DAILY EXERCISES: RC SET 2 (24th July )

Questions 40–42 are based on the following reading passage.

Henri Matisse's The Ochre Head represents the artist's exuberant display of his new mastery of a

technique once peculiar to Picasso. Matisse has learned to artfully separate color and drawing. The painting

depicts a head and shoulders, a bouquet of red flowers in a dark blue vase sitting upon a bench, a framed

drawing of a woman's head, and an unframed

painting or drawing, also of a woman. But what is most striking about the painting is the way Matisse has begun

to allow his colors and his forms to play freely, even while they are coordinated. The ochre of the head runs

out past the form. Bits of blue from the bench appear in the man's neckline or along his shoulder. The colors

of the various frames and surfaces of the drawing on the wall overlap and refuse to be constrained by definite

lines of form. Although

this technique is not given the kind of free reign Picasso allows it in his Cubist period or in works such as

Minotaur, it is still a stunning development for Matisse. And he seems aware of this fact. The painting's

composition references Picasso's Still Life with Ancient Head from 1925, signaling Matisse's awareness that

he is borrowing from his younger colleague.

40. The author uses the word peculiar to mean which of the following?

(A) strange

(B) abstract

(D) unique

(E) appealing

41. The main idea of the passage is to

(A) describe an artistic work and its inspiration

(B) describe how Matisse surpassed Picasso

(D) describe a representative example of Matisse's work

(E) describe the influence of Picasso on the art world

42. According to the passage, all of the following are true of The Ochre Head EXCEPT:

(A) The artist did not color between the lines.

(B) Its arrangement is similar to that of a piece by Picasso.

(D) Its colors are more constrained than those of Minotaur.

(E) It depicts household objects.

Questions 43–47 are based on the following reading passage.

US History textbooks are far too fact-based and even have the ability to make students feel as though all

history is made up of "Quick-Facts" and diagrams, not dynamic events to be critically analyzed. Furthermore, it

is often the case that textbooks are given undue authority in determining the curriculum; many teachers simply

"teach the book."

This is particularly disturbing when considering the fact that state committees for choosing textbooks

often treat them, in the words of Sandra Wong, "more like encyclopedias of facts than as cultural products that

convey values and perspectives" when deciding which ones to pick. In her article "Evaluating the Content of

Textbooks: Public Interests and Professional Authority," Wong discusses how textbook committees are rarely

concerned with

10 the actual substance of the writing in the textbooks they evaluate, and are far more interested in things like

"charts, illustrations, and introductory outlines."

What, then, would be a better tool to use in the high school classroom than textbooks or timelines for

creating an effective learning environment that could reflect the dynamic nature of historical study? Out of all

the various alternatives—going to plays, hearing speakers,

listening to music, using interactive online resources, elucidating connections to students' personal lives by

going to local history museums or having students write autobiographical essays, etc—the most promising is,

by far, film. Movies are a magnificent way into history for even the most resistant naysayer of historical study.

Film is a hugely popular medium with endless numbers of historically based works —everything from

documentaries to dramas—

20 that not only present facts, but dramatize the human relations behind those facts.

The main critique presented against the use of historical film in the classroom is, of course, the

existence of rampant inaccuracies and biases laced throughout these films, not to mention the agendas of the

filmmakers themselves. However, some historians believe that these seeming flaws are actually part of the

reason why film is an ideal teaching tool—not only

does it allow students to see history come to life, and thus interact with it dynamically, as well as make history

immediately accessible to a modern audience because of the techniques used in filmmaking, but it can also

foster deep critical thinking skills if instructors lead dialogues after film viewings about the inaccuracies, the

biases, and all of the things that make the film not just a record of a historical event, but also a reflection of

the modern moment.

