RC Question 5 Explanation
DISCUSSION: Note that this question is asking what the author “most likely” believes. As such, you don’t need an answer that’s 100% supported by the passage. You just need to find something that’s probably true.
The author’s main opinion is that perfumes can be great works of art and are worthy of analysis. This supports answer B: we have every reason to think that the author believes perfumes can be just as exquisite as statues. Line 12 says that Joy Parfum is a masterpiece. We have no reason to think that the author believes that masterpiece perfumes are any less important than other masterful works of art.
Note that we know nothing about Joy Parfum except that it is a masterpiece. (line 12)
___________
- Lines 10-12 say that art experts do not seek out Joy Parfum. So the passage somewhat contradicts this answer.
- CORRECT. This is fairly well supported. The author thinks that perfumes are as important as other works of art (lines 37-43). And Joy Parfum is a masterpiece (line 12). So it’s a fair assumption that the author thinks a masterpiece perfume is just as important as a great sculpture.
- Let’s not go too far. The author only said that Joy Parfum is a masterpiece. It’s possible for an era to produce multiple masterworks. There may have been an even more important perfume than Joy Perfume. If I say “Jane is a wonderful person” it doesn’t mean I think she’s the best person in the world.
- I was tempted by this, but there’s no evidence for it. The passage doesn’t say that anyone seeks out Joy Parfum. All we know is that art experts (who presumably have refined taste) do not seek out Joy Parfum (lines 10-12).
So we have zero evidence to suggest any group tends to like or dislike Joy Parfum, since no one appears to be seeking it out. - The author never said what Joy Perfum’s formula was like, or if other perfumes of the same era had similar formulas.
Could you elaborate a bit more on why C is wrong and too extreme? And possibly any useful tips regarding inference questions on the reading comp; I’m usually great at this section but some tests like this one can trip me up a bit.
Thanks again, Graeme and co.
C makes an absolute, superlative claim saying Joy Parfum was essentially the #1 perfume in the era.
But the passage never ranks it against other perfumes. It just calls it a masterpiece. Calling something a masterpiece is a high praise, but it’s not in itself a comparative claim. So saying it was the singular best is a way stronger claim that isn’t supported.
This is a common trap, where the flaw is that it treats evidence that supports a descriptive claim (e.g. good or masterpiece) as if it justified a comparative or superlative conclusion (e.g. the best or the foremost).
One thing to note about inference questions is you should treat them like any other, don’t overthink the label. The correct answer will always be supported by the passage and not creatively “guessed” (so look for evidence you could point to, even if it’s paraphrased rather than quoted directly).
Since the different answer choices will usually relate to different parts of the passage, if nothing strikes you as immediately correct, you may want to use the process of elimination. Some answers clearly contradict the text, reflect someone else’s viewpoint (e.g. is it asking for the AUTHOR’s or someone the author is discussing’s viewpoint?), or go beyond what’s supported. Watch out for extreme wording like always, never, all, etc (or “the foremost” in this case).
You shouldn’t feel like you’re speculating with a correct answer – it is inferred from the passage after all. However, if all your answer choices feel a little like speculation, choose the one that feels least problematic.