Question

In the passage, the author is primarily concerned with

• A. defining the Modernist attitude toward art
• B. explaining how photography emerged as a fine art after the controversies of the nineteenth century
• C. explaining the attitudes of serious contemporary photographers toward photography as art and placing those attitudes in their historical context
• D. defining the various approaches that serious contemporary photographers take toward their art and assessing the value of each of those approaches
• E. identifying the ways that recent movements in painting and sculpture have influenced the techniques employed by serious photographers
• A. Objective
• B. Mechanical
• C. Superficial
• D. Dramatic
• J. Paradoxical
• A. provide an example of artists who, like serious contemporary photographers, disavowed traditionally accepted aims of modern art
• B. call attention to artists whose works often bear a physical resemblance to the works of serious contemporary photographers
• C. set forth an analogy between the Abstract Expressionist painters and classical Modernist painters
• D. provide a contrast to Pop artists and others who created works that exemplify the Modernist heritage in art
• O. provide an explanation of why serious photography, like other contemporary visual forms, is not and should not pretend to be an art
• A. a means of making people familiar with remote locales and unfamiliar things
• B. a technologically advanced activity
• C. a device for observing the world impartially
• D. an art comparable to painting
• T. an art that would eventually replace the traditional arts
• A. The photographers' belief that their reliance on an impersonal machine to produce their art requires the surrender of the authority of their personal vision
• B. The photographers' fear that serious photography may not be accepted as an art by the contemporary art public
• C. The influence of Abstract Expressionist painting and Pop Art on the subject matter of the modern photograph
• D. The photographers' belief that the best art is subversive of art as it has previously been defined
• Y. The notorious difficulty of defining art in its relation to realistic representation
• A. Their photographs could be created by almost anyone who had a camera and the time to devote to the activity.
• B. Their photographs are not examples of art but are examples of the photographers' impartial observation of the world.
• C. Their photographs are important because of their subjects but not because of the responses they evoke in viewers.
• D. Their photographs exhibit the same ageless principles of form and shading that have been used in painting.
• ^. Their photographs represent a conscious glorification of the mechanical aspects of twentieth-century life.
• A. contemporary art that is struggling to be accepted as fine art
• B. craft requiring sensitivity but by no means an art
• C. mechanical copying of reality
• D. modern art that displays the Modernist tendency to try to subvert the prevailing aims of art
• c. modern art that displays the tendency of all Modernist art to become increasingly formal and abstract

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This is a main idea question. It asks for the primary focus of the entire passage. We need to find the option that best summarizes the author's overall project.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The passage begins by outlining the historical (19th-century) debate about photography as art. It then introduces an "irony": contemporary photographers now reject the "art" label. The rest of the passage is dedicated to explaining this modern attitude. The author analyzes this stance by placing it within the "Modernist heritage in art" (line 20), comparing it to other art movements like Abstract Expressionism and Pop art. The author is therefore explaining a current phenomenon (the attitudes of photographers) by analyzing its historical and theoretical context.
Let's evaluate the options:
\begin{itemize} \item (A) This is part of the explanation, but the focus is specifically on photography, not just Modernism in general.
\item (B) This is only the topic of the first paragraph; the passage's main focus is on the contemporary situation.
\item (C) This accurately describes the two main parts of the author's argument: explaining the current attitudes and providing the historical context (both 19th-century and Modernist) for them.
\item (D) The author describes a general attitude of disclaiming art, not "various approaches," and is more concerned with explaining this attitude than "assessing its value."
\item (E) The passage discusses influence on photography's aims and prestige, not its specific "techniques." \end{itemize} Step 3: Final Answer:
The passage is primarily concerned with explaining the modern photographer's attitude toward art by placing it in a historical context.

Answer 2

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This is a detail/inference question that asks us to characterize a specific concept described in the text. We must analyze the author's description in the cited lines.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The lines in question (25-27) describe the Modernist concept of art as one where "the better the art, the more subversive it is of the traditional aims of art." A subversive act is one that undermines or overthrows something established. So, Modernist art, in this view, becomes better by working against the traditional definition of art.
This is a self-contradictory or seemingly absurd statement, which is the definition of a paradox. The idea that to be a great example of something (art), one must undermine that very thing is paradoxical.
Let's evaluate the options:
\begin{itemize} \item (A) Objective: The concept is about subverting tradition, which is a subjective goal, not an objective one.
\item (B) Mechanical: This relates to the 19th-century critique of photography, not the Modernist concept of art.
\item (C) Superficial: The author treats this concept with seriousness, suggesting it is complex, not superficial.
\item (D) Dramatic: While the idea might be dramatic, "paradoxical" is a much more precise description of its logical structure.
\item (E) Paradoxical: This perfectly describes the contradictory nature of the concept that art improves by subverting itself. \end{itemize} Step 3: Final Answer:
The concept that good art must subvert the aims of traditional art is best described as paradoxical.

