LSAT 146 | Section 4 | Reading Comprehension: Q7

RC Question 7 Explanation

DISCUSSION: The main point of the passage is that  sociohistorical critics of art such as Taruskin are likely wrong.

___________

1. This answer refers to lines 31-36. It’s just a fact used in making the author’s argument. It’s not the main point.
2. CORRECT. Taruskin is a critic who claims that art reflects the values of the elite. (lines 1-4)
    
   The entire rest of the argument shows the variety of ways in which Taruskin’s argument is simplistic and misses subtleties in how art was produced and viewed.
    
   It’s hard for an answer to be more specific than that, since paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 all make widely different points. These points reinforce each other, but they can’t be reduced to a simple, specific description. That’s why “Sociohistorical interpretations….are overly simplistic” is a good description of the main point.
3. This refers to lines 11-16. It’s not the main point; it’s just a point used in making the author’s argument.
4. This is really tempting. It’s one of the author’s central critiques. But, the problem with this answer is that this was not the only critique. This answer refers to lines 47-52. If you look at the start of that paragraph, you’ll see the author says “Moreover”. This word means “in addition”. So the argument made in paragraph 4 is in addition to the rather devastating argument made in paragraph 3.
    
   So while this answer is an important point in the passage, it isn’t the only main point. By being vaguer, B better captures the broad argument the author was making.
5. This answer refers to lines 8-10. It doesn’t even cover the point of the sentence it’s in, let alone the whole passage.
    
   (The point of the sentence is that Taruskin ignored that there are two ways. The fact itself wasn’t the point of the sentence.)