PRACTICE SET
1. O’Keeffe Passage
B
A Main Idea question. Looking at these choices in order, (A) is wrong because it’s simply never stated that O’Keeffe was the
best painter of her generation. (B) is accurate and may be the best choice, so keep it in mind. (C) is a bit tricky. It’s true that
O’Keeffe liked to paint things that were familiar to her—primarily certain nature images—but this is just one point about
O’Keeffe covered in the passage. The broader, more important idea—the reason the passage was written—is that O’Keeffe
was an important modern American painter. (D) is simply never suggested by the passage. (E) focuses too much on a detail,
and it also distorts the “message” of the passage. The author never says that O’Keeffe’s colors and shapes are “too” reduced
and simple; O’Keeffe is never criticized. That leaves (B), which is both accurate and general enough without being so
general that the meaning of the passage is lost. That’s the kind of answer you always want to look for in Main Idea questions.
1.
H
A Detail question. You’re looking for the factor that did not influence O’Keeffe. The third paragraph describes O’Keeffe’s
work as distinctly American in style, independent of European influences. Mexican influences are never even mentioned, so
(H) is correct here. The four wrong choices are all true. As for (F), the passage’s first few sentences make clear that her rural
childhood had a lasting influence. (G), (J), and (K) are supported in the second half of the second paragraph: her work was
greatly affected by her life in the West, particularly by its natural landscape with bleached animal bones, hills, and colorful
flowers.
2.
A
An Inference question. The first sentence of paragraph 2 states that O’Keeffe “became famous” when Stieglitz “discovered
and exhibited” her work in New York City. You can infer, then, that Stieglitz helped O’Keeffe by bringing her work to a
wider audience, choice (A). Whatever financial arrangement, if any, existed between Stieglitz and O’Keeffe (B) is not
mentioned in the passage. Paragraph 1 strongly implies that O’Keeffe was inspired to paint natural forms (C) long before she
met Stieglitz. (D) contradicts paragraph 3, which states that O’Keeffe was not strongly influenced by European artists. As for
(E), the circumstances leading to O’Keeffe’s visit to New Mexico are not described.
3.
F
An Inference question. First ask yourself what O’Keeffe’s relationship to nature was. O’Keeffe painted from nature—it was
the subject of her work. Of the choices offered, which is most similar to the relationship between a painter and her subject?
Choice (F) is best, because a model is the subject of a photographer’s work. (G) is wrong because a publisher is not the
subject of a writer’s work; a publisher simply prints and distributes a writer’s work. Similarly, (H) is out because a part-time
job is not a student’s subject. It is not what a student bases her work on. Same with (J): An art dealer buys and sells a
sculptor’s work, but the art dealer is not the subject of the sculptor’s work. Finally, a hammer is simply a carpenter’s tool; it
doesn’t provide a carpenter with a subject or model, so (K) is out.
4.
