It is commonly assumed that even if some forgeries have aesthetic meri

Question

It is commonly assumed that even if some
forgeries have aesthetic merit, no forgery has as much
as an original by the imitated artist would. Yet even
the most prominent art specialists can be duped by a
  (5)   talented artist turned forger into mistaking an almost
perfect forgery for an original. For instance, artist
Han van Meegeren’s The Disciples at Emmaus
(1937)—painted under the forged signature of the
acclaimed Dutch master Jan Vermeer (1632–1675)—
  (10)   attracted lavish praise from experts as one of
Vermeer’s finest works. The painting hung in a
Rotterdam museum until 1945, when, to the great
embarrassment of the critics, van Meegeren revealed
its origin. Astonishingly, there was at least one highly
  (15)   reputed critic who persisted in believing it to be a
Vermeer even after van Meegeren’s confession.

Given the experts’ initial enthusiasm, some
philosophers argue that van Meegeren’s painting must
have possessed aesthetic characteristics that, in a
  (20)   Vermeer original, would have justified the critics’
plaudits. Van Meegeren’s Emmaus thus raises difficult
questions regarding the status of superbly executed
forgeries. Is a forgery inherently inferior as art? How
are we justified, if indeed we are, in revising
  (25)   downwards our critical assessment of a work
unmasked as a forgery? Philosopher of art Alfred
Lessing proposes convincing answers to these
questions.

A forged work is indeed inferior as art, Lessing
  (30)   argues, but not because of a shortfall in aesthetic
qualities strictly defined, that is to say, in the qualities
perceptible on the picture’s surface. For example, in
its composition, its technique, and its brilliant use of
color, van Meegeren’s work is flawless, even
  (35)   beautiful. Lessing argues instead that the deficiency
lies in what might be called the painting’s intangible
qualities. All art, explains Lessing, involves
technique, but not all art involves origination of a
new vision, and originality of vision is one of the
  (40)   fundamental qualities by which artistic, as opposed to
purely aesthetic, accomplishment is measured. Thus
Vermeer is acclaimed for having inaugurated, in the
seventeenth century, a new way of seeing, and for
pioneering techniques for embodying this new way of
  (45)   seeing through distinctive treatment of light, color,
and form.

Even if we grant that van Meegeren, with his
undoubted mastery of Vermeer’s innovative
techniques, produced an aesthetically superior
  (50)   painting, he did so about three centuries after
Vermeer developed the techniques in question.
Whereas Vermeer’s origination of these techniques in
the seventeenth century represents a truly impressive
and historic achievement, van Meegeren’s production
  (55)   of The Disciples at Emmaus in the twentieth century
presents nothing new or creative to the history of art.
Van Meegeren’s forgery therefore, for all its aesthetic
merits, lacks the historical significance that makes
Vermeer’s work artistically great.    1 
 1. Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?

(A) The Disciples at Emmaus, van Meegeren’s forgery of a Vermeer, was a failure in both aesthetic and artistic terms.
(B) The aesthetic value of a work of art is less dependent on the work’s visible characteristics than on certain intangible characteristics.
(C) Forged artworks are artistically inferior to originals because artistic value depends in large part on originality of vision.
(D) The most skilled forgers can deceive even highly qualified art experts into accepting their work as original.
(E) Art critics tend to be unreliable judges of the aesthetic and artistic quality of works of art.

2 
 2. The passage provides the strongest support for inferring that Lessing holds which one of the following views?

(A) The judgments of critics who pronounced The Disciples at Emmaus to be aesthetically superb were not invalidated by the revelation that the painting is a forgery.
(B) The financial value of a work of art depends more on its purely aesthetic qualities than on its originality.
(C) Museum curators would be better off not taking art critics’ opinions into account when attempting to determine whether a work of art is authentic.
(D) Because it is such a skilled imitation of Vermeer, The Disciples at Emmaus is as artistically successful as are original paintings by artists who are less significant than Vermeer.
(E) Works of art that have little or no aesthetic value can still be said to be great achievements in artistic terms.

3 
 3. In the first paragraph, the author refers to a highly reputed critic’s persistence in believing van Meegeren’s forgery to be a genuine Vermeer primarily in order to

(A) argue that many art critics are inflexible in their judgments
(B) indicate that the critics who initially praised The Disciples at Emmaus were not as knowledgeable as they appeared
(C) suggest that the painting may yet turn out to be a genuine Vermeer
(D) emphasize that the concept of forgery itself is internally incoherent
(E) illustrate the difficulties that skillfully executed forgeries can pose for art critics

4 
 4. The reaction described in which one of the following scenarios is most analogous to the reaction of the art critics mentioned in line 13?

