PrepTest 118, Section 4, Question 13
Art theft from museums is on the rise.(34 more words not shown)
The argument depends on assuming(5 more words not shown)
- AArt thieves steal(5 more words not shown)
- BArt pieces that(14 more words not shown)
- CArt thieves steal(7 more words not shown)
- DMost museums provide(10 more words not shown)
- EWealthy private collectors(10 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Wealthy buyers don't necessarily want the most expensive paintings. They might be interested in the skill of a particular artist, including work that doesn't command the highest price.
The argument tells us that thieves follow their customers' interests. Then it recommends giving more security to the most valuable pieces. That move needs a connection between the collectors' interests and the pieces' monetary value. Without it, we could focus security on the expensive work while thieves target something else.
What we’re looking for
For a necessary-assumption question, I'd expect an answer connecting what these collectors want with valuable art. We don't need a rule about where all thieves operate or how every museum currently divides its guards. We need the recommendation to match the demand that is supposed to drive the thefts.
Working the answers
- A
The argument doesn't require thieves to steal both kinds of art. If they stole only valuable pieces, the proposed focus on valuable pieces could still make sense. Requiring thefts from both categories adds something the recommendation doesn't need.
- BCorrect
This approaches the demand-and-value connection from the lower-value side. If art that isn't very valuable were in strong demand among wealthy collectors, thieves who follow those collectors' interests would have reason to steal it. The argument would then lack its stated basis for concentrating more protection on the most valuable pieces.
B doesn't say that every piece outside the very top price range is unwanted. “Not very valuable” is a narrower description than “not the most valuable.” Nor does the recommendation eliminate security for other art. The needed assumption is that strong demand for low-value pieces isn't undermining the argument's reason for giving more attention to the valuable ones.
- C
A thief might target a highly secured museum because it contains the pieces customers want. The recommendation doesn't depend on most theft occurring in poorly secured museums. The missing link is between the sought-after pieces and their value, not a claim about which buildings thieves usually enter.
- D
More attention doesn't mean starting from an equal division. A museum might already put 90 percent of its security on valuable pieces, while the author thinks that share should be higher. Those numbers are only an illustration: the recommendation doesn't require a current fifty-fifty allocation.
- E
What collectors do after acquiring stolen art doesn't establish which pieces thieves should be expected to target. Collectors could keep the art forever or resell it. Either arrangement leaves the demand-and-value link in the argument unresolved.
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