43. Which of the following is NOT cited by the passage as an alternative method for historical study?

(A) listening to music

(B) attending a public lecture

(D) writing a personal statement

(E) watching a film

44. The purpose of the passage is to

(A) support the film industry

(B) criticize government education policies

(D) propose increased use of a particular didactic tool

(E) denigrate an established philosophy

45. According to the passage, a problem with state committee textbook selection is

(A) the lack of education of the committee members

(B) misplaced priorities

(D) valuing perspectives instead of facts

(E) personal prejudices

46. The purpose of the last paragraph is to

(A) acknowledge an insurmountable obstacle

(B) raise and undermine an objection

(D) admit a flaw in a preferred alternative

(E) advocate more interactive instruction

47. The passage implies which of the following?

(A) Students can benefit from exposure to inaccurate accounts of history.

(B) Students today prefer music to film.

(D) Students today prefer charts to opinions.

(E) Students today should not be exposed to political agendas.

Questions 48–49 are based on the following reading passage.

From assemblages of found objects to bizarre video installations and digital interactive experiments,

much of contemporary art has been criticized as cold, unapproachable, impersonal, and emotionless. One link

between the immediately appealing, expressive paintings that are often the most popular museum attractions

and the "brainy" constructivist

5 school of art pioneered in the early twentieth century is the notion of gesture as an expressive tool.

Mark di Suvero's Iroquois (1983–1999) is composed of several industrial-sized I-beams. The materials

are so heavy and large the artist used cranes and other construction tools to manipulate and connect the beams,

all of which have been painted a bright red-orange. The

result is an intruding work of almost architectural dimensions that one can immediately sense is terribly heavy

and somewhat precarious, yet stable and balanced. As one contemplates Iroquois, walking in and around its

structure, backing away to see it from a distance, the linear forms became considerably more complex than

one might presume. The tangled steel was obviously constructed with great care, yet each piece seems to

threaten the viewer with its

weight and size, jutting out away from the central nexus, daring the entire form to topple over. At the same

time, the piece seems to exude stability, balance, even serenity. Iroquois resonates with an energy born not of

the physical quality of the sculpture, which is quite passive and stable, but rather of the gestural quality of the

forms.

Consider each of the answer choices separately and indicate all that apply.

48. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

Some of the most popular museum attractions are contemporary art installations.

Expressive paintings have been considered "brainy."

Seemingly cold and cerebral art can nevertheless make use of certain expressive tools.

Consider each of the answer choices separately and indicate all that apply.

49. Which of the following does the author assert about Iroquois?

Paradoxically, it appears to be both stable and unstable.

It uses gesture to evoke a sense of energy.

Some interpret it as simpler than it really is.

Questions 50–53 are based on the following reading passage.

In his Discourse on Inequality, Rousseau posits that early social contract theories establish unjust social

and politics arrangements that provide only the appearance of legitimacy and equality.

In Rousseau's accounting, the beginnings of the social contract lie in the fears of the rich.

In a state of nature, one in which there is no government or law to control the interactions of people, the rich

would have great difficulty protecting the property that they possess. Thus, the rich turn to the mechanism of

the social contact to shore up the holdings Rousseau views as "hoarded." The concept of a social contract is

appealing to the poor, because the poor fear death in a state of lawlessness and thus seek protection. To obtain

assent to the contract, the

rich focus their rhetoric on a seeming equality of obligation by creating rules that apply equally to all

members of society. This system, however, simply systematizes the "theft" the rich had perpetrated on the

poor in the pre-law state of nature.

Rousseau then begins to develop his own vision of a social contract, through which he attempts to right

these injustices. His first departure from earlier theorists is in the formation of

the sovereign. Rather than members of the state surrendering their rights to another person—an irrational

course of action tantamount to surrendering oneself into slavery—they surrender their right to all members of

the society and thus to no one. Rousseau refers to this sovereign as the "general will" and it has the task of

legislating for the new civil society that is created in the contract.

Unlike early social contract theories, Rousseau's version conceives of property rights that allow for

rights of first occupancy to justify claims, rather than rights of the strongest. In this system, property can be

taken only if it has not been previously occupied and only to the degree necessary for the subsistence of those

taking it, measures intended as a check to the hoarding of property by force enshrined in earlier contract

theory.

