Q27

[andrewgong01]

Hi

I am unsure as to how we arrived to "b" as the credited response instead of "d"

When reading the passage, it sounds like to me the author is trying to correct/give a new interpretation towards Luminist artworks. The scale of the passage (for me ) was Luminsit as an ideal representation of nature/world VS Nature as something that is domesticated for humans and the author sides with the latter part of the scale. The scale is tipped in favor of the latter view.

I chose "D" because it sounded like the author was in support of the critic mentioned in the final paragraph; however reading it again in light of the correct answer, perhaps the majority of the final paragraph's stance in support of Nature as something that is domesticated is not the cited critic's stance but rather the stance of the author?

The other issue with "B" I had during the read was that it called it as "inadequate" analysis but to me it sounded like the author thought the other side of the scale is "misguided" and not inadequate


Also, in general, for passages on abstract topics like this one, I had trouble understanding the passage during the first read through and I was only able to discern there were two contrasting views but I did not fully understand either of the contrasting view beyond describing the two views. Do you have any recommendations on better understanding the content of both sides too during the read?

[ohthatpatrick]

"misguided" and "inadequate" are interchangeable in this context, right?

More importantly, where did you find the Author's Main Point/Purpose?

I knew the Purpose once I hit the first "turning point" of the passage (normally prefaced by "but/yet/however/recently")

Line 4: "the accepted view" that's a huge foreshadowing sign in LSAT RC
Line 8: "according to this view" cool, cool ... when is the author going to disagree with the mainstream?

Line 12: "What this view fails to do is ... " BINGO! The author is writing this passage in order to disagree with the accepted view.

If a view "FAILS to do something", then isn't it fair to call it an inadequate view?

The rest of P2 continues in the author's voice.

When P3 begins with "one critic", we need to figure out if this is a return to the accepted view or if it's going along with the author's view.

Since this line emphasizes "spiritualism", it's part of "the accepted view" (line 5, Luminist paintings are "basically spiritual").

We see in line 28, the author again going against the accepted view with "it was also true, HOWEVER, that ..."

You said you thought the passage was supporting the critic in the final paragraph, but there is no critic in the final paragraph. ??

As for your broader question, a lot of people either struggle mightily to retain content on Arts/Humanities passages or they struggle mightily to retain content on Science passages.

In either case, you can't win 'em all --- if a topic is too far outside your realm of experience for you to have a frame of reference for understanding the details, just focus on nailing the purpose / big picture and LOCATING the big claims (even if you don't fully know what they mean).

I can tell, from all the structural cues I mentioned at the beginning of this post, that the author is Clarifying a Misconception about Luminist paintings.

I see the accepted view is spelled out on lines 5-7.
I see the author's replacement is lines 17-22.

I would re-read those lines multiple times, trying to find my own personal synonyms / contrast.

What is this Luminist glow all about?
ACCEPTED VIEW: the magical beauty of nature
AUTHOR'S: a sign of how human's have adapted nature to their own use