Answer 3

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question asks for the rhetorical purpose of mentioning a specific group. We need to understand why the author brought up Abstract Expressionists in the context of the argument about photography.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The author introduces the painters with the phrase: "...photographers who suppose that...they are getting away from the pretensions of art...remind us of those Abstract Expressionist painters who imagined they were getting away from...painting..." (lines 31-36).
This is a direct comparison. The author is saying that photographers' claims to be "getting away from art" are similar to the claims made by Abstract Expressionists. Both groups disavowed or rejected the "pretensions" or traditional aims of art. The purpose of this comparison is to show that the photographers' attitude is part of a larger trend within Modernist art.
Let's evaluate the options:
\begin{itemize} \item (A) This accurately states the analogy. Both groups (photographers and Abstract Expressionists) "disavowed traditionally accepted aims" of art.
\item (B) The passage does not mention any physical resemblance.
\item (C) The passage contrasts the Abstract Expressionists with "classical Modernist painting," it does not create an analogy between them.
\item (D) This is incorrect; they are presented as an example of the Modernist heritage, not a contrast to it.
\item (E) The author's ultimate point is that photography is an art. This example serves to explain the photographers' behavior within the context of art, not to argue that it isn't art. \end{itemize} Step 3: Final Answer:
The Abstract Expressionists are introduced as an analogy to contemporary photographers, as both groups claimed to be rejecting the traditional pretensions of art.

Answer 4

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This is a detail question asking about a specific point made in the first paragraph. We need to find what the "defenders of photography" in the 19th century asserted.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The first paragraph describes the 19th-century debate. It states, "Against the charge that photography was a soulless, mechanical copying of reality, photographers asserted that it was instead a privileged way of seeing...and no less worthy an art than painting." (lines 8-11).
This phrase directly states their main argument: that photography was an art form that was just as valuable and worthy as painting.
Let's evaluate the options based on this text:
\begin{itemize} \item (A) This is a use of photography, but not the specific argument mentioned in the passage.
\item (B) While true, their defense focused on its artistic merit, not its technological aspect.
\item (C) "Impartially observing" is a claim made by contemporary photographers (line 15), not the 19th-century defenders.
\item (D) This is a direct paraphrase of "no less worthy an art than painting."
\item (E) The passage does not state that they claimed photography would replace other arts. \end{itemize} Step 3: Final Answer:
The passage explicitly states that 19th-century defenders argued photography was "no less worthy an art than painting."

Answer 5

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question asks for the reason behind the attitude of contemporary photographers. We need to find the explanation the author provides for why they disclaim the "art" label.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The author directly addresses this in the second paragraph. After describing how photographers now reject the "art" label, the author explains that this is a consequence of the "Modernist heritage." The author states that their unwillingness to debate the question "shows the extent to which they simply take for granted the concept of art imposed by the triumph of Modernism: the better the art, the more subversive it is of the traditional aims of art." (lines 24-27).
This means that photographers reject the label "art" because, in their Modernist view, the goal of a serious artist is to subvert or work against traditional notions of art. Claiming their work isn't art is their way of being good Modernist artists.
Let's evaluate the options:
\begin{itemize} \item (A) This refers to the 19th-century debate, not the contemporary one.
\item (B) The author states the opposite: "photography is securely established as a fine art" (lines 12-13).
\item (C) The influence of other movements is mentioned as a parallel phenomenon, but the core reason is the underlying Modernist belief about what art should be.
\item (D) This is a direct paraphrase of the explanation given in lines 25-27.
\item (E) This is too general. The author provides a very specific explanation based on the principles of Modernism. \end{itemize} Step 3: Final Answer:
The author explains that the photographers' reaction stems from the Modernist belief that the best art is that which subverts previous definitions of art.

Answer 6

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This is a detail question asking what contemporary photographers explicitly claim about their work. We need to find the sentence that lists their claims.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The second paragraph directly answers this. The author writes: "Serious photographers variously claim to be finding, recording, impartially observing, witnessing events, exploring themselves—anything but making works of art." (lines 14-17).
This sentence provides a list of things they claim to be doing (observing, recording) and explicitly states what they claim not to be doing (making art).
Let's evaluate the options against this text:
\begin{itemize} \item (A) The passage does not mention them making this claim.
\item (B) This option combines two key parts of the quote: that their work is "impartial observation" and that it is "not examples of art" (from the phrase "anything but making works of art"). This is a very accurate summary of their stated claims.
\item (C) The passage does not mention their claims about viewer responses.
\item (D) This is contrary to the Modernist impulse described in the passage.
\item (E) Glorifying the mechanical aspect was a charge made against photography in the 19th century, not a claim made by contemporary photographers. \end{itemize} Step 3: Final Answer:
The passage states directly that contemporary photographers claim their work is impartial observation and anything but art.

Answer 7

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question asks for the author's own view of contemporary photography, which must be inferred from the tone and structure of the entire passage.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The author consistently frames the photographers' rejection of the "art" label not as a sign that photography isn't art, but as a symptom of its deep involvement with Modernism. The author calls the situation "ironic" (line 12), states that photography "has developed all the anxieties and self-consciousness of a classic Modernist art" (lines 50-52), and analyzes the photographers' claims through the lens of the Modernist idea that "the better the art, the more subversive it is." The author concludes by worrying that the public will "forget that photography is a distinctive and exalted activity—in short, an art" (lines 55-56).
All of this points to the author's belief that contemporary photography is, in fact, a form of Modernist art, and its practitioners are engaging in the typical Modernist behavior of subverting tradition.
Let's evaluate the options:
\begin{itemize} \item (A) The author explicitly says photography is "securely established as a fine art."
\item (B) and (C) These are 19th-century views that the author presents as outdated. The author's final sentence confirms a belief that it is an "exalted" art.
\item (D) This perfectly summarizes the author's nuanced analysis. The author sees photography as a modern art whose practitioners are acting out a key Modernist tendency: subversion of prevailing artistic aims.
\item (E) The author contrasts photography with abstract art, suggesting it is not on the same path toward abstraction. \end{itemize} Step 3: Final Answer:
The author's analysis throughout the passage indicates a view of contemporary photography as a form of Modernist art that characteristically seeks to subvert traditional art.