Problems that I face while reading a RC

passage.

• I get bored of long passage

• Couldn't understand any thing even after
reading it twice or thrice.
Complex passages
complicates me..
• Even small
passages
complicates me.
• I end up confused
and complicated.
 Can't differentiate
between close choices..
• Both the
choices seem
alike to me.
• I can't confirm a
particular
answer.
Can't find the exact reference of the
questions in the passage.

• Can't locate the

key words that
shows the correct
answer.
• Can't infer or
assume the
answer.
Can't understand the
question.
• Couldn't get the
real intention of
the question.
• Couldn't grasp
the context of
the question.
Here is a
solution...
Note Taking...
 Why notes ?
I have so
much
I'm not able
information,
to keep a
but I cant
track. I'm
categorize
tried
them.
…but where
do I begin?
I feel bored
I feel lost!
reading art &
literature
passages!
 How to take notes?

Categorizing the idea is the primary

thing while taking notes.

Let us see the organization of a passage

to get a clear idea of how to take notes.
 Organization of a
passage.
Every passage has a main idea.
It has a topic sentence that carries
the main idea.
Has supporting details that support
the topic sentence and
Concluding statement that conclude.
(You need to categorize them
first.)
Organization of a paragraph ?
 How to organize my
points in a logical
way ?.
Split your points into :
Topic sentence(Main Idea)
Supporting details
Conclusion
 I think I need to
Now I do some writing.
understand
how to begin!

I should look for

information that
is connected to
my thesis.
Let's do some
exercise.........
 RC Question Types
fall into 5 main categories:

Implied Information
Detail
Primary Purpose
Organization
Tone, Style, or Attitude
 The following passage will cover
all the question types in RC, and will
teach you how to answer all the
question with the help of notes.
      Common to most interpretations of the role of art is the notion that art
correlates directly with the environmental characteristics of its period of origin.
If we understand technology not only as a practical set of techniques and
machines but also as an evolving dominant ideology of the modern age, it follows
that we should witness an infiltration of technology into art, not just in terms of
the tools and processes at artists’ disposal but also in terms of technology’s
influence on art’splace within society. The latter supposition is explored by
American writer and critic Lewis Mumford during various stages of his prolific
career.
      Mumford posited an integrative role of medieval art corresponding to the
unity of life characteristic of this pre-technological period. Medieval citizens, he
argued, did not attend the theater, concert hall, and museum as activities unto
themselves as we do, but rather witnessed a fusion of music, painting, sculpture,
architecture, and drama in unified religious ceremonies that incorporated people
into the shared social and spiritual life of the community. Integral to this
phenomenon was the non-repeatability of the experience —live musicians,
specially commissioned scores, unique paintings and sculptures, and inimitable
speakers filling incomparable cathedrals with exhortation and prayer. Everything
in the artist’s repertoire was brought to bear to ensure maximum receptivity to
the political, social, and religious teachings at the heart of this medieval
spectacle.
      Mumford further speculated that the mass production of text and
images from the sixteenth century forward ultimately disrupted the unity
exemplified by the medieval experience, and with it, the role of art as a testament
to and reinforcement of that unity. He believed that modern communication
technologies encourage the fragmentation of time, the dissociation of event and
space, and the degradation of the symbolic environment via an endless repetition of
cultural elements. The result is the oft-commented-upon “alienating” experience of
modern life.
      A new aesthetic orientation emerged to express this new reality. Art
turned inward to focus on man’s struggle against a bureaucratized, impersonal,
technological civilization. Mumford readily admits that the dissociation of the artist
from communal obligations greatly expanded the realm of artistic possibilities;
freed from its integrative purpose, art was set loose to traverse previously
inappropriate realms of psychology and individualism in startling new ways.
However, the magnificent innovation born of this freedom has been somewhat
hindered by art’s apprenticeship to the dominant force of the technological milieu:
the market. Out of necessity, money has replaced muse as motivation for many
artists, resulting in the art world of today: a collection of “industries,” each
concerned with nothing loftier than its own perpetuation. Mumford testified
admirably to a unity of art greater than the sum of its parts. Despite modern art’s
potential, it is reasonable to infer the converse: that the individual arts of our
technological landscape are diminished in isolation.
 Passage Organization Notes

Common to most interpretations of the Opening statement Art is influence by the

role of art is the notion that art correlates period
directly with the environmental
characteristics of its period of origin.

