Doubt in "TC and SE Session 1" video

GRE Verbal Problem Solving
1

In the below question (timestamp: 36:23) why answer for the first blank is not “understandable” ??

My logic of getting “understandable” as answer.

  1. since => support which is positive.
  2. subject matter seems …to high art => it means shit art which is negative

positive x negative == negative.
Hence, opposite of “shit art” should be good art.
And the closet option seems to be “understandable”

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2

I agree with your logic up until “shit art”

The message given to us from “Since…” is that the art hanging in the museums is not high art

Where I’ve lost you is why you’re looking for the opposite of “shit art”

The first half of the sentence is supported by the second half i.e since…onwards

And so if the second half of the sentence says the art is “shit”

Then the paradox here is that they’re shit but they’re hanging in museum

Hence “surprising”.

The second sentence then justifies why they’re hanging there.

3
  1. subject matter seems …to high art => it means shit art which is negative
    Hello,
    I don’t necessarily agree that after since it says shit art… in fact i don’t know how the art is being described? What i see as evidence is that what’s in the museum make us look at the pictures like as if we were looking at family photos like their relationships or something in a place where we would praise art. I think this is what the main idea of that part is. Therefore, ‘paradoxical’.
4

Even though the wording is extreme I’d say the logic supports “shit” art

If you look at the end of that sentence it says “than to high art” so contrasting high art

i.e not high art

Specifically the subject matter depicts things of a status closer to something other than that found in high art

5

Hi Max,
Can you please share the appropriate method to solve this problems.
Seems like i’m confused with the method.

What i’ve understood from the video is:

  1. Identify the support/contrast word and give it a sign accordingly
  2. Identify the clue and it maybe positive or negative
  3. multiply both the signs. If result is positive then fill the blank with synonym of clue and if result is negative then fill the blank with opposite of clue.

Please let me know is it the correct method to solve such problem or there is some other way?

6

Difficult to say, can you show your utilisation of this process for the question.

Alternatively I’ll provide a direct explanation.

We’re looking to understand

  1. If there’s support or contrast
  2. Are the ideas negative or positive - in this case the idea is negative i.e the art is “shit art”
  3. Since the second half of the sentence supports the first half, the first half must be negative
7

Hi Max,
In my question, i’ve given the logic/method of getting answer as “understandable”.
Please check it and let me know.

FYI, same logic is applied by Greg in the below question:
Question

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Answer

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8

As I said in my first response, I agree with the logic up until the point where you start to look for the opposite of Shit art

By your logic, the first half of the sentence should be negative, so why have you gone with the positive word “Understandable”?
It makes the first half of the sentence positive, instead of surprising which makes it negative.