Reading Passage Question
In all battles two things are usually required of the Commander-in-Chief: to make a good plan for his army and to keep a strong reserve. Both of these are also obligatory for the painter. To make a plan, thorough reconnaissance of the country where the battle is to be fought is needed. Its fields, its mountains, its rivers, its bridges, its trees, its flowers, its atmosphere—all require and repay attentive observation from a special point of view.
I think this is one of the chief delights that have come to me through painting. No doubt many people who are lovers of art have acquired it to a high degree without actually practicing. But I expect that nothing will make one observe more quickly or more thoroughly than having to face the difficulty of representing the thing observed. And mind you, if you do observe accurately and with refinement, and if you do record what you have seen with tolerable correspondence, the result follows on the canvas with startling obedience.
But in order to make his plan, the General must not only reconnoitre the battle-ground; he must also study the achievements of the great Captains of the past. He must bring the observations he has collected in the field into comparison with the treatment of similar incidents by famous chiefs.
Considering this fact, the galleries of Europe take on a new—and to me at least — a severely practical interest. You see the difficulty that baffled you yesterday; and you see how easily it has been overcome by a great or even by a skilful painter. Not only is your observation of Nature sensibly improved and developed, but also your comprehension of the masterpieces of art.
But it is in the use and withholding of their reserves that the great commanders have generally excelled. After all, when once the last reserve has been thrown in, the commander‘s part is played. If that does not win the battle, he has nothing else to give. Everything must be left to luck and to the fighting troops. But these last reserves, in the absence of high direction, are apt to get into sad confusion, all mixed together in a nasty mess, without order or plan—and consequently without effect.
Mere masses count no more. The largest brush, the brightest colours cannot even make an impression. The pictorial battlefield becomes a sea of mud mercifully veiled by the fog of war. Even though the General plunges in himself and emerges bespattered, as he sometimes does, he will not retrieve the day. In painting, the reserves consist in Proportion or Relation. And it is here that the art of the painter marches along the road which is traversed by all the greatest harmonies in thought. At one side of the palette there is white, at the other black; and neither is ever used 'neat.' Between these two rigid limits all the action must lie, all the power required must be generated. Black and white themselves placed in juxtaposition make no great impression; and yet they are the most that you can do in pure contrast.
“In all battles two things are usually required of the Commander-in-Chief” - 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
- As the author creates the analogy between war and painting in the passage, the Commander-in-Chief is to the battleground as the:
- painter is to the subject being painted.
- painter is to the canvas of the painting.
- painter is to the paint colours.
- painter is to the art gallery.
- painter is to the brush
Answer: A
Explanation: In the first paragraph, the author mentions the Commander-in-Chief. So we will begin our search there. The author says that the battleground must be inspected and studied. We must know the equivalent in painting. That is the subject being painted. Option A fits the answer.
- Following the example of the master Manet, the young Matisse often inserted in his pictures areas of white such as tablecloths or crockery that allowed for striking contrasts with black objects such as a knife or a dark bottle. What is the relevance of this information to the passage?
- It supports the author‘s claim that the great artists are worthy of imitation.
- It supports the author‘s claim that neither black nor white is ever used 'neat.'
- It weakens the author‘s claim that black and white themselves placed in juxtaposition make no great impression.
- It weakens the author‘s claim that great painters take Nature as their subject.
- This information has no relevance to the information in the passage
Answer: C
Explanation: We can see that black and white are mentioned in the last paragraph. The author argues that black and white make weak impressions when contrasted. However, in the problem statement, the impression is strong. Hence, we are looking for an answer that points this out. In other words, one that argues the new situation weakens the author‘s view. Option C fits exactly.
- The author‘s statement - "But [the fighting troops], in the absence of high direction, are apt to get into sad confusion, all mixed together in a nasty mess, without order or plan—and consequently without effect" assumes that:
- chaotic painting cannot have an unintended artistic effect.
- an artist naturally resists direction from another individual.
- a painting cannot help but reflect the mental state of its painter.
- it is impossible for painters to collaborate on a work without confusion.
- troops always need someone to guide them
Answer: A
Explanation: In the passage, the author argues that without a reserve, colours, like troops, will be confused and without order. Therefore these will become useless. We can believe this true when the author also believes that a painting without order suffers artistically. This is the same as mentioned in option A. Hence, A is the correct answer.
Suggested GMAT Reading Comprehension Samples
- A One-Child Policy was Implemented in China in 1979
- Seeking a Competitive Advantage, Some Professional Service Firms
- On the surface, the Conquest of the Aztec Empire by Herman Cortes
- But Man is Not Destined to Vanish. He can be Killed, but he cannot be Destroyed, Because his Soul is Deathless and his Spirit is Irrepressible.
- When Literary Periods are Defined on the Basis of Men’s Writing, Women’s Writing Must be Forcibly Assimilated
- The Phenomenon of College Basketball's Surging Popularity Remains a Challenge to Classify
- The Recent Global Boom in the Market Price for Scrap Steel and Aluminium Leads To A Sudden Rise in the Theft of Everyday Metal Objects
- Ethnohistoric Documents from Sixteenth-Century Mexico Suggesting that Weaving and Cooking were the Most Common Productive Activities for Aztec Women
- Solar Ponds are Bodies of Water in Which Circulation is Incomplete and There is a Very High Salt Concentration that Increases with Depth
- Traditional Social Science Models of Class Groups in the United States are Based on Economic Status
- Conventional Wisdom has it that Large Deficits in the United States Budget Cause Interest Rates to Rise.
- Comparable Worth, as a Standard Applied to Eliminate Inequities in Pay
- The United States Government has a Long-Standing Policy of Using Federal Funds to Keep Small Business Viable.
- Some Historians Contend that Conditions in the United States During the Second World War
- Behind Every Book Review There are Two Key Figures: A Book Review Editor and A Reviewer.
- Barbara Strozzi was a Singer and Composer of Madrigals, Aria
- During the Victorian Period, Women Writers were Measured Against A Social
- It Is Perhaps Not Surprising that Debate has Arisen Over Bioluminescence-Based Biotechnologies
- The Fact that Superior Service can Generate a Competitive Advantage
- The Origin of the Attempt to Distinguish Early from Modern Music
Comments