The encounter that a portrait records is most tangibly the sitting its

Question

The encounter that a portrait records is most tangibly the sitting itself, which may be brief or extended, collegial or confrontational. Renowned photographer Cartier-Bresson has expressed his passion for portrait photography by characterizing it as  “a duel without rules, a delicate rape.”  Such metaphors contrast quite sharply with RichardAvedon’s conception of a sitting. While Cartier-Bresson reveals himself as an interloper and opportunist, Avedon confesses—perhaps uncomfortably—to a role as diagnostician and (by implication) psychic healer: not as someone who necessarily transforms his subjects, but as someone who reveals their essential nature. Both photographers, however, agree that the fundamental dynamic in this process lies squarely in the hands of the artist.

A quite-different paradigm has its roots not in confrontation or consultation but in active collaboration between the artist and sitter. This very different kind of relationship was formulated most vividly by William Hazlitt in his essay entitled “On Sitting for One’s Picture” (1823). To Hazlitt, the “bond of connection” between painter and sitter is most like the relationship between two lovers. Hazlitt fleshes out his thesis by recalling the career of Sir Joshua Reynolds. According to Hazlitt, Reynolds’ sitters were meant to enjoy an atmosphere that was both comfortable for them and conducive to the enterprise of the portrait painter, who was simultaneously their host and their contractual employee.    1 
 1. The author of the passage quotes Cartier-Bresson ( Highlighted ) in order to

(A) refute Avedon’s conception of a portrait sitting.
(B) provide one perspective of the portraiture encounter.
(C) support the claim that portrait sittings are, more often than not, confrontational encounters.
(D) show that a portraiture encounter can be either brief or extended.
(E) distinguish a sitting for a photographic portrait from a sitting for a painted portrait.

2 
 2. Which of the following characterizations of the portraiture experience as viewed by Avedon is most readily inferable from the passage?

(A) A collaboration
(B) A mutual accommodation
(C) A confrontation
(D) An uncomfortable encounter
(E) A consultation

3 
 3. Which of the following best expresses the passage’s main idea?

(A) The success of a portrait depends largely on the relationship between artist and subject.
(B) Portraits, more than most other art forms, provide insight into the artist’s social relationships.
(C) The social aspect of portraiture sitting plays an important part in the sitting’s outcome.
(D) Photographers and painters differ in their views regarding their role in portrait photography.
(E) The paintings of Reynolds provide a record of his success in achieving a social bond with his subjects.

Source:  Master GMAT

zs2 · Accepted Answer

1 b
2 e
3 d

1. The author of the passage quotes Cartier-Bresson (Highlighted) in order to

(A) refute Avedon’s conception of a portrait sitting. 
No contrast is provided to refute Avedons, also Avedon was introduced later

(B) provide one perspective of the portraiture encounter.
 Correct- Different views have been provided, one of them is of Cartier

(C) support the claim that portrait sittings are, more often than not, confrontational encounters.
No such claim is given by author

(D) show that a portraiture encounter can be either brief or extended.
No such thing is said

(E) distinguish a sitting for a photographic portrait from a sitting for a painted portrait.
no comparison is done bw painting or photography, all scenarios are of photographic

2. Which of the following characterizations of the portraiture experience as viewed by Avedon is most readily inferable from the passage?

(A) A collaboration
(B) A mutual accommodation
(C) A confrontation - this is said for CB 
D) An uncomfortable encounter
 (E) A consultation - correct this can be inferred from the passage, "diagnostician and psychic healer"

3. Which of the following best expresses the passage’s main idea?

(A) The success of a portrait depends largely on the relationship between artist and subject.
nothing is talked about success of portrait

(B) Portraits, more than most other art forms, provide insight into the artist’s social relationships.
nothing is talked about artist’s social relationships

(C) The social aspect of portraiture sitting plays an important part in the sitting’s outcome.
nothing is talked about difference in sittings outcome

