Which one of the following would, if true, most weaken the author's position in the passage?

Steven on November 4, 2017


I don't understand this one at all! Can someone please explain this one? I put answer (D) because I reasoned that if Noguchi's sculptures were entirely abstract then that would contradict the author's claim that his artwork represents more scientific thought and creativity than abstract art would represent.

2 Replies

Mehran on November 5, 2017

Hi @Miller, thanks for your post. Fundamentally, this passage implies a cause and an effect. The effect was Noguchi's creation of a sculpture in a permanently reflective material (chrome-nickel steel). The cause was advice given to Noguchi by R. Buckminster Fuller.

Answer choice (A) undermines this analysis, by suggesting that the true cause of the effect was information Noguchi picked up while serving as Brancusi's stonecutter in Paris between 1927 and 1929.

Just because art is abstract does not mean that it is necessarily divorced from scientific thought! Consider a piece rooted in physics (like a large-scale mobile, such as those created by Calder), but entirely abstract in its representation.


Steven on November 6, 2017

Thank you. This helps. I have a long way to go.