Question

The painter Peter Brandon never dated his works, and their chronology is only now beginning to take shape in the critical literature. A recent dating of a Brandon self-portrait to 1930 is surely wrong. Brandon was 63 years old in 1930, yet the painting shows a young, dark-haired man-obviously Brandon, but clearly not a man of 63.
Which of the following, if justifiably assumed, allows the conclusion to be properly drawn?

• A. There is no securely dated self-portrait of Brandon that he painted when he was significantly younger than 63.
• B. In refraining from dating his works, Brandon intended to steer critical discussion of them away from considerations of chronology.
• C. Until recently, there was very little critical literature on the works of Brandon.
• D. Brandon at age 63 would not have portrayed himself in a painting as he had looked when he was a young man.
• E. Brandon painted several self-portraits that showed him as a man past the age of 60.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Argument.
The passage argues that the self-portrait cannot be from 1930. Why? Because in 1930 Brandon was 63 years old, but the painting shows a much younger man. So, the reasoning assumes something: if Brandon was 63, he would not have painted himself looking young.

Step 2: Analyzing the Options.
- (A) Talks about the existence of other portraits but doesn’t address the reasoning of this argument.
- (B) Talks about Brandon’s intentions in not dating his works — irrelevant to the argument.
- (C) Talks about literature available — again irrelevant.
- (D) Directly supports the reasoning. If we assume Brandon would not have painted himself looking younger when he was actually 63, then the conclusion that the dating is wrong follows logically.
- (E) This only says he painted himself older at times, but does not rule out the possibility of painting himself younger too.

Step 3: Conclusion.
The assumption needed is that Brandon, when 63, would not have painted himself as a young man. This ensures the dating to 1930 is wrong. Hence, the correct answer is:

\[ \boxed{\text{(D) Brandon at age 63 would not have portrayed himself as a young man.}} \]