Question #378c66d5 - SAT Suite Question Bank

ID: 378c66d5

Modded SAT Question Bank by Abdullah Mallik

A member of the Otomi, an Indigenous people in Central Mexico, Octavio Medellín immigrated to the United States as a child, and his sculpture bears the impress of traditions on both sides of the border: US-based modernist sculpture, Mexican modernist painting, Otomi art, and the ancient sculpture of other Mexican Indigenous peoples, including the Maya. In his 1950 masterpiece History of Mexico, Medellín fuses these influences into a style so idiosyncratic that it resists efforts to view his work through the lens of nationality or cultural identity. Artists, he insisted, should strive for individual expression, even as they draw inspiration from their heritage and the communities where they live and work.

Which quotation from an art critic most directly challenges the underlined claim in the text?

“Although a number of ancient Indigenous artistic traditions pictured human forms in profile, the forms populating the surface of A History of Mexico suggest a specifically Maya influence.”
“In A History of Mexico, the synthesis of ancient and modernist traditions functions as a stylistic parallel to the work’s subject matter: a survey of centuries of Mexican history.”
“Many critics focus on Indigenous influences in A History of Mexico and other key works by Medellín to the exclusion of influences from non-Indigenous art.”
“While A History of Mexico features modernist motifs, it relies primarily on angular human forms in profile—a staple of Maya sculpture—and thus invites classification as Indigenous art.”

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Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is the best answer. This critic challenges the claim by arguing that A History of Mexico is not so idiosyncratic (unique) as to resist classification because its use of Maya-style human profiles actually “invites classification as Indigenous art.” Therefore, according to this critic, the work can be viewed, at least partially, through a lens of national or cultural identity.

Choice A is incorrect. While it describes the Maya influence on a particular aspect of A History of Mexico, this quotation doesn’t push back on Medellín’s “idiosyncratic” (unique) style, nor does it try to categorize the entire work into a single cultural tradition. Choice B is incorrect. This choice doesn’t directly challenge the underlined claim, but rather supports it. It suggests that the work effectively blends a variety of artistic products to create a single work that can’t be defined by any one tradition. Instead, the work recalls many centuries of history and culture all at once. Choice C is incorrect. This choice supports rather than challenges the underlined claim. The quotation argues that other critics focus too much on Indigenous influences on the artwork instead of viewing all of the influences equally—that they should instead be viewing the work as an idiosyncratic whole instead of through one or two narrow cultural lenses.

Question Difficulty: Hard