Question 187·200 Super-Hard SAT Reading Questions·Craft and Structure
Art historians once described the posters of an early twentieth-century printmaker as straightforward imitations of European modernism. A survey of her commissions complicates that label. Asymmetrical layouts associated with European modernism occur mainly in posters that must coordinate several blocks of text; posters centered on a single image retain the balanced organization common in regional textiles. Across both kinds, saturated colors drawn from those textiles replace modernism’s subdued palettes. Although the finished posters combine traditions, the artist’s engagement with European design itself was _____.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
For a difficult words-in-context question, determine exactly what noun or idea the blank characterizes, then compare that scope with the evidence for each option. A nearby sentence may support a distractor that accurately describes a different subject, so select the choice that captures both the relevant evidence and the blank’s precise grammatical focus.
Hints
Compare the design features
Track which European modernist features appear in the posters and which do not.
Focus on the blank’s subject
Distinguish between a description of the finished posters and a description of the artist’s engagement with one design tradition.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the pattern of borrowing
The artist uses modernist asymmetrical layouts in some commissions but retains regional layouts in others. She also replaces modernism’s subdued palettes with saturated colors from regional textiles.
Determine the blank’s scope
The blank describes the artist’s engagement with European design specifically. It does not primarily describe the finished posters, which draw on more than one tradition.
Choose the most precise description
Because the artist adopts some aspects of European modernism in particular contexts while excluding others, her engagement is best described as “selective.”