Hi jingjingxiao11111@gmail.com, I'm having trouble seeing this one on my end. Do you happen to have the test/section/question number?
jingjingxiao11111@gmail.comon April 12, 2020
October 2001 SEC 2 Q14
shunheon April 13, 2020
Hi @jingjingxiao11111@gmail.com,
Thanks for the question! The question is asking us about the author’s attitude towards Bearden’s innovative painting techniques. We’re told from the very first few lines that Bearden’s paintings “represent a double triumph,” and so we should know that whatever this attitude is, it will be a generally positive one. Admiration is one that fits here, and we also know that the author believes that Bearden communicated his rich vision of African-American life based on several lines, such as saying Bearden explored the varieties of African-American experience (lines 5-7), that Bearden’s work insisted we see the African-American experience in depth (lines 52-53), and that Bearden’s work created harmonies out of the mosaic of the African-American experience (lines 54-55). So (A) is a pretty good choice.
(C), on the other hand, is incorrect. (C) starts off promisingly by indicating that the author respects Bearden’s innovative painting techniques. But it is the focus of this respect that is wrong: the passage doesn’t support the statement that the author respects how Bearden’s innovative painting techniques are rooted in the rhythms and textures of African-American experience. We are told, for example, that Bearden reflected the rhythms, textures, and mysteries of life in the last few lines, but that’s not necessarily the same as the rhythms and textures of African-American experience, and the passage doesn’t say anything about Bearden’s paintings being “rooted” in these concepts, only “reflecting” them. Thus, we can see immediately that (C) is a weaker choice than (A), and so we can safely eliminate (C).
Hope this helps! Feel free to ask any further questions that you might have.