(D) Photographers and painters differ in their views regarding their role in portrait photography.
 Correct- Passage talks about difference in sittings of photographic portraits and painting portraits
 
(E) The paintings of Reynolds provide a record of his success in achieving a social bond with his subjects.
does not cover the entire gist of the passage

tanto64 · Answer

4:55 minutes total

1. 
(A) refute Avedon’s conception of a portrait sitting.  not refuting anything, he didn't even mention Avedon before highlighted sentence 
(B) provide one perspective of the portraiture encounter.  Makes sense, he goes on to say, "such metaphors contrast sharply...conception of a sitting." It means he is introducing another perspective so the first one was just to provide a different one. 
(C) support the claim that portrait sittings are, more often than not, confrontational encounters.  Not supporting a claim, author is describing one perspective, he's not trying to support anything 
(D) show that a portraiture encounter can be either brief or extended.  Distracting 
(E) distinguish a sitting for a photographic portrait from a sitting for a painted portrait.  It says later "Both photographers,..." so why would he contrast two different terms while both of them are specialized in one

2.
(A) A collaboration
(B) A mutual accommodation
(C) A confrontation
(D) An uncomfortable encounter
(E) A consultation  "A quite-different paradigm has its roots not in confrontation or consultation but..." --> Bresson is about confrontation so mentioning consultation refers to Avedon

3.
(A) The success of a portrait depends largely on the relationship between artist and subject.
(B) Portraits, more than most other art forms, provide insight into the artist’s social relationships.
(C) The social aspect of portraiture sitting plays an important part in the sitting’s outcome.
(D) Photographers and painters differ in their views regarding their role in portrait photography.  First paragraph talks about photographers' views. Second paragraph begins with a different view between the artist and the sitter and then elaborates on that 
(E) The paintings of Reynolds provide a record of his success in achieving a social bond with his subjects.

shameekv1989 · Answer

Summary :-  
 |1|=| Potrait sitting by photographers - contrast between their views on outcomes from the sitting
|2|=| Potrait sitting by painter - Social connection between the artist and sitter in the sitting

Answers - B, E, C

pabpinor · Answer

So we have the following questions:

1. The author of the passage quotes Cartier-Bresson (Highlighted) in order to

(A) refute Avedon’s conception of a portrait sitting.  There is no refutation, just an exemplification of Cartier's view/feelings about portraits.   Eliminate. 
(B) provide one perspective of the portraiture encounter.  This is exactly what the highlighted text does, gives a perspective (by sharing its passion). Right answer 
(C) support the claim that portrait sittings are, more often than not, confrontational encounters. That claim has not been maid by Cartier. Eliminate
(D) show that a portraiture encounter can be either brief or extended.  This is not at all developed neither in the highlighted text or the passage just introduced at the beggining.   Eliminate. 
(E) distinguish a sitting for a photographic portrait from a sitting for a painted portrait.  Not related neither.   Eliminate.

2. Which of the following characterizations of the portraiture experience as viewed by Avedon is most readily inferable from the passage?

(A) A collaboration  Is not Avedon but Hazlitt that shares that view.   Uncorrect. 
(B) A mutual accommodation  Is not Avedon but Hazlitt that shares that view.   Uncorrect. 
(C) A confrontation  Is not Avedon but Cartier that shares that view.   Uncorrect. 
(D) An uncomfortable encounter  Is not Avedon but Cartier that shares that view.   Uncorrect. 
(E) A consultation  This clearly can be inferred from the "medical" view of diagnostician/physic healer. Right answer.