50. Which of the following societies would Rousseau be likely to endorse?

(A) A society in which there is no government or law to control how people interact with each other.

(B) A society in which a primary leader is elected through a fair democratic process.

(D) A society in which the social contract has been dismantled and replaced with rights of first

occupancy.

(E) A society in which a homeless family could legally move into an empty house they did not purchase.

51. It can be inferred from the passage that Rousseau would believe which of the following of a society of men and

women living without the primary structures of civilization?

(A) Their wealth would inevitably be equally distributed across the population.

(B) Those with more wealth would be at risk of losing it to those with less.

(D) The social contract would not be created in order to protect the material goods of the wealthy.

(E) Property would only be taken if it had not been previously occupied and was necessary for the

subsistence of those taking it.

52. Select the sentence in the second paragraph that explains how a privileged group is able to secure widespread

approval for the systematized "theft" it achieves through hoarding.

53. In the context in which it appears, subsistence most nearly means:

(A) survival

(B) enrichment

(D) help

(E) opposition

Questions 54–56 are based on the following reading passage.

In the twenty-first century, terrorism has become a common term in the day-to-day political vernacular.

However, despite its prevalence in everyday conversation, the term terrorism is not easily defined.

First, there is the question of target. There is a large debate over what the target of

terror must be. Many writers believe that the targeting of "innocents" is a key component of terrorism.

Douglas Lackey writes, "…the common soldier is not a terrorist, because the majority of his victims are

soldiers, and a minority of his victims are civilians." All bombs kill things in their target radius regardless of

military status; they are indiscriminate by nature. Lackey goes on to argue that what makes a bombing

campaign constitute indiscriminate killing is the

10 targeting of an area with a high ratio of non-military units to military units. Thus, discrimination is not in the

weapons used, but in the targets decided upon.

A second controversy is that of circumstance; that is, whether or not terrorist acts must be performed in

times of peace, or if they can include acts perpetrated during war. Some believe that even in a war, such as

World War II, terrorist actions can be undertaken. However, there is

15 a viewpoint that in war the right to certain types of attack expands, making actions that might be considered

terrorist in other contexts (such as surprise attacks or raids) justified.

The final controversy is that of perpetrator size. This debate largely manifests itself in the question of

whether or not state actors can be accused of terrorist action. While Ariel Merari acknowledges the

possibility of state sponsored terrorism, he decides to narrowly define

terrorism as a body of violence perpetrated by sub-state insurgent groups. He does so because, "if the

definition of terrorism is equally applicable to nuclear war, conventional war, and guerrilla warfare, the term

loses any useful meaning." Unlike some theorists, Merari does not reject state actors because of a pro-state

bias, but rather concludes that the broader the term becomes, the less useful it becomes in a dialogue.

54. Lackey and Merari would be most likely to agree on what judgment regarding terrorism?

(A) That an individual soldier in a country's military would not typically commit terrorist acts in the

course of duty.

(B) That an attack that targeted primarily civilians, rather than members of a military, would necessarily

be a terrorist attack.

(D) That terrorism can only be carried out during peacetime.

(E) That a member of an elite branch of a given country's military could not be said to commit a terrorist

act.

55. In the context in which it appears, sub-state most nearly means:

(A) operating under a government's orders

(B) terrorist

(D) anarchist

(E) nongovernmental

56. Each of the following is mentioned in the passage as a reason that the term terrorism is difficult to define

EXCEPT:

(A) the nature of the targets of the act

(B) its prevalence in everyday conversation

(D) whether governmental bodies can be terrorists

(E) the fact that its usefulness as a term is inversely proportional to its inclusiveness

AAaa

Questions 57–58 are based on the following reading passage.

