Self-study
Support An art critic, by ridiculing an artwork, can undermine the pleasure one takes in it; conversely, Support by lavishing praise upon an artwork, an art critic can render the experience of viewing the artwork more pleasurable. ██ ██ █████████ ████████ █████ ███ ██████ ███ ████ ██ ███ ██████ ███ ███████ ██ ███ ████ ██ █████ ███ ██████████ ████████ ███
Summary
The author concludes that an artwork’s artistic merit can depend on the people who critically evaluate it. This is based on the fact that art critics, by praising or ridiculing an artwork, can increase or decrease the pleasure that viewers of an artwork experience.
Missing Connection
The conclusion asserts that people who critically evaluate art can affect an artwork’s “artistic merit.” But the premises assert only that art critics can affect the pleasure viewers experience from viewing an artwork. What does this pleasure have to do with an artwork’s “artistic merit”? We want to establish that affecting the pleasure experienced by viewing an artwork affects the artistic merit of the work.
13.
The conclusion can be properly █████ ██ █████ ███ ██ ███ █████████ ██ ████████
a
The merit of ██ ████████ ████ ██ ██████████ ██ ███ ██████ ██ ████████ ██ ████████
(A) establishes that artistic merit of a work is affected by the amount of pleasure created by the work. So, because critics can affect the pleasure created by the work, they can also affect the artistic merit of a work.
b
Most people lack ███ ██████████ █████████ ███ ██████ █████ ███ ███████████ ██ ████
(B) tells us nothing about artistic merit. Since neither this answer nor the premises establish anything about artistic merit, it cannot make the argument valid.
c
Art critics understand ████ █████ ██ ███████ ████████ █████ ██████ ████ ███████ ███
Art critics’ understanding of what gives artistic merit does not establish that art critics can affect artistic merit. They might know the different elements of an artwork that increase or decrease merit, but this doesn’t imply that art critics’ praise or ridicule affects merit.
d
Most people seek ███ ████████ ███████ ██ ██████████ ████████ ██████ ███████ █████ ██████
(D) tells us nothing about artistic merit. Since neither this answer nor the premises establish anything about artistic merit, it cannot make the argument valid.
e
The pleasure people ████ ██ █████████ ██ █████████ ██████████ ██ ████ ████ █████ ██████ ████ █████ ███
(E) tells us nothing about artistic merit. Since neither this answer nor the premises establish anything about artistic merit, it cannot make the argument valid.