Strange Bedfellows! lamented the title of a recent letter to Museum

Question

“Strange Bedfellows!” lamented the title of a recent letter to Museum News, in which a certain Harriet Sherman excoriated the National Gallery of Art in Washington for its handling of tickets to the much-ballyhooed “Van Gogh’s van Goghs” exhibit. A huge proportion of the 200,000 free tickets were snatched up by homeless opportunists in the dead of winter, who then scalped those tickets at $85 apiece to less hardy connoisseurs.

Yet, Sherman’s bedfellows are far from strange. Art, despite its religious and magical origins, very soon became a commercial venture. From bourgeois patrons funding art they barely understood in order to share their protegee’s prestige, to museum curators stage-managing the cult of artists in order to enhance the market value of museum holdings, entrepreneurs have found validation and profit in big-name art. Speculators, thieves, and promoters long ago created and fed a market where cultural icons could be traded like commodities.

This trend toward commodification of high-brow art took an ominous, if predictable, turn in the 1980's during the Japanese “bubble economy.” At a time when Japanese share prices more than doubled, individual tycoons and industrial giants alike invested record amounts in some of the West’s greatest masterpieces. Ryoei Saito, for example, purchased van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet for a record-breaking $82.5 million. The work, then on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, suddenly vanished from the public domain. Later learning that he owed the Japanese government $24 million in taxes, Saito remarked that he would have the paining cremated with him to spare his heirs the inheritance tax. This statement, which he later dismissed as a joke, alarmed and enraged many. A representative of the Van Gogh museum, conceding that he had no legal redress, made an ethical appeal to Mr. Saito, asserting, “a work of art remains the possession of the world at large.”

Ethical appeals notwithstanding, great art will increasingly devolve into big business. Firstly, great art can only be certified by its market value. Moreover, the “world at large” hasn’t the means of acquisition. Only one museum currently has the funding to contend for the best pieces–the J. Paul Getty Museum, founded by the billionaire oilman. The art may disappear into private hands, but its transfer will disseminate once static fortunes into the hands of various investors, collectors, and occasionally the artist.   1 
 1. Which of the following would be the most appropriate title for the passage?

A. Art of Art’s Sake: A Japanese Ideal
B. Van Gogh: Breaking New Ground
C. Museums and the Press: Strange Bedfellows
D. Money vs. Art: An Ethical Mismatch
E. Great Art: Business as Usual

2 
 2. It can be inferred from the passage that Harriet Sherman would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements regarding admission to museum exhibits?

A. Tickets should be available on a first-come-first-served basis.
B. Those with a genuine interest in art should not have to pay inflated prices.
C. Museums need the income from ticket sales in order to buy great art.
D. Tickets should be distributed without prior announcement.
E. No one should be able to purchase more than one or two tickets.

3 
 3. The passage supplies information for answering which of the following questions?

A. Who owned van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet prior to its purchase by Saito?
B. Where did Saito exhibit van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet?
C. Which museum proposed to purchase van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet from Saito?
D. Did the Van Gogh Museum threaten legal action in response to reports that Saito intended to destroy van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet?
E. Did Saito actually intend to destroy van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet?

4 
 4. The author of the passage mentions which of the following connections between art and business?

I. Entrepreneurs sometimes try to enhance their reputations by supporting artists.
II. Artworks are often bought and sold as investments.
III. Great artworks can best be recognized by their high market value.

A. I 
B. II
C. I and II only
D. III
E. I, II, and III

honneeey · Accepted Answer

Excellent question!
10 minutes, all correct!

1. Which of the following would be the most appropriate title for the passage?

A. Art of Art’s Sake: A Japanese Ideal-Japanese ideal is just a part of passage. Partial Scope

B. Van Gogh: Breaking New Ground-Van gogh was one of the example not the crux of passage in entirety. Partial Scope.

C. Museums and the Press: Strange Bedfellows-OFS

D. Money vs. Art: An Ethical Mismatch-Hmm, kinda ok but the author clearly mentioned its not an ethical mismatch. Refer "Ethical appeals notwithstanding, great art will increasingly devolve into big business"

E. Great Art: Business as Usual-  Best of the lot.  Refer portions in which author mentions that people invested in it, demand supply fundamental etc.