3. Which of the following best expresses the passage’s main idea?

(A) The success of a portrait depends largely on the relationship between artist and subject.  This point of view is only shared by some kinds of portraits, cannot be.   False. 
(B) Portraits, more than most other art forms, provide insight into the artist’s social relationships.  This is not stated at all anywhere in the passage.   False. 
(C) The social aspect of portraiture sitting plays an important part in the sitting’s outcome.  This is not clearly stated but definitely shows in the first sentence of the passage as the main idea. Right. 
(D) Photographers and painters differ in their views regarding their role in portrait photography.  Though this could be infered from reading the passage, it is not its main idea, that is in the first sentence.   False. 
(E) The paintings of Reynolds provide a record of his success in achieving a social bond with his subjects.  This is not even mentioned in the second paragraph.   False.

Regards,
Pablo

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. Which of the following best expresses the passage’s main idea?

Explanation

Although this passage doesn’t seem to convey a strong central idea or thesis, the author seems to be most concerned with emphasizing that a portrait sitting is a social encounter, not just an artistic exercise, and that artists consider their relationship with their sitters to be somehow significant. For this reason,  (C)  is a good
statement of the author’s main point.

Choice (A)  also has merit. In fact, but for  (C), (A)  would be the best choice because it embraces the passage as a whole and properly focuses on the author’s primary concern with exploring the relationship between artist and sitter. However, the passage does not discuss how or whether this relationship results in a  “successful”  portrait; thus,  (A)  distorts the passage’s information.

Choice (D)  has merit in that the author does claim that the Reynolds paradigm (described in the second paragraph) is  “quite different”  from the two paradigms that the first paragraph discusses. The latter does indeed involve a painter (Reynolds) whereas the other two paradigms involve photographers (Cartier-Bresson and Avedon). However, the author does not generalize from this fact that a portrait artist’s approach or view depends on whether the artist is a painter or a photographer. Thus,  (D)  is a bit off focus and calls for an unwarranted generalization.

Choices (B) and (E)  are qualitatively the worst among the five choices.  (B)  distorts the information in the passage and departs from the topic at hand. Although the passage does support the notion that a portrait might reveal something about the relationship between artist and sitter, the author neither states nor implies that a portrait reveals anything about the artist’s other relationships. Moreover, nowhere in the passage does the author compare portraiture with other art forms.

Choice (E)  is too narrow and refers to information not mentioned in the passage. The passage is not just about Reynolds but about the portraiture encounter in general. Also, the author does not comment on Reynolds’  “success”  or about how his relationship with his sitters might have contributed to his success.

The correct answer is (C).

Hope it helps

rjl25 · Answer

1. The author of the passage quotes Cartier-Bresson (Highlighted) in order to:
The Correct choice is  B . The author does not use Cartier-Bresson's view to refute Avedon's, but merely to give one perspective that contrasts the other.

2. Which of the following characterizations of the portraiture experience as viewed by Avedon is most readily inferable from the passage?
The Correct choice is  E . In my opinion there are two ways to answer this question. The first is process of elimination. A & B both lean towards the later paragraph that describes a situation that is more comforting and collaborative. Choices C & D play into the more dark and harsh nature of Cartier-Bresson. This leaves us with choice E. The second way to answer this is to see that in the first sentence of the second paragraph, the Author introduces a different paradigm that is NOT confrontation or consulation. This directly references the two artists in the above paragraph.

3. Which of the following best expresses the passage’s main idea?
The Correct choice is  C . Many choose D here because of the fact that the two artists mentioned in the first paragraph happen to be photographers and the artists in the second happen to be painters. However, the author focuses more on the social interactions between the artist and the sitter. More so, the author speaks about specific artists without making generalizations about either painters or photographers. Thus the weight lies on the differences in the social approaches between these artists. Cartier-Bresson saught to be more confrontational, while Avedon saught to be a healer or sorts. Hazlitt saught to be intimate and close with the sitter and to make the process collaborative and enjoyable.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

Passage Mapping

Step 1: The first question tells you a lot about what you might expect in the passage. In all likelihood, the passage will be primarily about the portraiture experience. The author will probably provide different viewpoints and insights on this experience from the perspective of particular artists.

