If you attempt the question through the timer the correct answer will be spoil

Regards

C

Can i have the explanation of the answer....please?

I totally agree with your analysis.

I am not sure either why A is the OA and at the same time is better than B.

For me , reading the brief passage is more suitable.

Regards

I applied the same thinking as well. Did you guys find out why the answer is A and not B?

OE: The correct answer is A) The complete removal of one’s own taste from an intellectual evaluation of the work for the reasons stated above. The others can’t be correct because: there’s no mention of benefiting from a visceral response to the work; nothing about observing the art piece for a long period of time, nor needing other critics to tell one what to think about the art.

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I was also torn between A and B but when you relate the question back to the passage, the question ask which of these are necessary?. The key here is intellectual foundation is not necessary but rather a way to acheive a visceral response, as stated in the passage. So B is partly correct but A is stated in the first sentence of the passage.

The key to this one is the word NECESSARY. I think most are able to remove C, D, and E from contention, its deciding between A and B that is difficult. This is where the word "necessary" becomes the deciding factor.
"The criticism of art REQUIRES ...the ability to seperate one’s own taste from one’s intellectual evaluation of the work."

On the other hand, when talking about a foundation in art history, it merely states that "one of the best ways to build." When talking about blending in the visceral, this is you blending in your own gut reaction to a piece, it would technically never be necessary for critiquing a piece. Regardless, the art history like of being absolutely necessary alone is enough to make the answer not be B.

While the short passage does infer that both a foundation in art history and using your own visceral response are important/useful for creating a unified critique, it DOES NOT say that they are necessary. Therefore, the answer must be A, because it is the only thing the passage explicitly states is NECESSARY for creating a unified critique of a work.

Anyway, this is certainly a very high difficulty question because if you just quickly read through it 2 answers seems about equally correct and the incorrect answer has the red herring of directly using the words "unified critique of a work of art." One of the first things you should do when reading a question on the GRE is determine if there are any specific modifying words such as "always" "necessary" "never" "sometimes" that could possibly change what the correct answer would be. This question, for example, specifically requires you to realize its using an absolute term and therefore can throw out any answer that isn't equally absolute. Thats how I went about it at least.

This question is very tricky.

In the paragraph, they specifically mention the importance of "obtaining an education in the history of art." Moreover, the phrasing of choice A, most specifically the term "complete removal" makes it sound a bit too extreme to be the correct answer. These two factors make option B a very devious trap answer.

If we look closely at the paragraph, we can see why choice B is incorrect:
"It is easy for the unwary critic to find her judgment swayed by subjective factors such as her emotional response to a piece of art. This tendency must be strictly curbed so that the critic is able to judge the art with an unbiased eye"

While the first part of option B is correct, the second part, "a visceral response to the work," constitutes what is frequently called a 'rotten spot.' A rotten spot is part of an answer choice that negates it from being correct. A "visceral response" could be referred to colloquially as a "gut feeling," or in more specific terms, "relating to deep inward feelings rather than to the intellect." So in essence, option B is suggesting to use the very thing the author of the paragraph tells the reader to be wary of.

Thus answer choice A is correct.

I still feel that B is the right answer. The question asks which is necessary for the unified critique of a work of art. A unified critique refers to criticism that blends both an objective view of art and the critic's own opinion( defined in the passage).
When you look at A, it asks the critic to remove one's taste completely from the criticism. This is not a characteristic of unified critique. Even when you look at the first sentence, the author doesn't ask for complete removal of one's own taste. Instead just seperation of both.
Let us now have a look at the last sentence - Only once the critic has established this intellectual framework can she allow herself to react to the art on a visceral level, blending her subjective and objective responses into a unified critique. Concentrating on the phrases - only once and allow herself we can decisively say that only if u have an intellectual foundation in art history, u can offer unified critique. Any rebuttals are welcome.