Eileen Grey

Answer choices

1. A

   Out of Scope15% picked this

   Traditional lacquering techniques can be applied to nontraditional materials, such as brick and steel, with

   Out of Scope: lacquering brick and steel Traditional lacquering (we learn in the 3rd sentence of the passage) is defined as "employing wood surfaces for the application of the clear, hard-drying liquid". She's never lacquering bricks or steel. When the second paragraph talks about "panels of lacquered bricks on the screen", it's just referring to the shape of a brick, not an actual brick. Drug dealers stuff bricks of cocaine into a suitcase. It can be used metaphorically to describe that type of rectangular solid shape. When the second paragraph talks about using "modern materials, such as tubular steel", we have moved on from the lacquering part of Gray's career to the furniture design stage. The first sentence of the last paragraph sort of carves up Gray's career into three phases: lacquer, interior design, architect.

   15%
2. B

   Correct60% picked this

   The nature and placement of a dwelling's interior features can be essential factors in determining the overall structural

   Why this is right

   Tough answer. It's worth considering because of the weak language "X can be an essential factor in determining Y". The second sentence of the final paragraph says, She did not believe that one should divorce the structural design of the exterior from the design of the interior. In other words, they shouldn't be thought of separately; they should be thought of together. If we have her saying that "the structural design of the exterior should be thought of together with the design of the interior", then it's not too far a step away to say "the overall structural design of a dwelling needs to factor in the nature and placement of a dwelling's interior features". Do we think it's fair to say that the design of the interior is a fair match for the nature and placement of a dwelling's interior features? I think that's pretty much what interior design means -- what's going to be in here, and where is it all going to go.

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

   60%
3. C

   Too Strong: especially suitable5% picked this

   Traditional ornamental techniques that are usually applied to small items are especially suitable for use on large

   Lacquer is a traditional ornamental technique, so this answer wants us to sign off on Eileen Gray saying, "Lacquer is especially suitable for use on large structural elements of buildings". Do we even know that lacquer is usually applied to small items? No. We were told that it's applied to "bowls, screens, furniture", which seems like quite a range of items, some of which don't seem like small items. Did we ever hear of Gray using lacquer for use on large structural elements of buildings? No. She's working on buildings in her capacity as an architect, but nothing in the last paragraph says she uses lacquer in her building construction / design.

   5%
4. D

   Opposite: gracefully ornate12% picked this

   Excellent artistic effects can be achieved through the juxtaposition of visually austere elements with gracefully

   "Gracefully ornate" is a synonym match for the "flowing, leafy lines of Art Nouveau", which we know Gray eschewed (i.e. rejected). Hence, we have no support for her saying something enthusiastic about flowing, leafy lines.

   12%
5. E

   Unsupported: visual clues of hidden parts8% picked this

   The superficial visual aspects of a building's decor can give evidence of the materials that have been used in

   This answer seems to be referring to Gray's work in the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs, but there aren't any lines that support the idea that something you see superficially gives you a clue about what type of material was used in some hidden component of the building. i.e. "Wow, since they used linen curtains in this room, that must mean that the girders holding the support beams together are made of titanium."

   8%