Q6

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

I think a very careful reading of the question stem is in order. You have found the appropriate line references for (A) line 35, (B) line 14, and (D) line 14.

The question stem reads, "According to the author, ..."

The author does not believe that these artists were prophetic. Instead the author is attempting to challenge the art critics mentioned in the second paragraph who did believe these artists were prophetic. So answer choice (E) is not something the author would think describes these artists, since the author is challenging this position. That's why answer choice (E) is correct.

Answer choice (C) is mentioned in line 47 with the example of Delecroix, but is also mentioned up in line 7 of the first paragraph.

[cyruswhittaker]

I found this question to be challenging. I initially chose (D)

However, the sentence "are often credited..." lines 15-19 doesn't necessarily represent the author's perspective, so I feel that the other choices are better justified by the discussions in the third and fourth paragraphs:

(A) Picasso, Braque Lines 38-41
(B) Stylistic innovations of Delacroix: Lines 47
(C) Same as (B)
(D) ??
(E) ??

I can see how we can support (D) with the discussion in lines 15-17, but again, that doesn't seem to definately represent the author's position.

I justified choice (E) on the basis that there's no specific example given to show that the artists have a power to predict the social changes. The author seems to feel that the artists have the ability, just like any other person, to speculate about the future, but this isn't tantamount to having a particular ability to do this (as referenced in lines 30-34).

Anyway, to make it short, I just didn't feel that (D) is supported very well "according to the author."

Any clarification is greatly appreciated.

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

So these artists brought artistic styles into being, right? That sounds like they anticipated later artists, since they possessed a similar quality at an earlier point in time.

I'll agree that the way the view is expressed in lines 15-17 makes it unclear whether that is a view shared by the author. But the overall impression one gets from the passage is that while the author doesn't think that the artists are predicting the social changes, the author acknowledges their stylistic innovations.

Also, even if you're down to (D) and (E). The author is arguing against the position in answer choice (E), and so maybe it's tough to prove that (D) is something the author believes, it's easy to see that the author would disagree with answer choice (E).

Does that answer your question?

[goriano]

Also, even if you're down to (D) and (E). The author is arguing against the position in answer choice (E), and so maybe it's tough to prove that (D) is something the author believes, it's easy to see that the author would disagree with answer choice (E).

I'm still a little shaky on this question. I do understand that the author would disagree with answer choice (E), but the question stem asks "the work of painters contains AN EXAMPLE of each..."

So, if the author brings up "the power to predict social changes" as an EXAMPLE of a painter's work, and then refutes it, we can't say that the author had brought this up as an EXAMPLE?

Also, I thought it was a huge stretch to equate "subsequent DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ARTS" (line 17) to "anticipating LATER ARTISTS."

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

So, if the author brings up "the power to predict social changes" as an EXAMPLE of a painter's work, and then refutes it, we can't say that the author had brought this up as an EXAMPLE?

Good question, I think you have a slightly different understanding of the question stem than I do.

It says that 4 answer choices display what the author would say is true about the examples of art. I think you're interpreting it as, "4 of these answer choices are examples that the author brings up." Remember, the question stem is prefaced with, "According to the author." So, what would the author say is true about those examples of art discussed in lines 1-3?

Answer choice (E) is something we know the author doesn't agree with, so it wouldn't be true "according to the author."

Also, I thought it was a huge stretch to equate "subsequent DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ARTS" (line 17) to "anticipating LATER ARTISTS."

I typically find it to be true (both in LR and RC) that when the test-writer judges a question to be easy, they give themselves more flexibility with regard to language mismatches.

[hjl373]

I also chose (D) for this one. While I still believe that lines 15-17 are a bit of a stretch to justify (D), at least now I know why (E) is definitely an answer.

Lines 30-34 say, "But the forward-looking quality attributed to these artists should instead be credited to their exceptional aesthetic innovations rather than to any power to make clever guesses about political or social trends." Here it can be said with certainty that the author does not believe that the pre-WWI painters show any "power to make clever guesses about political or social trends," making (E) the right answer.

[hayleychen12]

Instead the author is attempting to challenge the art critics mentioned in the second paragraph who did believe these artists were prophetic. So answer choice (E) is not something the author would think describes these artists, since the author is challenging this position. That's why answer choice (E) is correct.

Answer choice (C) is mentioned in line 47 with the example of Delecroix, but is also mentioned up in line 7 of the first paragraph.

Hi! I have a question about the word "prophetic."

From paragraph 3, especially line 30-34. I don't think the author denies that the works of these artists are prophetic, I think the author just think the reason these works is "forward-looking" (seems like to me equals"prophetic") is not that the painters can make clever guess about the future but rather that their exceptional aesthetic innovation.

Could you help me clarify this point?
Thanks!

[ohthatpatrick]

Yeah, your interpretation of the passage is correct.

The author, in line 30, is saying "They're not prophetic in the sense YOU guys were saying ... instead, they're prophetic in the sense I'M about to say."

The blurb you quoted from the teacher's explanation was saying that the author does not believe that these artists were "prophetic" in the sense that line 4-7, line 15-22, and choice (E).

Choice (E) is saying that they were "prophetic about social changes".

The author would disagree and instead say that they were "prophetic about artistic changes".

[DavidS899]

So these artists brought artistic styles into being, right? That sounds like they anticipated later artists, since they possessed a similar quality at an earlier point in time.

This is another LSAT problem that I am getting wrong because of how stringently I am reading paraphrases. I chose D and I am trying to comprehend how it is wrong.

It says these painters "credited with having anticipated... subsequent developments in the arts."

Okay so they are a part of an innovative art movement and they are anticipating subsequent developments in the arts. Does this mean they have the ability to anticipate later artists? The author says they were innovative and they had some degree of anticipation of further development but how do I not know the developments they were anticipating aren't going to all occur within the scope of their art movement? What if they were anticipating the changes that they were bringing about. Does this say anything about later artists?

Either way the idea that they were anticipating "later artists" doesn't seem to be anywhere in the text to me, without assuming every reference to the future of the arts equates to the future of artists. I would need to have some mention of later artists to feel confident to not pick this.

The way it really read to me was like Picasso being awoken in the middle by the glowing words "Keith Haring" in his mirror.

"You're not going to believe this, I have the ability to anticipate later artists!"