Study Guide

Core Academic Skills Assessment (CASA)
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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Reading

Read the passage below; then answer the questions that follow.

1    Recognized artistic masterpieces have long commanded substantial sums at auction. But in 1987 even veteran art dealers were shocked when Vincent van Gogh's Still Life: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers sold for nearly $40 million—three times the highest amount previously paid for a painting. Just as notable, it was the first "modern" work, as opposed to older "master" paintings, to hold the record. What was in this still life of a vase filled with flowers that made it worth such a fortune? Much of the answer lies in a century-long fascination with the artist himself.

2    A restless, unhappy man throughout most of his life and almost certainly a victim of mental illness, Van Gogh worked unsuccessfully for an art dealer; pursued, unsuccessfully, a career as a minister; and labored, largely unsuccessfully, at painting. At his death in 1890 at the age of 37, Van Gogh was a little-known artist living alone in southern France who had sold just one of his works.

3    Only through a series of memorial exhibitions in Europe and the United States did Van Gogh's remarkable aesthetic vision begin to draw notice, and within a decade of his death, he was widely recognized as a master artist. Starry Night, with its swirling stars and dark skies, became one of the world's most widely admired paintings, and his self-portraits reinforced the legend of his genius, anguish, and eventual madness. But it was Still Life: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers that most clearly embodied his power as an artist.

4   Throughout the twentieth century, as Van Gogh's influence and reputation continued to rise, the few paintings that came up for auction drew steadily increasing prices. The culmination came on March 31, 1987, at Christie's, a London auction house. A hush fell over the room when Still Life: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers was put up for sale. The bidding began at $8 million, and within minutes, the asking price soared past the previous record of $12 million. When the gavel came down, a Japanese insurance magnate paid $39,921,750 for Van Gogh's signature work. Still Life: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers now hangs in a museum of modern art in Tokyo, a testament to both its greatness and to the posthumous notoriety of its creator.

Objective 0001
Meaning of Words and Phrases (Standard 1)

1. Which of the following words or phrases is closest in meaning to the word culmination as it is used in the fourth paragraph of the passage?

  1. conclusion
  2. highest point
  3. ending
  4. turning point
Answer and Rationale
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to apply knowledge of context to determine the meanings of words and phrases in a text. As it is used in the fourth paragraph, the word culmination refers to the peak of the steady climb in the auction pricing for Van Gogh's work. Of the choices, "highest point" is closest in meaning.
Objective 0002
Main Idea, Supporting Details, and Text Structure (Standard 2)

2. The question posed near the end of the first paragraph is best answered by the:

  1. response of art dealers to the sale of Still Life: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers in the first paragraph.
  2. narrative of Van Gogh's life in the second paragraph.
  3. description of Van Gogh's self-portraits in the third paragraph.
  4. account of the sale of Still Life: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers at a London auction house in the fourth paragraph.
Answer and Rationale
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to recognize ideas that illustrate or elaborate the main idea of a text. At the end of the first paragraph, the author poses the question, "What was in this still life of a vase filled with flowers that made it worth such a fortune?" Descriptive details in the third paragraph most directly answer this question.
Objective 0003
Purpose and Point of View (Standard 3)

3. The writer's main purpose in the passage is to:

  1. analyze Van Gogh's reputation as an artist.
  2. describe Van Gogh's difficult life.
  3. compare Van Gogh's work to that of the old masters.
  4. explain why Van Gogh's paintings are highly valued.
Answer and Rationale
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to recognize a writer's stated or implied purpose for writing. The writer's purpose is indicated most clearly by the question posed in the first paragraph: "What was in this still life of a vase filled with flowers that made it worth such a fortune?" The remainder of the text provides an answer to that question.
Objective 0004
Critical Reasoning (Standard 4)

4. Which of the following statements best describes the writer's reasoning in the passage?

  1. Public perceptions of an artist's work are influenced by that person's life as well as his or her skill.
  2. Art is a commodity whose commercial value is often independent of the art itself.
  3. The more that is known about an artist's life, the more value is attributed to that artist's work.
  4. Great art is most often a product of personal conflict, struggle, and failure.
Answer and Rationale
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to evaluate the argument made in a text, including the validity of the reasoning. The second paragraph outlines Van Gogh's life, and the third paragraph examines the ways in which details of the artist's life shaped his posthumous reputation.