2. It can be inferred from the passage that Harriet Sherman would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements regarding admission to museum exhibits?

A. Tickets should be available on a first-come-first-served basis.-No, that was how the tickets were actually distributed!

B. Those with a genuine interest in art should not have to pay inflated prices.- Yes , he believed that homeless people because of their ease to the tickets bought them free of cost in the "dead winter" but the "less hardy connoisseurs" (actual fans of the art) shouldnt have to pay hefty fees to attend the exhibition.

C. Museums need the income from ticket sales in order to buy great art.-OFS

D. Tickets should be distributed without prior announcement.-OFS

E. No one should be able to purchase more than one or two tickets.-Cant be inferred. Might be true.

3. The passage supplies information for answering which of the following questions?

A. Who owned van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet prior to its purchase by Saito?Nopes cant be answered.

B. Where did Saito exhibit van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet?Nopes cant be answered.

C. Which museum proposed to purchase van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet from Saito?Nopes cant be answered.

D. Did the Van Gogh Museum threaten legal action in response to reports that Saito intended to destroy van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet? Can be inferred. Refer " A representative of the Van Gogh museum, conceding that he had no legal redress.."

E. Did Saito actually intend to destroy van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet?Nopes, no where mentioned.

4. The author of the passage mentions which of the following connections between art and business?

I. Entrepreneurs sometimes try to enhance their reputations by supporting artists.-Mentioned refer "From bourgeois patrons funding art they barely understood in order to share their protegee’s prestige"
II. Artworks are often bought and sold as investments. Mentioned, refer "individual tycoons and industrial giants alike invested record amounts in some of the West’s greatest masterpieces."
III. Great artworks can best be recognized by their high market value.Mentioned, refer "Firstly, great art can only be certified by its market value. Moreover, the “world at large” hasn’t the means of acquisition."

A. I

B. II

C. I and II only

D. III

E. I,II, and III- Correct answer!

OC2910 · Answer

8 mins all correct

para 1 : a incidence where art not valued
para 2 : art a commercial entity 
para3 :commercialization and one evil effect through example 
para 4: ethical values doesnt matter , commercial is only good

main idea :art is business

Q1:E 
 apply POE

A. Art of Art’s Sake: A Japanese Ideal : only one para discussion eliminate

B. Van Gogh: Breaking New Ground: same as A

C. Museums and the Press: Strange Bedfellows: only first para discussion

D. Money vs. Art: An Ethical Mismatch: too bold: no comparison of direct war

E. Great Art: Business as Usual: in line with pre-thinking

Q2: B

the first para states reason for lamenting was less interested people attended the exhibit on low prices so it can be inferred author wanted highly interested people to visit on free coupons

Q3:D 
apply POE by referring to para 3
A. Who owned van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet prior to its purchase by Saito?: no mention

B. Where did Saito exhibit van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet?: no mention

C. Which museum proposed to purchase van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet from Saito?: no mention of specific museum

D. Did the Van Gogh Museum threaten legal action in response to reports that Saito intended to destroy van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet?: the representative of van gough says something this could be true

E. Did Saito actually intend to destroy van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet?: we dont know the intentions just what he said

so D wins

Q4:E 
a multi choice question look for the option that repeats the most : option II 
II. Artworks are often bought and sold as investments.: refer to para 2 : it says tycoon invested so correct 
eliminate 
A and D 
next pick option III :Great artworks can best be recognized by their high market value.: author says market value is best appraisal in para 4 
so correct
eliminate B,C,

only E left

Cinematiccuisine · Answer

StrugglingGmat2910  ,  honneeey  ,  workout  --> For Q3, why not option B?

3. The passage supplies information for answering which of the following questions?

A. Who owned van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet prior to its purchase by Saito?
 B. Where did Saito exhibit van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet? 
C. Which museum proposed to purchase van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet from Saito?
D. Did the Van Gogh Museum threaten legal action in response to reports that Saito intended to destroy van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet?
E. Did Saito actually intend to destroy van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet?