The African American writer and social critic James Baldwin grew up as an outsider both to the language

and culture of power, and yet achieved a balance between self-expression and the language of power. In the

1930's, Hollywood movies portrayed an optimistic, capitalist, white America that dealt with white issues and

employed white actors. As a child, Baldwin felt

acutely separated from the culture of power. In "Congo Square," Baldwin opens his essay with an important

idea: "A child is far too self-centered to relate to any dilemma which does not, somehow, relate to him."

Watching the films of the dominant culture, Baldwin attempted to relate the information to his own life,

connecting with it however he could. Rather than blindly accept the storylines in the movies, when Baldwin

saw a staircase in A Tale of Two Cities, he

10 thought, "I knew about staircases."

At the same time, Baldwin distrusted the culture of power: "The civilized … do not intend to change the

status quo … these people are not to be taken seriously when they speak of the 'sanctity' of human life, or the

'conscience' of the civilized world."

Consider each of the answer choices separately and indicate all that apply.

57. It can be inferred from the passage that Baldwin would agree with which of the following about a 1930's film that

dealt only with African American issues and employed only African American actors?

It would be significantly better than most Hollywood movies from the 1930's.

It would suffer from the same kind of problems as the more typical 1930's Hollywood movies.

It would be less likely than most other 1930's Hollywood movies to reinforce the predominant

culture.

58. Baldwin's quotation from "Congo Square" is used primarily in order to illuminate what aspect of 1930's America?

(A) the culture of power that Baldwin mistrusted

(B) the fact that Hollywood movies were primarily optimistic and centered on white culture

white America

(D) the alienating effect of films of the era on black children

(E) the concept that children are incapable of deriving any educational value from films they can't relate

Questions 59–62 are based on the following reading passage.

The Parthenon has long been regarded as one of the great architectural and artistic products of the High

Classical Period. Yet, scholars have struggled to reach a consensus interpretation for the meaning of the

Parthenon Frieze. The study of this particular sculptural element of the Parthenon, a continuous band of

sculpture that ran round the top of the

5 building's temple-chamber, has proven quite difficult.

Today only 423 feet of the original 524 survive, and of those, 247 feet are housed in the British Museum

in London. Another large section is now in the Acropolis Museum in Athens, and still other pieces reside in

exhibits throughout Europe, making it a difficult task to discuss, let alone experience the unified whole the

designers wished the audience to witness—a key

10 element in deciphering any work of art.

Denied the opportunity to study the frieze as it existed in antiquity, scholars are faced with the burden of

reconstructing the visual experience of the monument before they can even begin interpreting it. To do so, an

inventory is taken of characters and figure-types represented on the frieze and their arrangement. Then this

inventory is compared to historical

precedents and placed in its contemporary context in the hopes of using prior examples to decipher its

meaning. Considering the various fragments of the Parthenon frieze as a whole and comparing it to other

Greek artworks, two aspects of the arrangement immediately strike the informed viewer.

First, it is clear that the frieze is meant to be thought of as a continuous whole. This is

particularly interesting because it is completely unprecedented in Greek art. Continuous friezes on the faces

of Greek temples generally depicted single subjects, but if continued over all four sides of a building, the four

stretches of the frieze would generally be thematically separate.

The second unique aspect of the Parthenon frieze has to do with the fundamental nature of Greek art;

namely that all works of art prior to the Parthenon frieze depicted only scenes

from myth and legend. Yet, in this relief, for the first time in the history of Greek art, we find mortals, leading

some scholars to the conclusion that what is depicted is a specific event that actually took place at a specific

time and place.

59. In the context in which it appears, the word informed most nearly means:

(A) assiduous

(B) artistic

(D) erudite

(E) scientific

60. Which of the following would be the best title for the above passage?

(A) The Parthenon Frieze: An Insoluble Sculptural Mystery

(B) The Parthenon Frieze and Methods of Artistic Interpretation

(D) Mortals in Greek Art

(E) The Parthenon Frieze: Continuity of Character

61. All of the following can be inferred about the Parthenon from the passage EXCEPT:

(A) It was constructed in the High Classical Period.

