PrepTest 145, Section 3, Question 9
It is commonly assumed that even if some(434 more words not shown)
In the first paragraph, the(22 more words not shown)
- Aargue that many(7 more words not shown)
- Bindicate that the(15 more words not shown)
- Csuggest that the(10 more words not shown)
- Demphasize that the(7 more words not shown)
- Eillustrate the difficulties(9 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
The detail comes after the experts' lavish praise and their embarrassment at the confession. The forgery was convincing enough that one respected critic would not abandon the original attribution even then. Its role is to illustrate the challenge this work posed to expert judgment.
What we’re looking for
That can make the critic look stubborn, but the surrounding argument concerns skillful forgeries and their value, not a broad theory about critics' personalities.
Working the answers
- A
One critic's persistence does not establish that many critics are inflexible, and that general accusation is not developed afterward. It is the wrong scope and purpose for this example.
- B
Being deceived does not establish that the critics lacked the knowledge they appeared to have. The opening expressly says highly prominent specialists can be fooled by a talented forger.
- C
The author treats van Meegeren's authorship as established and evaluates the work as a forgery. The critic's refusal is not presented as evidence that it might really be a Vermeer.
- D
Nothing here argues that the concept of forgery contradicts itself. The question is how to value a work known to be forged, not whether such a category makes sense.
- ECorrect
The lingering mistaken attribution shows a difficulty a skillfully executed forgery can pose: expertise and confidence do not make its origin obvious. That difficulty sets up the later question of what discovering the origin should change about the assessment.
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