Accomplished printmaker and sculptor Elizabeth Catlett (1915-2012) used her art to explore the Black experience in the United States. In...

GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions

Source: Practice Test

Information and Ideas

Command of Evidence

MEDIUM

...

Notes

Post a Query

Accomplished printmaker and sculptor Elizabeth Catlett (1915-2012) used her art to explore the Black experience in the United States. In a paper for an art history class, a student claims that Catlett had a particular talent for unifying various artistic traditions and styles in her work.

Which quotation from a scholar describing Catlett's work would best support the student's claim?

In Mother and Child, a sculpture of two Black figures, Catlett used an ancient Indigenous sculpting technique and combined the visual aesthetic of modern Mexican muralists with that of German artist Kathe Kollwitz.

In her collage New Generation, Catlett overlaid fabric onto the canvas to represent the clothing of a father and his toddler, positioned to evoke classic images of a mother and child.

Created in 1968, Catlett's sculpture Black Unity, a stylized fist sculpted from mahogany and measuring two feet across, remains an important piece and has received renewed and well-deserved attention in recent years.

One series of Catlett's prints, made by the artist using the linoleum cut method, depicts several notable African American women, including Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth.

Solution

Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage

Passage Analysis Table

Text from Passage	Analysis
"Accomplished printmaker and sculptor Elizabeth Catlett (1915–2012) used her art to explore the Black experience in the United States."	What it says: Catlett = artist (prints + sculpture), explored Black experience in US What it does: Introduces the artist and her main artistic focus What it is: Background context
"In a paper for an art history class, a student claims that Catlett had a particular talent for unifying various artistic traditions and styles in her work."	What it says: Student claims: Catlett unified different artistic traditions + styles What it does: Presents the specific claim we need evidence to support What it is: Student's thesis claim

Passage Architecture & Core Elements

Main Point: A student argues that Elizabeth Catlett had a special ability to combine different artistic traditions and styles in her work.

Argument Flow: The passage establishes Catlett as an artist who explored Black experiences, then presents a student's specific claim about her talent for unifying diverse artistic traditions and styles in her work.

Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely

What's being asked? We need to find the quotation that would best support the student's claim about Catlett's ability to unify various artistic traditions and styles.

What type of answer do we need? A quotation from a scholar that provides evidence for the student's specific claim.

Any limiting keywords? "best support," "various artistic traditions and styles," "unifying"

Step 3: Prethink the Answer

The correct quotation should show Catlett actually combining different artistic traditions, techniques, or styles in her work
We need evidence that demonstrates she took elements from various sources - different cultures, time periods, artistic movements, or techniques - and brought them together in a single piece

Answer Choices Explained

✓ Correct

This describes Catlett using "an ancient Indigenous sculpting technique" while combining "the visual aesthetic of modern Mexican muralists with that of German artist Kathe Kollwitz"
This perfectly demonstrates unifying various traditions - we see three distinct artistic sources being combined in one sculpture

In her collage New Generation, Catlett overlaid fabric onto the canvas to represent the clothing of a father and his toddler, positioned to evoke classic images of a mother and child.

✗ Incorrect

This describes technique without demonstrating the combination of different cultural or artistic movements

✗ Incorrect

This focuses on materials and cultural significance rather than artistic fusion

One series of Catlett's prints, made by the artist using the linoleum cut method, depicts several notable African American women, including Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth.

✗ Incorrect

This shows consistency in subject matter and technique, not the unification of diverse artistic styles

Rate this Solution

Tell us what you think about this solution

...

Forum Discussions

Start a new discussion

Post

Previous Attempts

Loading attempts...