PrepTest 106, Section 1, Question 24
We ought to pay attention only to the(59 more words not shown)
The conclusion follows logically if(10 more words not shown)
- AWhat an artwork(8 more words not shown)
- BThere are certain(13 more words not shown)
- COnly an artwork's(10 more words not shown)
- DIt is possible(8 more words not shown)
- EAn intrinsic property(11 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
What counts as an intrinsic property? The passage starts abstractly, then gives us a more concrete idea: when looking at a painting, attend to what the experience directly presents. Think of the colors and shapes on the canvas, as opposed to background information about who painted it.
I might disagree with excluding all that background. Suppose a five-year-old painted an extraordinary picture. Knowing the artist's age could change how impressed I am. But the question isn't asking us to challenge the rule; it asks what added premise would make the conclusion follow. We have to work with the distinction the author gives us.
What we’re looking for
My first thought is to clarify the relationship between “intrinsic” and what we directly experience. The example appears to connect them, but the argument uses several abstract terms, so I'd slow down and check which connection the conclusion still needs. We want an addition that lets the rule about relevant properties do the work the author asks of it.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
This supplies the connection to symbolism. The passage excludes extrinsic properties from our aesthetic interactions, and A puts what an artwork symbolizes entirely in that excluded category. If symbolism involves only extrinsic properties, it is not aesthetically relevant under the author's rule.
I initially focused on the relationship between intrinsic properties and direct experience. A draws attention to the other part of the conclusion: the rejection of symbolism. The painting example already tells us to consider what is directly presented. A adds the reason for excluding what the painting symbolizes, completing the author's contrast.
- B
Identifying some properties of our experiences as symbolic doesn't tell us whether those properties belong to the category the author calls relevant or the category the author excludes. We need a connection that justifies setting symbolism aside. B gives us symbolic properties without that connection.
- C
This repeats the starting restriction: only intrinsic properties are relevant. Repeating the rule doesn't show where symbolism fits within it. Even with C, we still need to know that what the painting symbolizes falls outside the relevant intrinsic properties.
- D
A painting might symbolize nothing, but what about a painting that does symbolize something? The conclusion tells us symbolism isn't aesthetically relevant. The possibility of a work with no symbolism doesn't establish how we should treat symbolism when it is present.
- E
This offers a definition of intrinsic properties but doesn't classify symbolism. Saying a property relates the work to itself leaves us without a reason to put what the work symbolizes outside the relevant category. A gives that needed classification directly.
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