The condition of scholarship devoted to the history of women in photog

Question

The condition of scholarship devoted to the history of women in photography is confounding. Recent years have witnessed the posthumous  inflation  of the role of the hobbyist Alice Austen into that of a pioneering documentarian while dozens of notable senior figures — Marion Palfi, whose photographs of civil-rights activities in the South served as early evidence of the need for protective legislation, to name one — received scant attention from scholars. And, while Naomi Rosenblum’s synoptic History of Women Photographers covers the subject through 1920 in a generally useful fashion, once she reaches the 1920s, when the venues, forms, applications, and movements of the medium expanded exponentially, she resorts to an increasingly terse listing of unfamiliar names, with approaches and careers summarized in a sentence or two.    1 
 1. The author of the passage cites Rosenblum’s book most likely in order to

A. suggest that the works documented most thoroughly by historians of women in photography often do not warrant that attention
B. offer an explanation for the observation that not all aspects of the history of women in photography have received the same level of attention
C. provide an example of a way in which scholarship on the history of women in photography has been unsatisfactory
D. suggest that employing a strictly chronological approach when studying the history of women in photography may be unproductive
E. provide support for the notion that certain personalities in women’s photography have attained undue prominence

For the following question, consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.

2 
 2. Which of the following statements about Marion Palfi is supported by the passage?

A. Marion Palfi’s photographs would have received greater recognition from historians had her work been done in an era when most aspects of photography were static rather than in a state of transition.
B. Alice Austen has achieved greater notoriety than has Marion Palfi primarily because the subjects that Austen photographed were more familiar to her contemporaries.
C. In addition to providing a record of certain historical events, Marion Palfi’s photographs played a role in subsequent events.

3 
 3. In the context in which it appears, “inflation” (  Highlighted  ) most nearly means

A. exaggeration
B. acquisition
C. evaluation
D. distortion
E. attenuation

carcass · Answer

1) The author of the passage cites Rosenblum’s book most likely in order to
Impression of author about the book is that it is not a satisfactory study of history of women in photography.
A suggest that the works documented most thoroughly by historians of women in photography often do not warrant that attention
incorrect- not supported by passage
B offer an explanation for the observation that not all aspects of the history of women in photography have received the same level of attention
incorrect- not supported by passage
C provide an example of a way in which scholarship on the history of women in photography has been unsatisfactory
correct-
D suggest that employing a strictly chronological approach when studying the history of women in photography may be unproductive
incorrect- Not supported by passage. Passage does not mention chronological approach
E provide support for the notion that certain personalities in women’s photography have attained undue prominence-
incorrect- Not supported by passage

2) Which of the following statements about Marion Palfi is supported by the passage?

A. Marion Palfi’s photographs would have received greater recognition from historians had her work been done in an era when most aspects of photography were static rather than in a state of transition.- incorrect- not supported by passage
B. Alice Austen has achieved greater notoriety than has Marion Palfi primarily because the subjects that Austen photographed were more familiar to her contemporaries.
incorrect- not supported by passage
C. In addition to providing a record of certain historical events, Marion Palfi’s photographs played a role in subsequent events.
correct- as early evidence of the need for protective legislation

3) In the context in which it appears, “inflation” most nearly means

A. exaggeration-correct
B. acquisition- different meaning
C. evaluation-different meaning
D. distortion- incorrect trap answer. not suited to the context of passage
E. attenuation- different meaning

carcass · Answer

Fixed the OA in the third question.

It was A NOt C.

Please be careful when you post a question on the forum.

Thank you

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. The author of the passage cites Rosenblum’s book most likely in order to

Explanation

As mentioned above, the topic of the passage is the unsatisfactory condition of scholarship devoted to the history of women in photography. Since Rosenblum’s book is clearly presented as an example of this unsatisfactory scholarship,  Choice C  is the correct answer.

Choice D  may seem appealing, because a strictly chronological approach might be inadequate to represent the explosive growth of the field in the 1920s. However, the sentence does not develop this idea, and this is not the reason for mentioning Rosenblum. 
  
  Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. Which of the following statements about Marion Palfi is supported by the passage?

Explanation

Choice C  is correct.
 
  Choice A  is incorrect: the passage does not state whether the period in which Palfi was working was an era when photography was static or in transition.
 
  Choice B  is incorrect: the passage does not state the nature of the subjects Austen photographed, nor compare their relative familiarity to those photographed by Palfi.
 
  Choice C  is correct: Palfi’s photographs played a role in subsequent events because they served as early evidence of the need for protective legislation.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. In the context in which it appears, “inflation” (    Highlighted    ) most nearly means

Explanation

The term  “hobbyist”  suggests Austen’s relative lack of seriousness as a photographer when compared with  “senior figures,”  yet her role has been elevated to that of a  “pioneering documentarian”  at the expense of these other figures. Choice D may be appealing in that this elevation could be considered a form of distortion, but  Choice A  is more specific as well as more in line with the dictionary definition of  “inflated”  as  “expanded to an abnormal or unjustifiable volume or level.”  Thus,  Choice A, “exaggeration,”  is the correct answer.

Answer: A

The condition of scholarship devoted to the history of women in photog

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