For Q3 --> Can we not infer answer as choice B from following sentence : para 3?
 The work, then on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, suddenly vanished from the public domain.

This indicates that Saito loaned the piece to Art gallery. Why would Art gallery loan the piece if they didn't want to put it in their gallery?
Also,
for choice D, doesn't below statement mean that the rep didn't want to put any legal action rather suggested an ethical request?

A representative of the Van Gogh museum, conceding that he had no legal redress, made an ethical appeal to Mr. Saito, asserting,.........

---
Give Kudos if you like my interpretation / question.

KM666 · Answer

I have my own concerns about the passage and the questions and the options, but about what you said, there is a difference between loaning a piece of art, and exhibiting it. The definitions of the two verbs are distinct and different. 
The art gallery could even loan the piece from him to just take it out of the market - no other art galleries can then 'loan' it from him. Choosing to display it is just that - a choice.

KM666 · Answer

StrugglingGmat2910   honneeey   workout   broall   gmatexam439

I have some questions about the questions themselves... I need help. Please.

2. It can be inferred from the passage that Harriet Sherman would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements regarding admission to museum exhibits?

A. Tickets should be available on a first-come-first-served basis.
B. Those with a genuine interest in art should not have to pay inflated prices.
C. Museums need the income from ticket sales in order to buy great art.
D. Tickets should be distributed without prior announcement.
E. No one should be able to purchase more than one or two tickets.

In the first paragraph, the article is named 'Strange Bedfellows' (a focus on the homeless/their behavior), and later it says, that HS excoriated the gallery for its 'handling of tickets'. 
How is the correct choice (B) something HS would agree with? I mean, tangentially, yes, I can see the connection.
But word for word, not having to pay inflated prices IS NOT the same thing as (effectively) handling the tickets.

*****

3. The passage supplies information for answering which of the following questions?

A. Who owned van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet prior to its purchase by Saito?
B. Where did Saito exhibit van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet?
C. Which museum proposed to purchase van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet from Saito?
D. Did the Van Gogh Museum threaten legal action in response to reports that Saito intended to destroy van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet?
E. Did Saito actually intend to destroy van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet?

I understand that D is the correct choice.
But why is E not a correct choice?
It says - 'which he later dismissed as a joke' in the part after his statement on wanting to cremate the painting.
When the passage has that particular information (which he later dismissed as a joke), is it not enough to answer the fifth option (E)?

*****

4. The author of the passage mentions which of the following connections between art and business?

I. Entrepreneurs sometimes try to enhance their reputations by supporting artists.
II. Artworks are often bought and sold as investments.
III. Great artworks can best be recognized by their high market value.

A. I
B. II
C. I and II only
D. III
E. I,II, and III

I am completely with the statements I and II.
The passage is clear on that.
About III - Great artworks can best be recognized by their high market value.
The passage says - 'great art can only be certified by its market value'.
Can best be recognized by their market value IS NOT the same as Can only be certified by its market value.
Not because of the verbs (recognized vs. certified), but because of the comparison.
'Best' implies a comparison, an existence of more that one method (to recognize/certify the high market value), while 'only' implies the existence of just one method.
So why is III correct?
Shoudn't the correct answer be C (I and II only)?

OC2910 · Answer

Q2:read the line : a huge portion of the 200... Why it is mentioned: to state the how the tickets were not distributed properly.

Q3:the is statement and then its being denied we can never say what was truly intended.

Q4:the passage also says the art can only be certified by monetory value implying there can be other ways but the money one is best

Sent from my MI MAX 2 using  GMAT Club Forum mobile app

gmat1393 · Answer

OE for 1st Question:

This is a GLOBAL question. A good title should sum up the theme and content of the passage as a whole. If you see a question asking you to choose a title for a passage, you have encountered a Global question and should look at the passage as a whole, using the Topic, Scope, and Purpose that you noted to help find your answer.

