Curator: The decision to restore the cloak of the central figure in Veronese’s painting from its present red to the green found underneath is fully justified. Reliable x-ray and chemical tests show that the red pigment was applied after the painting had been completed, and that the red paint was not mixed in Veronese’s workshop. Hence it appears likely that an artist other than Veronese tampered with Veronese’s painting after its completion.
Art critic: But in a copy of Veronese’s painting made shortly after Veronese died, the cloak is red. It is highly unlikely that a copyist would have made so major a change so soon after Veronese’s death.
Summary
When responding to the claim that an artist other than Veronese tampered with Veronese’s painting after its completion, the art critic offers evidence that the cloak of the central figure was actually red in a copy made shortly after Veronese’s death. Furthermore, it’s highly unlikely that this change was made so soon after Veronese’s death.
Strongly Supported Conclusions
The restoration of Veronese’s painting will fail to restore it to the appearance it had before Veronese’s death.
A
The copy of Veronese’s painting that was made soon after the painter’s death is indistinguishable from the original.
This answer is unsupported. We don’t know from the stimulus whether the copied version is indistinguishable from the original. We only know about the change in the cloak color.
B
No painting should be restored before the painting is tested with technologically sophisticated equipment.
This answer is unsupported. We don’t know from the stimulus whether the art critic believes testing the painting is necessary in order for the painting to be restored.
C
The proposed restoration will fail to restore Veronese’s painting to the appearance it had at the end of the artist’s lifetime.
This answer is strongly supported. The art critic claims that it is unlikely for the a copyist to change the cloak color so soon after Veronese’s death and that the cloak the copyist replicated was likely red to begin with.
D
The value of an artist’s work is not necessarily compromised when that work is tampered with by later artists.
This answer is unsupported. We don’t know from the stimulus how valuable Veronese’s artwork is.
E
Veronese did not originally intend the central figure’s cloak to be green.
This answer is unsupported. We don’t know anything about Veronese’s intentions from the stimulus. The stimulus discusses the cloak color on a factual basis, what color it is versus isn’t.
A
It is the phenomenon that the argument seeks to explain.
B
Its truth is required in order for the argument’s conclusion to be true.
C
It is an inference drawn from the premise that the recession seems to be ending.
D
It is an inference drawn from the premise that consumers expect economic growth in the near future.
E
It is the primary evidence from which the argument’s conclusion is drawn.
If this parking policy is unpopular with the faculty, then we should modify it. If it is unpopular among students, we should adopt a new policy. And, it is bound to be unpopular either with the faculty or among students.
Summary
If the policy’s not popular with faculty, then we should modify it (or, by contrapositive, if we shouldn’t modify the policy, then it must be popular with faculty).
If the policy’s popular with faculty, it’s bound to be unpopular with students. (And if it’s popular with students, it’s bound to be unpopular with faculty. Popularity with one group implies unpopularity with the other.)
If the policy’s not popular with students, we should adopt a new policy.
Notable Valid Inferences
If we shouldn’t modify the existing policy, we should adopt a new policy.
If the policy’s popular with faculty, we should adopt a new policy.
If the policy’s popular with students, we should modify the policy.
A
We should attempt to popularize this parking policy among either the faculty or students.
The stimulus doesn’t suggest that any one scenario is more desirable than another. There’s no indication that the existing policy should be popular with either group, or that there’s something undesirable about the policy being unpopular.
B
We should modify this parking policy only if this will not reduce its popularity among students.
This says that modifying the policy is sufficient for not reducing its popularity among students. There are two problems here. First, modifying the policy isn’t sufficient for anything. Second, the policy is either popular or unpopular—there’s no “reduce popularity” condition.
C
We should modify this parking policy if modification will not reduce its popularity with the faculty.
The sufficient condition here is never addressed in the stimulus. The stimulus only considers what happens when the policy is popular or unpopular. There’s no discussion of reductions in popularity.
D
If this parking policy is popular among students, then we should adopt a new policy.
The stimulus states that if the policy is unpopular among students, then we should adopt a new policy. Meanwhile, if the policy is popular as (D) says, we can infer that we should modify the existing policy.
E
If this parking policy is popular with the faculty, then we should adopt a new policy.
If the policy is popular with faculty, then it must be unpopular with students (because it’s bound to be unpopular with at least one group). And if it’s unpopular with students, then we should adopt a new policy.
Anthropologist: Violence is an extreme form of aggression, and is distinct from the self-expression sufficient for survival under normal conditions. Human beings in certain situations react to unpleasant stimuli with violence—but only because they are conditioned by their culture to react in this manner.
Summary
Violence is a type of aggression—an extreme type. Violence is different from self-expression. Violent reactions are a result of cultural conditioning.
Notable Valid Inferences
This is a MBT Except question. This means all the wrong answers can be logically inferred from the stimulus. The right answer cannot be logically inferred from the stimulus.
Some examples of valid logical inferences from the stimulus are: under normal conditions, it is not necessary for humans to react with violence; there are forms of aggression that are not violent; and there are no causes for violent reactions other than cultural conditioning.
A
Not all aggression is violent.
This must be true. We are told that violence is an extreme type of aggression, which implies there are other types of aggression that are not violent. Violence is only one manifestation of aggression.
B
The self-expression required for survival is generally nonaggressive.
This could be false. We know violence is a type of aggression and violence is different from the self-expression humans need. We don’t know that aggression and the necessary self-expression are distinct. The required self-expression may be a form of aggression that isn’t violent.
C
Some behaviors are influenced by the cultures in which human beings live.
This must be true. The stimulus tells us that cultural conditioning is the reason people react violently. “Some” implies one or more—we have one example given to us in the stimulus, which means this must be true.
D
In normal circumstances, human beings can survive by responding nonviolently.
This must be true. The stimulus tells us that self-expression is enough for survival under normal conditions, and we know that self-expression is distinct from violence.
E
Violent behavior is a product of one’s cultural environment.
This must be true. The stimulus tells us the only cause of violent behavior is cultural conditioning.