To make her art more widely available, graphic artist Elizabeth Catlett turned to linocuts. In linocut printing, an artist carves...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
To make her art more widely available, graphic artist Elizabeth Catlett turned to linocuts. In linocut printing, an artist carves an image into a sheet of linoleum to create a stamp that is used to mass-produce prints. In the linocut series The Black Woman (1946–1947), Catlett depicts the everyday experiences of Black women alongside the achievements of well-known Black women. This pairing invites the viewer to draw connections among the women. The linocut process enabled Catlett's work to reach a wide audience and supported her aim to unite Black women through her art.
According to the text, what is significant about Catlett's use of linocut printing?
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "To make her art more widely available, graphic artist Elizabeth Catlett turned to linocuts." |
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| "In linocut printing, an artist carves an image into a sheet of linoleum to create a stamp that is used to mass-produce prints." |
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| "In the linocut series The Black Woman (1946–1947), Catlett depicts the everyday experiences of Black women alongside the achievements of well-known Black women." |
|
| "This pairing invites the viewer to draw connections among the women." |
|
| "The linocut process enabled Catlett's work to reach a wide audience and supported her aim to unite Black women through her art." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Elizabeth Catlett used linocut printing to make her art more accessible and to unite Black women by helping viewers see connections between everyday and celebrated Black women.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes Catlett's goal of wider availability, explains how linocuts enable mass production, provides a concrete example with The Black Woman series, and concludes by showing how the process served both practical and social purposes.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? According to the text, what makes Catlett's use of linocut printing significant or important?
What type of answer do we need? Central Ideas and Details
Any limiting keywords? Content Genre: Humanities & Social Sciences, Content Format: Text-only, Question Type: Central Ideas and Details, Language Complexity: Accessible
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The significance involves two key elements: allowing wider audience reach through mass production and helping achieve her social goal of uniting Black women through art
- The passage explicitly states the process "enabled Catlett's work to reach a wide audience and supported her aim to unite Black women through her art"
- Claims significance was about material availability, which the passage never mentions
- Captures both key elements: using art to connect people, especially Black women, matching the passage's conclusion
- Focuses on commercial success not mentioned in the passage
- Claims she was a pioneer, but passage provides no information about being first to use this technique