(A) lovers of a musical group contemptuously reject a tribute album recorded by various other musicians as a second-rate imitation
(B) art historians extol the work of a little-known painter as innovative until it is discovered that the painter lived much more recently than was originally thought
(C) diners at a famous restaurant effusively praise the food as delicious until they learn that the master chef is away for the night
(D) literary critics enthusiastically applaud a new novel until its author reveals that its central symbols are intended to represent political views that the critics dislike 
(E) movie fans evaluate a particular movie more favorably than they otherwise might have because their favorite actor plays the lead role

5 
 5. The passage provides the strongest support for inferring that Lessing holds which one of the following views?

(A) It is probable that many paintings currently hanging in important museums are actually forgeries.
(B) The historical circumstances surrounding the creation of a work are important in assessing the artistic value of that work.
(C) The greatness of an innovative artist depends on how much influence he or she has on other artists.
(D) The standards according to which a work is judged to be a forgery tend to vary from one historical period to another.
(E) An artist who makes use of techniques developed by others cannot be said to be innovative.

6 
 6. The passage most strongly supports which one of the following statements?

(A) In any historical period, the criteria by which a work is classified as a forgery can be a matter of considerable debate.
(B) An artist who uses techniques that others have developed is most likely a forger.
(C) A successful forger must originate a new artistic vision.
(D) Works of art created early in the career of a great artist are more likely than those created later to embody historic innovations.
(E) A painting can be a forgery even if it is not a copy of a particular original work of art.

7 
 7. Which one of the following, if true, would most strengthen Lessing’s contention that a painting can display aesthetic excellence without possessing an equally high degree of artistic value?

(A) Many of the most accomplished art forgers have had moderately successful careers as painters of original works.
(B) Reproductions painted by talented young artists whose traditional training consisted in the copying of masterpieces were often seen as beautiful, but never regarded as great art.
(C) While experts can detect most forgeries, they can be duped by a talented forger who knows exactly what characteristics experts expect to find in the work of a particular painter.
(D) Most attempts at art forgery are ultimately unsuccessful because the forger has not mastered the necessary techniques.
(E) The criteria by which aesthetic excellence is judged change significantly from one century to another and from one culture to another.

chetan2u · Answer

2. The passage provides the strongest support for inferring that Lessing holds which one of the following views?

(A) The judgments of critics who pronounced The Disciples at Emmaus to be aesthetically superb were not invalidated by the revelation that the painting is a forgery.
 How are we justified, if indeed we are, in revising downwards our critical assessment of a work unmasked as a forgery? Philosopher of art Alfred Lessing proposes convincing answers to these questions. 
It can be inferred from above lines that Alfred Lessing was not critical of the critics who were initially praising a painting thinking it to be original. He rather justifies their action by using a different dimension, that is vision, to artistic value of an art piece.
Correct

4. The reaction described in which one of the following scenarios is most analogous to the reaction of the art critics mentioned in line 13?
 The reactions of the art critics: Praise and enthusiasm over an art thinking it be original but then embarrassment on knowing it be forgery even though the art piece remains the same.

Let us see the choices
(A) lovers of a musical group contemptuously reject a tribute album recorded by various other musicians as a second-rate imitation
Lovers of musical group are aware of the album being recorded by other musicians. So, is not analogous

(B) art historians extol the work of a little-known painter as innovative until it is discovered that the painter lived much more recently than was originally thought
The work still remains innovative as the painter remains the same.

(C) diners at a famous restaurant effusively praise the food as delicious until they learn that the master chef is away for the night
 Here, diners praise the food thinking it to be made by the master chef but realize it has not been prepared by the master chef. Analogy: Diner - art critics; food - art; master chief - original painter; cook who prepared the food - forger;
 Keep it as it does follow the analogy to some extent.

(D) literary critics enthusiastically applaud a new novel until its author reveals that its central symbols are intended to represent political views that the critics dislike
Does not follow the analogy. literary critics can be art critics and novel can replace the art piece. But forger and forgery do not have analogy.

(E) movie fans evaluate a particular movie more favorably than they otherwise might have because their favorite actor plays the lead role
Clearly not analogous.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

2. The passage provides the strongest support for inferring that Lessing holds which one of the following views?

Step 1: Identify the Question Type

The correct answer to this inference question will be a statement with which Lessing must agree. Because the author appears to embrace Lessingʼs argument wholeheartedly, the correct answer will echo the authorʼs points in paragraphs three or four as well.