Step 2: The first four sentences reinforce your initial prediction about the passage’s content. Based on these initial lines, it appears that the author will indeed be comparing and contrasting different views of the portraiture experience. At this point you don’t know whether the passage will involve the views of any artists other than Cartier-Bresson and Richard Avedon, nor do you know whether the author has any opinion on the subject. But you should be on the lookout for answers to these unknowns during Step 4.

Step 3: Consider question 1 based on what you’ve read so far. The author points out in lines that Cartier-Bresson’s conception is quite different from that of Avedon. Choices (A), (B), and (C) all appear to be viable choices, But whether the author’s purpose here is to refute Avedon’s view (choice (A)), support Cartier-Bresson’s view (choice (C)), or simply provide one of at least two perspectives without taking sides (choice (B)) remains to be seen. You’ll have to read on to find out. In any event, you can probably eliminate (D) and (E), since neither one seems relevant to the Cartier-Bresson quotation. Don’t confirm a selection yet; go on to Step 4.

Step 4: Your goal in Step 4 is to formulate an informal outline of the passage as you read from start to finish. You might want to jot down some key words and phrases to help you see how the ideas flow and to keep the four individuals discussed in the passage straight in your mind. Here’s a good outline of the passage:

Attachment:

3.jpg [ 61 KiB | Viewed 9692 times ]

Step 5: Now let’s sum up the passage based on the outline you formulated in Step 4. It’s a good idea to jot it down. Notice that the “thesis” is neutral; the author does not side with any viewpoint presented in the passage.

Thesis: Portraiture is a social experience, but artists disagree about their role in it.

Step 6: Having read the entire passage, return to the question. Nowhere in the passage does the author attempt to either refute or support any of the viewpoints presented. So you can eliminate (A) and (C).

1. The author of the passage quotes Cartier-Bresson (Highlighted) in order to

Difficulty Level: 600

Explanation

Question1: Notice also that (B) is consistent with our thesis statement. Regardless of the particular question, you can eliminate any answer choice that is inconsistent with your thesis statement.

The correct answer is (B)

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. Which of the following characterizations of the portraiture experience as viewed by Avedon is most readily inferable from the passage?

Explanation

In the first sentence of the  second paragraph , the author distinguishes a  “quite-different paradigm”  (that is, the case of Reynolds) from the conceptions of Cartier-Bresson and Avedon in that the Reynolds paradigm  “has its roots not in confrontation or consultation but in active collaboration between artist and sitter.”  The second sentence of the passage makes it clear that Cartier-Bresson conceives the encounter as  “confrontational” ; thus, you can reasonably infer that the author characterizes an Avedon sitting as a  “consultation.”

Choice (B)  is also a good response but nevertheless not as good as  (E) . Although the term  “mutual accommodation,”  which does not appear in the passage, is not altogether inconsistent with Avedon’s view, the term suggests a relationship in which both artist and sitter allow for the other’s needs or desires. Such a description is closer to Hazlitt’s analogy of two lovers than to Avedon’s view of the artist as diagnostician and psychic healer.

Choice (A)  also has merit, yet it is not as good a response as either  (B)  or  (E) . Admittedly, the idea of  “a collaboration”  is not in strong opposition to the idea of  “a consultation.”  However, the author explicitly ascribes this characterization to the Reynolds paradigm, not to Avedon’s view. Thus,  (A)  confuses the passage’s information.

Choices (C)  and  (D)  are qualitatively the worst choices among the five.  (C)  confuses the passage’s information. The quotation in the first paragraph makes it clear that Cartier-Bresson (not Avedon) conceives the encounter as  “confrontational.” (D)  also confuses the passage’s information. According to the passage, Avedon confesses  “uncomfortably”  to his role as diagnostician and psychic healer. It does not necessarily follow, however, that Avedon finds his encounters with his sitters to be uncomfortable.

The correct answer is (E).

VerbalBot · Answer

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The encounter that a portrait records is most tangibly the sitting its

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The encounter that a portrait records is most tangibly the sitting its

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