LSAT 139 | Section 3 | Reading Comprehension: Q9

RC Question 9 Explanation

DISCUSSION: Whenever you read a passage, you should try to figure out what the author thinks. Tone questions are very hard if you didn’t catch the tone on your first read.

One thing to look for is praise or criticism. Or implied praise or criticism. Words that are usually compliments can be taken to be praise.

So when the author says that old photographs are ‘intimate’ (last sentence of paragraph 5), that’s praise. Same with ‘one of a kind’ (second sentence of paragraph 5), and ‘rich creamy tones’ (first sentence of paragraph 1).

Meanwhile, the passage has absolutely no criticism of the techniques or the artists who use them.

The author goes to great lengths to understand the artists. So it’s fair to say that they appreciate and understand the artists’ work.

___________

1. See the explanation above. The author likes the techniques. There’s no hesitation.
2. CORRECT. See the explanation.
3. The author never mocks the artists.
4. The author doesn’t say that new photographic techniques are bad. The author does think that what photographers are doing is interesting and valuable. But the author might also think that new techniques are useful for many purposes
   as well.It’s not even clear if the photographers think new techniques are bad. The new techniques just have a different purpose than old techniques.
5. Whimsical is playful and fanciful. The author is hardly playful. They seem to take these old techniques very seriously.