You are looking for a choice that represents the author’s view that art and business are closely connected. Choice (A) is a distortion of the topic. The issue of “art of art’s sake” does underlie the passage, and there is some attention to an incident involving a Japanese businessperson, but there is no suggestion that the ideal is particularly Japanese. Choice (B) focuses on the artist van Gogh, who is mentioned in two paragraphs; however, van Gogh is not the topic of the passage, and there is no discussion of his innovations. Choice (C) distorts the topic of the first paragraph. In fact, that paragraph discussed a letter published in a magazine, but it did not discuss the press per se. The passage does not actually state who the “strange bedfellows” were, but the implication is that Sherman was referring to either the scalpers and the art aficionados who were vying for tickets, or to art and (illegal) business. Choice (D) is actually a reversal of the author’s theme, which is that money and are art quite often intimately linked; the first sentence of paragraph 4 dismisses the ethical concerns. The correct answer is choice (E), which states that art is business.

gmat1393 · Answer

OE for 2nd Question:

This is an INFERENCE question. It’s clear from the word ‘inferred’, of course, but the phrase ‘most likely to agree with’ is also a powerful indicator that you have encountered an Inference question on the GMAT. Use the notes that you have made for Topic, Scope, and Purpose, and look for an answer choice that is directly supported by the passage.

In order to answer this Inference question, use your passage map to locate where Sherman’s argument was presented – in the first paragraph. Sherman was angry because people with a genuine interest in art were forced to pay very high prices for tickets that were supposed to be free. Choice (A) is a 180-degree reversal of her point: it was the first-come-first-served rule that allowed homeless people to get so many tickets. Choice (B) is a strong choice, and is supported by the fact that Sherman was angry that those with a genuine interest in art had to pay high ticket prices. Choice (C) may be true, but it is beyond the scope of this passage. Choices (D) and (E) represent possible solutions to the problem raised by Sherman, but there is no support in the passage that either Sherman of the author would find them satisfactory. Choice (B) is the correct answer.

gmat1393 · Answer

OE for 3rd Question:

This is a DETAIL question. To answer detail questions, use the passage map to find the appropriate paragraph to find the relevant details, then go back and research each answer choice to avoid distortions and other common wrong answer traps.

To answer this open-ended detail question, examine each choice. However, your passage map tells you that you can limit your research of all five options to Paragraph 3. Choice (A): do you know who owned van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet prior to its purchase by Saito? No, you are only told that it was on loan to a museum. You are told nothing about Saito’s exhibiting the portrait; in fact, it is implied that he did not exhibit it at all. Therefore, choice (B) is wrong. Choice (C) is incorrect because there is no mention of anyone proposing to purchase the portrait from Saito. Choice (D) is the correct answer.You are told that the representative of the Van Gogh Museum admitted that “he had no legal redress”; this means that no legal action could be threatened. The passage offers us no information that would answer the question posed in choice (E): the author reports both the threat to destroy the portrait, and Saito’s dismissal of that threat as a “joke,” but the author does not tell you what to believe about this point.

jawele · Answer

Hi all,

I find it difficult to believe that the part saying "<...> individual tycoons and industrial giants alike invested record amounts in some of the West’s greatest masterpieces." supports statement 2 below. While statement 2 talks about present, the citation speaks about the past, specifically Japan. Why does this make the statement true? I can basically narrow down to D and E.

4. The author of the passage mentions which of the following connections between art and business?
I. Entrepreneurs sometimes try to enhance their reputations by supporting artists.  this one is sort of mentioned in para 2 
II. Artworks are often bought and sold as investments. 
III. Great artworks can best be recognized by their high market value.  Firstly, great art can only be certified by its market value.

A. I 
B. II
C. I and II only
D. III
E. I,II, and III

thanks for the technique to tackle Roman numerical question types - interesting idea.

VerbalBot · Answer

Automated notice from GMAT Club VerbalBot:

A member just gave Kudos to this thread, showing it’s still useful. I’ve bumped it to the top so more people can benefit. Feel free to add your own questions or solutions.

This post was generated automatically.

Strange Bedfellows! lamented the title of a recent letter to Museum

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Strange Bedfellows! lamented the title of a recent letter to Museum

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards