Pre-World War I Painters

Answer choices

1. A

   Wrong Emphasis: break w/ tradition14% picked this

   Although they flourished independently, the pre–World War I European painters who developed new ways of looking at the world shared a common desire to

   This doesn't capture the essence of the Challenge Position framework at all. The author wrote a passage to fight over whether these painters should be celebrated for predicting the future or for making exceptional aesthetic innovations. Nothing in this answer is touching on that central friction point of "power to predict future political/social stuff".

   14%
2. B

   Correct76% picked this

   The work of the pre–World War I European painters who developed new ways of looking at the world cannot be said to have intentionally

   Why this is right

   This captures the essence of the Challenge Position framework. The position: these artists anticipated the political and social disruptions and upheavals of the modern world around WWI (and that is their chief interest and value to us). The author's challenge: no, these artists weren't concerned with predicting political and social stuff. they were obsessed with "problems of representation and form and efforts to create a far more real reality. reformation of society was of no interest". the forward-looking quality should be credited to their exceptional aesthetic innovations.

   Skill tested: Main Point · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.

   76%
3. C

   Opposite9% picked this

   The work of the pre–World War I European painters who developed new ways of looking at the world was important for its ability to

   This doesn't capture the essence of the Challenge Position framework, because the author was disagreeing with critics who thought that the works of these painters was important for its ability to predict social changes. Although the author leaves some room for it to be coincidentally true that some of their speculations about the future came true, she is sternly pushing back on this notion. She rebuts that, "the forward-looking quality should be credited to their aesthetic innovations rather than any power to make clever guesses about political or social trends". So the author would agree with the 2nd claim in this answer choice but disagree with the 1st claim. This answer puts "prophetic power" and "aesthetic innovations" on equal footing, similar importance. The author definitely wants us to think "aesthetic > prophetic".

   9%
4. D

   Wrong Objection Contradicted: incapable1% picked this

   Art critics who believe that the work of some pre–World War I European painters foretold imminent social changes are mistaken because art is incapable

   In the beginning of the 3rd paragraph, the author concedes that "an artist may ... try to express a vision of a speculative future through making use of a particular style or choice of imagery". The author wasn't saying the 2nd paragraph people were wrong to think that art is capable of expressing a vision of the future. She thought they were wrong to think that this group of painters was interested in expressing a vision of the future. She maintains that they were obsessed with aesthetics, and reforming/predicting society was of no interest to them.

   1%
5. E

   Wrong Objection Too Strong: impossible1% picked this

   Art critics who believe that the work of some pre–World War I European painters foretold imminent social changes are mistaken because the social upheavals

   The author wasn't saying the 2nd paragraph people were wrong because it was impossible to predict the social upheavals that followed WWI. She thought they were wrong to think that this group of painters was interested in trying to predict stuff. She maintains that they were obsessed with aesthetics, and while they may have speculated about European war (which was a widespread speculation at the time), there was nothing special or important about that. We should be celebrating their forward-looking aesthetics, not celebrating their power of prophecy.

   1%