PrepTest 147, Section 4, Question 8
Whenever an artist endowed with both a high(56 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(7 more words not shown)
- ANot every artist(7 more words not shown)
- BA high degree(20 more words not shown)
- CAn artist endowed(20 more words not shown)
- DFew artists are(7 more words not shown)
- EAnyone endowed with(22 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Where did 'rare' come from? We've been told what makes a work great, but not how often that happens.
The artist needs both high skill and high creativity, and must actually combine them in making the work. Having the abilities without using them together isn't enough. The passage says that combination produces great art and that great art requires it.
What we’re looking for
Perhaps those abilities are common. Perhaps many artists possess them. For the required assumption, we need something explaining why the combination that produces greatness occurs so infrequently. Simply identifying the ingredients doesn't establish how often they come together.
Working the answers
- A
This could mean that only 1 percent of artists lack high skill while 99 percent have it. It therefore doesn't tell us that skill is rare. But more importantly, A isn't required: even if every artist had high skill, artists could seldom combine it with high creativity in producing a work. Great works could still be rare. The argument needs rarity in the combination, not a claim that somebody lacks one ingredient.
- BCorrect
High skill and high creativity are seldom combined in creating a work. Since that combination produces a great work, frequent combinations would give us frequent great works. B supplies the rarity missing from the premises and needed by the conclusion.
Be precise about what is rare. B concerns the two abilities being used together in a work, not simply the number of people who possess them. Plenty of artists could have the abilities while seldom putting both to use in the way described.
- C
Possessing the abilities doesn't guarantee using them together. An artist might have great skill and creativity but never finish a work, or might create work without applying both fully. The passage makes the combination during execution essential. C skips that step.
- D
Creativity itself needn't be rare. Many artists could be highly creative but lack high skill, or could seldom combine the two abilities. The conclusion concerns great works, and the required rarity could arise at the combination stage rather than from a shortage of creative people.
- E
The argument doesn't impose a small output limit on each qualified artist. A few artists could produce many great works while great works remained rare among the enormous number of artworks produced overall. Rarity across works doesn't require every capable individual to create only a few.
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