan to Europe (Lines 10-11). But the passage more neatly fits in the latter camp, showing how Gray's work in lacquer developed her sensibilities of creating (hidden) layers and holistic works even as she moved into architectural design.

In such a passage, the author's opinion on the artist's importance will serve as the main point. Here, the author says that Gray's use of lacquer both presaged and exemplified her layered, holistic approach to paneling, interior design, and architecture.

Examples: This passage has a few examples of works Gray produced that embody her layered, holistic approach. It talks about a screens she lacquered, furniture she made, and architectural features that illustrate her artistic philosophy. This is common in Humanities passages. Always lookout for a description of the type of work(s) created by the artist(s) in the passage.

Last Thoughts?

This passage focuses heavily on an in-depth description of Gray's design aesthetic across multiple art forms (from ornaments to furniture to houses). As such, we should expect questions that deal with this aesthetic, so we should have a clear view of what it is. We should almost be able to picture the types of work Gray produced. So let's remember that Gray focused on details (Line 6) — including hidden details (Line 7). Let's also remember that she cared about layers and structure (Lines 21-22) and connecting the interior and exterior of works (Lines 41-42). She also preferred "the austere beauty of straight lines and simple forms juxtaposed" (Lines 16-17).

Question prompt

Which one of 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

Humanities

Strategy Overview

Outline the generic characteristics of Gray's work, then find an answer that matches up with those characteristics

Answer Anticipation

This question asks us to identify an example that illustrates Gray's work. To answer this, we simply have to use our notes or re-read the relevant part of the passage to recall the generic characteristics of Gray's work and find the answer choice that presents a new artwork that exemplifies the key characteristics of what we reviewed. The correct answer choice will likely present new information, so we shouldn't eliminate anything that seems unfamiliar. We should only eliminate answer choices that do not include key elements of Gray's work.As we noted in the Last Thoughts? section, in any passage that focuses on describing the works of an artist, we should come away with a clear view of their key characteristics. As we noted in that section, Gray's work focused on details (Line 6), "austere" (simple) beauty and simple shapes (Lines 16-17), and a holistic integration of exterior and interior elements (Lines 41-45). Let's find an answer that describes a work lining up with these characteristics.

Answer choices

  1. A
    an upholstered sofa with Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited

    (A) Does this answer choice present an artwork that features the key characteristics of Gray's works?

    Nope. When describing Gray's furniture, the author discusses its "visually austere" nature (Lines 38-39), so the upholstery and tasseled fringes don't line up with her work. Additionally, the curves don't line up with her focus on "straight lines" (Line 17).

  2. B
    a coffee table decorated Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited

    (B) Does this answer choice present an artwork that features the key characteristics of Gray's works?

    No. The decoration on the table here doesn't line up with the austere nature of her furniture designs (Lines 38-39), and there's no indication that these visible carvings are consistent with the "hidden details" in Gray's works.

  3. C
    a thin, stainless steel Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited

    (C) Does this answer choice present an artwork that features the key characteristics of Gray's works?

    This can be a tempting answer. Even experienced test-takers may table this answer choice, since we know that Gray's work is simple and that she often used steel (Lines 37-39).

    We also know that Gray integrated internal and external design elements, and some test-takers believe that a vase resembling the flowers it contains exemplifies this integration. However, the flowers held in a vase aren't an internal design element! An analogous situation to this answer would be Gray designing a house that looks like a human, since humans are the occupants of houses. We know Gray didn't do that, so (C) is off base.

  4. D
    a round, wooden picture Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited

    (D) Does this answer choice present an artwork that features the key characteristics of Gray's works?

    Nope. This certainly doesn't sound simple, austere, or focused on simple forms and straight lines.

  5. E
    a metal chair whose Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E matches the stem

    (E) Does this answer choice present an artwork that features the key characteristics of Gray's works?

     (E) gets the closest of all the answer choices. It lacks the holistic quality described in the passage, but it otherwise closely resembles the author's descriptions of Gray's work — particularly her furniture. The author says that Gray was interested in the austere beauty of straight lines and simple forms, and that her furniture was visually austere while meeting their occupants' needs. This metal chair is a visually plain, simple form that meets the user's needs, matching up well with the passage's description of Gray's furniture.

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