Reading Passage Question
However regular we may imagine a face to be, however harmonious its lines and supple its movements, their adjustment is never altogether perfect: there will always be discoverable the signs of some impending bias, the vague suggestion of a possible grimace, in short some favourite distortion towards which nature seems to be particularly inclined. The art of the caricaturist consists in detecting this, at times, imperceptible tendency, and in rendering it visible to all eyes by magnifying it. He makes his models grimace, as they would do themselves if they went to the end of their tether. Beneath the skin-deep harmony of form, he divines the deep-seated recalcitrance of matter. He realizes disproportions and deformations which must have existed in nature as mere inclinations, but which have not succeeded in coming to a head, being held in check by a higher force. His art, which has a touch of the diabolical, raises the demon which has been overthrown by the angel.
Certainly, it is an art that exaggerates, and yet the definition would be very far from complete were exaggeration alone alleged to be its aim and object, for there exist caricatures that are more lifelike than portraits, caricatures in which the exaggeration is scarcely noticeable, whilst, inversely, it is quite possible to exaggerate to excess without obtaining a real caricature. For exaggeration to be comic, it must not appear as an aim, but rather as a means that the artist is using in order to make manifest to our eyes the distortions which he sees in embryo. It is this process of distortion that is of moment and interest. And that is precisely why we shall look for it even in those elements of the face that are incapable of movement, in the curve of a nose or the shape of an ear. For, in our eyes, form is always the outline of a movement.
The caricaturist who alters the size of a nose, but respects its ground plan—lengthening it, for instance, in the very direction in which it was being lengthened by nature—is really making the nose indulge in a grin. In this sense, one might say that Nature herself often meets with the successes of a caricaturist. In the movement through which she has slit that mouth, curtailed that chin and bulged out that cheek, she would appear to have succeeded in completing the intended grimace, thus outwitting the restraining supervision of a more reasonable force. In that case, the face we laugh at is, so to speak, its own caricature.
“However regular we may imagine a face to be”- is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.
This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 3 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.
Solution and Explanation
- From the passage, which of the following can be concluded about the use of exaggeration in making a caricature?
(A) A caricature should never involve exaggeration in any form.
(B) Exaggeration is a desirable quality of a caricature.
(C) Exaggeration should not be the final goal of a caricaturist.
(D) A good caricature will involve moderate use of exaggeration.
(E) The work of a caricaturist is independent of exaggeration.
Answer: C
Explanation: It is undeniably an exaggerated form of art, but if exaggeration were the only goal and objective, the definition would be horribly inaccurate. For example, there are caricatures that are more realistic than portraits and in which the exaggeration is barely perceptible. On the other hand, it is entirely possible to exaggerate excessively without producing a true caricature. To be comical, exaggeration must be used as a tool by the artist to make the deformities he observes in embryos visible to our eyes rather than as a purposeful goal.
- What is the primary purpose of the author in writing the passage?
(A) To distinguish a caricature from other forms of painting
(B) To describe how a caricature involves more than just exaggeration
(C) To explain the thought process that goes into making a caricature
(D) To praise the work of caricaturist
(E) To promote the work of caricaturist
Answer: C
Explanation: The author states in the opening paragraph that the skill of the caricaturist is the detection of this, occasionally invisible tendency, and the enlargement of it so that it is evident to all. It is clear that this is an art that exaggerates, however the second paragraph quotes the author as saying that if exaggeration were the only goal and objective of this art, there are caricatures that are more realistic than portraits. In the last paragraph, the caricaturist lengthens the nose while changing its size while maintaining the nose's ground plan.
- Which of the following can be stated from the information in the passage?
(A) There are some faces that are absolutely free of any bias or imperfection.
(B) It is possible for an excellent caricature to, sometimes, be in contradiction with what nature had intended.
(C) A good caricaturist will never have to resort to exaggeration.
(D) A caricaturist tends to highlight latent imperfections in a human face.
(E) A caricaturist, in order to be good at his work, needs to have an understanding of the laws of Nature.
Answer: D
Explanation: When a caricaturist adjusts the size of a nose while maintaining its basic shape—for example, by extending it in the same direction that nature was lengthening it—the nose is really made to smile. In this regard, it may be said that Mother Nature frequently achieves the success of a caricaturist. She would appear to have completed the planned grimace in the motion that she used to slice her mouth, constrain her chin, and enlarge her cheek, defying a more rational force's attempts to hold her. In such a situation, the visage we mock is, in a sense, a parody of itself.
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