Step 2: Research the Relevant Text

Lessingʼs answers to the troubling questions raised by  “successful”  forgeries are given in paragraph three. There, the author explains that Lessing judges art on both its technical and aesthetic qualities (those  “perceptible on the pictureʼs surface” ) and its intangible qualities, such as originality and vision. Lessing considers these independent; thus, an aesthetically superior work may be inferior as art because of deficiencies in its intangible qualities.
 
 Step 3: Make a Prediction

The correct answer will follow from what your research revealed. Find the answer in which a painting is simultaneously aesthetically superior and artistically lacking.
 
 Step 4: Evaluate the Answer Choices

(A)  captures the prediction perfectly. In the passage, the author explains that, using Lessingʼs criteria, one can acknowledge van Meegerenʼs aesthetic excellence even while questioning his workʼs artistic value.
 
  (B)  is  Out of Scope.  Neither Lessing nor the author ever mentions an artworkʼs financial value.
 
  (C)  is  Extreme  and Out of Scope. The author uses the fact that museums and critics were fooled by van Meegerenʼs erstwhile Vermeer as background to the troubling questions of a forgeryʼs artistic merit. Lessing, as far as you know from the passage, doesnʼt offer art museums advice of any kind.

(D)  is a  Distortion.  The passage provides adequate information to draw a conclusion about how Lessing would compare van Meegerenʼs forgery to an original Vermeer. It doesnʼt address how he would rank the van Meegeren work in relation to any other pieces of art.
 
  (E)  distorts Lessingʼs criteria by reversing the terms. From the passage, Lessing judges some aesthetically superior works (the van Meegeren forgery, for example) to be artistically inferior because they lack originality and vision. Nothing is said of how Lessing would assess aesthetically inferior works. Notice the  Formal Logic  at work here. The passage indicates that Lessing does not consider aesthetic merit sufficient for great art. He may, however, still regard it as necessary. That canʼt be determined from the information given

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

6. The passage most strongly supports which one of the following statements?

Step 1: Identify the Question Type

This is an open-ended Inference question. The correct answer follows from the passage and must be true based on it. But, thereʼs no research clue in this stem. The correct answer may come from anywhere in the passage.

Step 2: Research the Relevant Text

Given the lack of a specific reference in the question stem, itʼs impossible to target any portion of the text. In questions like this one, turn instead to the Scope, Purpose, and Main Idea summaries. Use what is presented in the passage as a whole to eliminate answers that conflict with, distort, or fall outside the scope of the passage.

Step 3: Make a Prediction

Follow the guidelines laid out under Step 2. If youʼre unable to eliminate all four wrong answers or to spot the one with a valid inference based on the passage, use those remaining choices as research clues and consult the corresponding portions of the passage text.

Step 4: Evaluate the Answer Choices

(E)  is the correct answer. The main example, used throughout the passage, is van Meegerenʼs forged Vermeer. The author considers this work a forgery because van Meegeren signed Vermeerʼs name to it, not because it was a copy of another painting by Vermeer.

(A)  is Out of Scope. The author doesnʼt tell you anything about how forgeries have been assessed at different points in history.

(B)  is Extreme. Forgery, as discussed and exemplified in the passage, seems to be a matter of intentional deception. Nothing here suggests that either the author or Lessing would call someone who uses another artistʼs technique a forger.

(C)  distorts and misuses terms from the passage. Work with a new artistic vision is indicative of an artist who merits praise in Lessingʼs view. No criteria for a  “successful forger”  are offered in the passage.

(D)  contains an Irrelevant Comparison. Nothing in the passage suggests that artists are more or less creative early in their careers.

Answer: E

Sohel.5555 · Answer

can anyone explain Q5
why option B instead of E

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hi Sohel.5555

Lessingʼs views were laid out in paragraph three. The author says that Lessing judges artworks on both their aesthetic or technical  (“surface”)  merit and on their intangible qualities (such as  “originality of vision” ). Thus, work that shows innovation and thereby adds something new to art is more valuable than a comparably executed work that does not. 
 
  Answer (B)  is the right answer Lessing has to take the historical circumstances surrounding a workʼs creation into account because he considers originality and innovation to be some of the fundamental criteria for judging a workʼs artistic merit. 
 
 Answer (E)  is distortion, but its language is too rigid to be supported by the passage. Lessing and the author appear to value innovation in artistic technique as one way an artist can be original. But the passage makes clear they also value new  “vision”  and new ways of  “seeing.”  Itʼs possible that they would consider  “innovative”  an artist who employs only known techniques but whose work expresses a new vision. Notice the Formal Logic here. Lessing may consider new techniques sufficient, but not necessary, to establish an artist as  “innovative.”

Answer: B

It is commonly assumed that even if some forgeries have aesthetic meri

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It is commonly assumed that even if some forgeries have aesthetic meri

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