(B) It has been seen as a great work of art.

(D) It is not known how it looked at the time of its construction.

(E) It contained one-of-a-kind sculptural elements.

62. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following would be unique in the world of Classical Greek art

and architecture if it were discovered to have been created just after the Parthenon?

(A) a painting featuring the goddess Athena springing forth from the head of her father, Zeus

(B) a room featuring a frieze around the top that depicted a single, continuous narrative on all sides of the

room

(D) a frieze featuring a number of different characters and figure-types

(E) a large mural depicting a beautiful Greek youth crushing grapes to make wine

Questions 63–64 are based on the following reading passage.

A single short story can suggest a desired response from the reader. It is a difficult task, though, to create

a world within a single short story and then repeat this world again in other stories while maintaining a

consistent flow of ideas. Many authors prefer to use the same setting, indeed, often the same characters in

each story. Isabel Allende's Diez Cuentos' de Eva

5 Luna comes to mind. In these stories, Allende uses the small town of Agua Santa as the setting for the entire

collection.

Woman Hollering Creek is a collection of short stories by Sandra Cisneros. Rather than using the same

characters or setting throughout the collection, Cisneros takes a different approach to relating her stories to

one another. Much of the burden, in fact, is placed on

the reader, for the characters change each time, as does the setting. Furthermore, while the characters are

largely Mexican American immigrant women, each character presents a distinct style and literary voice. What

these works have in common is more intuitive; mood, circumstance, time, tone, and imagery all play a role in

creating the world in which the stories take place.

63. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements?

(A) Short story collections depend on the reader to find the common thread that ties the stories together.

(B) Isabel Allende uses the same setting for the majority of her fiction.

times and places.

(D) Intuition is a more important aspect of Sandra Cisneros's writing than the characters or the setting.

(E) The best short story collections feature some through line that the reader can follow and that

connects the various stories.

64. According to the passage, which of the following characterizes both short stories by Isabel Allende and short

stories by Sandra Cisneros?

(A) similarities in tone among the stories

(B) similarities in time among the stories

(D) similarities in setting among the stories

(E) none of the above

Questions 65–66 are based on the following reading passage.

Scottish economist Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations heralded—or caused—the market-based

economic system that has increasingly become the norm since the book's publication in 1776. Some say that

Smith's magnum opus was to economics as Newton's Principia Mathematica was to physics or as Darwin's

On the Origin of Species was for biology.

5 Certainly the book made its impact in the early United States.

1776 predates wide usage of the term capitalism, now commonly associated with Smith, and which

Smith refers to as a "system of natural liberty." Smith presented what we today consider Economics 101:

supply and demand, and the importance of specialization and the division of labor. He also posited that

individuals pursuing their own self-interest could

10 unintentionally create a more just society by so doing—an idea sometimes referred to as the "Invisible Hand."

Even Smith's critics do not deny the book's immense influence. Murray Rothbard levels the criticism

that The Wealth of Nations, in fact, eclipsed public knowledge of all economists—better ones, he says—

before Smith.

Consider each of the answer choices separately and indicate all that apply.

65. Which of the following statements is not in contradiction with the opinions of Murray Rothbard as expressed in

the passage?

Smith was possibly the third best economist of all time.

The Wealth of Nations should not have been as influential as it was.

Adam Smith was not particularly influential.

66. Which of the following would be an example of the "Invisible Hand" as described by Adam Smith?

(A) A group of moviegoers who are able to get cheaper tickets for a film by buying their tickets as a

group.

(B) A society in which the division of labor frees certain people to pursue careers that might seem

impractical in a non-capitalist society.

according to the passion and dedication of students.

(D) A market in which there are more buyers than sellers, thus forcing the price of goods upwards.

(E) A stock exchange in which each trader acts according to a different set of information, such that

certain commodities become hyped and their prices overinflated.