If we understand technology not only as Thesis statement Technology's

a practical set of techniques and (Main Idea) influence on art.
machines but also as an evolving
dominant ideology of the modern age, it
follows that we should witness an
infiltration of technology into art, not just
in terms of the tools and processes at
artists’ disposal but also in terms of
technology’s influence on art’s place
within society.

The latter supposition is explored by Concluding statement Evidence – Lewis'

American writer and critic Lewis exploration
Mumford during various stages of his
prolific career.
 Passage Organization Notes
Mumford posited an integrative role of Topic sentence medieveal period –
medieval art corresponding to the unity unity of life(art)
of life characteristic of this pre-
technological period.
Medieval citizens, he argued, did not supporting detail 1 No modernism but
attend the theater, concert hall, and unity
museum as activities unto themselves
as we do, but rather witnessed a fusion
of music, painting, sculpture,
architecture, and drama in unified
religious ceremonies that incorporated
people into the shared social and
spiritual life of the community.
Integral to this phenomenon was the supporting detail 2 Adding : non-
non-repeatability of the experience — repeatability but
live musicians, specially commissioned unity.
scores, unique paintings and sculptures,
and inimitable speakers filling
incomparable cathedrals with
exhortation and prayer.
Everything in the artist’s repertoire was Concluding sentence.
brought to bear to ensure maximum
receptivity to the political, social, and
religious teachings at the heart of this
medieval spectacle.
  Mumford further speculated that Topic sentence Unity breaked
the mass production of text and from 16c
images from the sixteenth century onwards
forward ultimately disrupted the
unity exemplified by the medieval
experience, and with it, the role of
art as a testament to and
reinforcement of that unity.

He believed that modern supporting detail 1 Modern

communication technologies communication
encourage the fragmentation of tech.breaked the
time, the dissociation of event and unity by bringing
space, and the degradation of the repetition.
symbolic environment via an
endless repetition of cultural
elements.

The result is the oft-commented- Concluding sentence. alienating

upon “alienating” experience of experience.
modern life.
A new aesthetic orientation emerged to Conclusion : Topic sentence New era begin
express this new reality.
Art turned inward to focus on man’s struggle supporting detail 1 Unity scattered –
against a bureaucratized, impersonal, focus on indiviual's
technological civilization. need
Mumford readily admits that the dissociation supporting detail 2 Mum also says the
of the artist from communal obligations same
greatly expanded the realm of artistic
possibilities; freed from its integrative
purpose, art was set loose to traverse
previously inappropriate realms of
psychology and individualism in startling new
ways.
However, the magnificent innovation born of supporting detail 3 However, art
this freedom has been somewhat hindered by apprenticeship to
art’s apprenticeship to the dominant force of tech
the technological milieu: the market. -market(dominat
force)
Out of necessity, money has replaced muse supporting detail 4
as motivation for many artists, resulting in
the art world of today: a collection of
“industries,” each concerned with nothing
loftier than its own perpetuation.
Mumford testified admirably to a unity of art supporting detail 5
greater than the sum of its parts.
Despite modern art’s potential, it is Concluding sentence.
reasonable to infer the converse: that the
individual arts of our technological landscape
 Implied Information
This is called an inferential question. You need to find out the
implied information that is not explicitly stated anywhere in the
passage.

As you answer these questions, you need to refer back to the

passage to see which answer is definitely supported.

Be careful to use only information from the passage.

Don’t make large leaps in logic or use outside information to draw

inferences.

Moreover, note taking strategy will help you to spot the answer
quickly.
 Which of the following can most reasonably
be inferred from the passage?

(A) Modern religious ceremonies never make use of specially

commissioned scores.

(B) Most artists are grateful to be relieved of their communal

obligations.

(C) Only art that turns inward is suitable to express dissatisfaction with
one’s social and cultural environment.

(D) Medieval life was generally not alienating and impersonal.

