1. Which one of the following most accurately states the main idea of the passage?(A) Although they flourished independently, the pre–World War I European painters who developed new ways of looking at the world shared a common desire to break with the traditions of representational art.
(B) The work of the pre–World War I European painters who developed new ways of looking at the world cannot be said to have intentionally predicted social changes but only to have anticipated new directions in artistic perception and expression.
(C) The work of the pre–World War I European painters who developed new ways of looking at the world was important for its ability to predict social changes and its anticipation of new directions in artistic expression.
(D) Art critics who believe that the work of some pre–World War I European painters foretold imminent social changes are mistaken because art is incapable of expressing a vision of the future.
(E) Art critics who believe that the work of some pre–World War I European painters foretold imminent social changes are mistaken because the social upheavals that followed World War I were impossible to predict.
2. The art critic mentioned in lines 19–20 would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?(A) The supposed innovations of Picasso, Braque, Kandinsky, and Malevich were based on stylistic discoveries that had been made in the Renaissance but went unexplored for centuries.
(B) The work of Picasso, Braque, Kandinsky, and Malevich possessed prophetic power because these artists employed the traditional techniques of representational art with unusual skill.
(C) The importance of the work of Picasso, Braque, Kandinsky, and Malevich is due largely to the fact that the work was stylistically ahead of its time.
(D) The prophecies embodied in the work of Picasso, Braque, Kandinsky, and Malevich were shrewd predictions based on insights into the European political situation.
(E) The artistic styles brought into being by Picasso, Braque, Kandinsky, and Malevich, while stylistically innovative, were of little significance to the history of post-World War I art.
3. According to the passage, the statements of Picasso and Braque indicate that(A) they had a long-standing interest in politics
(B) they worked actively to bring about social change
(C) their formal innovations were actually the result of chance
(D) their work was a deliberate attempt to transcend visual reality
(E) the formal aspects of their work were of little interest to them
4. The author presents the example of Delacroix in order to illustrate which one of the following claims?(A) Social or political changes usually lead to important artistic innovations.
(B) Artistic innovations do not necessarily anticipate social or political upheavals.
(C) Some European painters have used art to predict social or political changes.
(D) Important stylistic innovations are best achieved by abandoning past traditions.
(E) Innovative artists can adapt themselves to social or political changes.
5. Which one of the following most accurately describes the contents of the passage?(A) The author describes an artistic phenomenon; introduces one interpretation of this phenomenon; proposes an alternative interpretation and then supports this alternative by criticizing the original interpretation.
(B) The author describes an artistic phenomenon; identifies the causes of that phenomenon; illustrates some of the consequences of the phenomenon and then speculates about the significance of these consequences.
(C) The author describes an artistic phenomenon; articulates the traditional interpretation of this phenomenon; identifies two common criticisms of this view and then dismisses each of these criticisms by appeal to an example.
(D) The author describes an artistic phenomenon; presents two competing interpretations of the phenomenon; dismisses both interpretations by appeal to an example and then introduces an alternative interpretation.
(E) The author describes an artistic phenomenon; identifies the causes of the phenomenon; presents an argument for the importance of the phenomenon and then advocates an attempt to recreate the phenomenon.
6. According to the author, the work of the pre–World War I painters described in the passage contains an example of each of the following EXCEPT:(A) an interest in issues of representation and form
(B) a stylistic break with traditional art
(C) the introduction of new artistic techniques
(D) the ability to anticipate later artists
(E) the power to predict social changes
7. Which one of the following characteristics of the painters discussed in the second paragraph does the author of the passage appear to value most highly?(A) their insights into pre–World War I politics
(B) the visionary nature of their social views
(C) their mastery of the techniques of representational art
(D) their ability to adjust to changing social conditions
(E) their stylistic and aesthetic accomplishments