Questions 67–68 are based on the following reading passage.

Fame and fortune are often associated with virtue, industry, and a host of other attributes. However,

random strokes of fate often determine such success and said commonly perceived virtues prove irrelevant.

For instance, decades after her death, Coco Chanel remains the epitome of French fashion and her name, as

well as the company she founded, is known

throughout the world. Yet, few realize that she, while undeniably talented, initially succeeded by leveraging her

status as a courtesan. As a company owner, it would be an understatement to say that she was not known for her

generous treatment of her employees. During the Nazi occupation, she lived a privileged life at the Hotel Ritz

and her lover at the time was a German intelligence operative.

Conversely, there is the example of Madeleine Vionnet, a professional contemporary of Chanel. She is

often credited with permanently transforming fashion through her use of the bias cut—cutting material against

the grain of the fabric. In the 1930's, her gowns were worn by Hollywood stars, and her standing was second to

none. She was also, in many ways, an early feminist, establishing largely unheard of employee benefits—such

as day care and medical

care—for her largely female staff. In addition, she lobbied for fashion copyright protections. When the

Second World War broke out, she closed her business and simply retired. Today, she is largely unknown

outside of the fashion industry.

67. The author wrote the passage to posit which of the following?

(A) that the relationship between virtue and success is inverse

(B) that an inferior designer was more successful than a superior one

(D) to suggest that no causal relationship exists between personal qualities and professional legacy

(E) to contrast the difference between transitory and lasting success

68. The author discusses the employee benefits offered by Vionnet in order to

(A) emphasize Vionnet's anti-Nazi politics

(B) illustrate Vionnet's admirable qualities

(D) demonstrate the economic burden of French socialist policies

(E) provide details that bolster Vionnet's feminist credentials

Questions 69–70 are based on the following reading passage.

During the 1960's and 70's, scientists were concerned and puzzled by a large gap in the human fossil

record. The "aquatic ape theory" gained prominence as an explanation for this gap. This theory posited that

primitive humans were forced toward a littoral lifestyle by competition for arboreal resources. Analogies

were made to seal populations, who sleep on

5 land at night but spend most of their days in coastal waters. Proponents pointed to various physiological human

attributes, such as bipedalism and the webbing between human toes, as extant adaptations.

However, the aspect of the theory that captured the public imagination and undoubtedly boosted its

standing was the point that this hypothesis explained human hairlessness; as with

dolphins, this streamlining would facilitate swimming and diving. Proponents noted that the remaining body

hair would match the flow of water, and extreme advocates explained the gender difference in hair by

suggesting that females much more rarely ventured out of the shallows and into the putatively more dangerous

forests and savannahs.

Nonetheless, despite the popular stature of the theory, the scientific community almost

unanimously rejects it as mere conjecture not only because of the lack of supporting evidence but also

because its claims do not withstand scrutiny. While bipedalism does facilitate swimming, it is even more of an

advantage in terrestrial pursuits. Further, biomechanical analysis indicates that humans remain such inadequate

swimmers that they could not so succeed. As for hairlessness, critics point out that other semi-aquatic

mammals actually

20 have dense fur and/or barrel shaped torsos for heat retention. Today, the theory, while still championed by a

prominent writer but non-scientist, has no serious support among mainstream-trained paleoanthropologists.

69. The passage implies that, according to the theory, a male aquatic ape would most likely do which of the following?

(A) spend almost all of its time in the water

(B) spend its nights in the water, but its days partly on land

(D) spend its days mostly in the water, but its nights on land

(E) spend almost all its time on land

70. The author describes a remaining proponent of the theory as a "non-scientist" in order to do which of the

following?

(A) cast doubt upon her objectivity

(B) tout the superiority of common sense over academics

(D) cast doubt upon mainstream paleoanthropologists

(E) illustrate the sexism of mainstream scientists

DAILY EXERCISES

Thursday, 23 July 2015

RC SET 2 (24th July )

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