(E) Mumford did not investigate the tools and processes at the disposal
of modern artists.
There are no helpful trigger words, so we have no clue as to where the answer
will be found. Moreover, in a general Implied Information question, it is
impossible to predict the answer. Here we’ll simply have to attack the choices
one by one.
A: Modern religious ceremonies are irrelevant—we’re told nothing about those,
so we can’t determine where the music for those ceremonies comes from.
B is also irrelevant. We don’t know whether modern artists are even aware of
the paradigm shift that Mumford outlines, or if they are, that they care.
C centers around the idea of necessity. While the passage does suggest that
inward-turning art is effective at expressing dissatisfaction with one’s
environment, nothing suggests that it is necessary for this purpose; that is, that
it’s the only way to express this angst.
D is inferable. The author contrasts the unity and communal spirit of medieval
life (both aided and expressed by the arts) with the impersonal alienation of
modern times. It is thus inferable that medieval life was not generally
alienating and impersonal, even if the author never quite states that directly.
E: We know what Mumford did investigate; as for what he didn’t, there’s no
way to tell.
 2. Detail

These questions require you to find specific

details in the passage.

You need to go back to the passage to search

for specific words or phrases to answer these
questions.

Note - taking will help you to save your time.

 The author indicates that Mumford believed which of the following regarding
modern communication technologies?

(A) Modern communication technologies play a part in engendering alienation.

(B) Modern communication technologies represent a unifying force in society.

(C) Modern communication technologies are the only factors degrading the
symbolic environment.

(D) Modern communication technologies were invented to express the new

aesthetic orientation that has arisen in the modern period.

(E) No culture experienced the fragmentation of time before the advent of

modern communication technologies.
 “The author indicates” tells us the answer is in the passage. It’s not implied.
Therefore, we’re dealing with a Detail question: The answer is stated right in the passage
itself. Mumford’s view on modern communication technologies appears in paragraph 3. The
author tells us that Mumford believed that modern communication technologies fragment
time, dissociate events and space, and degrade the symbolic environment, resulting in the
alienating experience of modern life.
A captures this notion best.
B goes against the grain of the passage. Mumford thought that modern communication
technologies have diminished the kind of societal unity exhibited in the Middle Ages.
C goes too far. While Mumford believes that these technologies degrade the symbolic
environment, nothing suggests that he thinks they’re the only things to do so.
D reverses cause and effect, at least as far as the author sees things. The author states that
a new aesthetic orientation emerged to express the new reality created by the disintegrating
effects of modern communication technologies. D gets it backward.
E Just because Mumford believed that modern communication technologies have this
fragmentation effect doesn’t mean he necessarily thinks this is the first time in history a
society has experienced this.
 The author’s primary purpose in the passage is to

(A) Outline an effect of a feature of modern society

(B) Recommend a solution to a cultural problem

(C) Bolster a critic’s speculations with supporting evidence

(D) Describe a difference between two historical periods

(E) Advocate for a change in society’s modes of communication

 Primary Purpose
Some questions ask you about the passage as a whole.
For example, you may be asked for the passage’s main
idea, or for an appropriate title, which is essentially the
main idea in sound-bite form.

A very common question dealing with the passage in a

global sense is the Primary Purpose question, which asks
for the main reason why the author wrote the passage.

Since the correct answer must reflect the author’s

overall intention in the entire passage, beware of choices
that deal with only part of the story.

The correct choice will not be too broad or too narrow;

it must be just right
A presents a perfect match. Technology is the feature of modern society under
consideration, and its influence on art, the main focus of the passage, is the
“effect” to which the choice refers. So A is correct. As for the others:
B: The author laments what she perceives to be the degradation of modern art but
proposes no solutions to this or any other cultural problem.
C: “Here’s what Mumford says, and here’s evidence to show that he’s correct”
would have to be the main thing we get in this passage in order for C to be correct.
“Here’s what Mumford says, and here’s how it supports my take on art and
technology” is more like it.
D: The difference between the historical periods described by the author is
intended to support a larger point about technology’s influence on art. The author
did not write this apassage primarily to compare the medieval world to the
modern, despite the fact that that comparison does play a part in the passage.
E: The author spends most of her time describing things and only in the end
ventures the opinion that modern art has suffered somewhat from changes in
technology. Nowhere does she come close to advocating anything, let alone a
change in communication techniques.
 Organization
Like Primary Purpose questions,
Organization questions deal with the passage
as a whole, specifically how the passage
unfolds.

In addition to capturing the passage as

a whole, the correct answers to these
questions will always provide an accurate
summary of the order in which the author
presented ideas.
 Which of the following most accurately
describes the structure of the material presented in the passage?

(A) A theory is put forward, a specific means of testing the theory is outlined, and
obstacles to carrying out the test are detailed.

(B) A consequence of accepting a particular definition is proposed, the validity of that

proposal is affirmed, and a judgment based on that affirmation is stated.

(C) A supposition is introduced, a speculation regarding that supposition is described,

and further speculations are detailed that counter the original supposition.

(D) An interpretation is offered, expert testimony opposing that interpretation is

provided, and a consequence of that testimony is explored.

(E) A question is raised, and evidence from one time period and then another time
period is presented to deem the question unanswerable.
 The wording of the question itself identifies this as an
Organization question. The best way to handle an Organization question is to
meticulously compare the parts of each choice against your understanding of the
passage. As soon as you find a single part of a choice that doesn’t work, eliminate
that choice. Note that here you are working backward from the choices as it is
much easier than making your own prediction. Remember, be flexible. The answers
are right on the page. Let’s practice on the five choices of this question.
A: Is a theory put forward? Sure—the author’s notion that “we should witness an
infiltration of technology into art” in numerous ways. But the author never veers off
into any kind of discussion of how to test the theory or, even further afield,
obstacles to such a test.
B: Is a particular definition presented? Yes; the author defines technology as both a
practical set of techniques and an evolving dominant ideology. Is a consequence of
accepting this definition proposed? Yes again: The author says that if we view
technology in this particular light, something should follow; namely a particular
relationship between technology and art. Is that proposed consequence affirmed?
Yup; the next few paragraphs describe, with Mumford’s help, this very issue of
technology’s influence over art. We’ve come this far—it would be a damn shame for
it to fall to pieces now, and it doesn’t. A judgment (art has been diminished
through this process) is rendered in the end.
 C: The words supposition and speculation aren’t so
egregious to raise red flags right off the bat, as there certainly is a lot of
supposing and speculating going on in the beginning. We’ll even let “further
speculations are detailed” slide, since Mumford does offer speculations in bulk.
But we can’t be as forgiving of the phrase “counter the original supposition,”
since no big turnaround occurs. The original supposition that technology should
influence art in a particular way is affirmed, not countered.

D: No opposition to an interpretation appears in the passage. The closest we get

to “expert testimony” are Mumford’s theories, which serve to support the
author’s overall point.

E: It’s fair to deem the initial inquiry a “question,” as the author basically sets up
the question of whether technology’s infiltration into art pans out as she supposes
it should based on her conception of technology. Moreover, evidence from both
the medieval and modern periods is provided in the course of the passage in the
hopes of investigating this issue. This one breaks down over the phrase “deeming
the question unanswerable.” The question is answered (technology does indeed
affect art), and a value judgment based on this answer (art is diminished) is
asserted.
 Tone, Style, or Attitude

Questions about a passage’s tone,

style, or attitude refer to the subjective
views of the author.
 Which of the following most accurately describes the
author’s attitude toward modern art as expressed in the
passage?

(A)Unqualified derision

(B)Bemused indifference

(C)Reserved disappointment

(D)Boundless optimism

(E)Mild puzzlement
 In your initial skim of the passage, you should have noted that no
authorial attitude emerges in this passage until the fourth paragraph, where
hindered and diminished in isolation were our first hints as to the author’s feelings
about modern art. That rules out “totally positive” as the author’s attitude, which
kills D, and shows that she’s more than “neutral” too, which allows us to toss B as
well. Having discarded these choices quickly for failing to even get in the ballpark,
we can now turn our attention to the negatively tinged choices.
E fails on account of puzzlement. The author’s stance is too assured to qualify as
puzzled, considering that she’s just spent an entire passage explaining to us the
mechanism that has led to modern art’s diminishment.
That leaves A and C, which differ mainly in the author’s degree of negativity.
In fact, our mild-mannered author actually has some positive things to say about
the change that has taken place, despite its overall negative impact: It “greatly
expanded the realm of artistic possibilities,” “art was set loose” to cover new
ground in “startling new ways,” and even the thing that has been “somewhat
hindered” (notice the qualifier somewhat, which by itself works against A’s
“unqualified derision”) is referred to as “magnificent innovation.”
So putting it all together, she thinks modern art is worse off, despite great
promise. “Reserved disappointment” best matches this attitude toward modern art,
so C is the answer we seek.