Reasoning Beyond the Text | Critical Analysis & Reasoning Skills for MCAT PDF Download

Reasoning Beyond the Text -  Introduction

• Questions that evaluate the first set of skills prompt you to apply or extrapolate the information or ideas presented in the passage to a new or unfamiliar situation. This may involve extending the information provided by the author beyond the immediate context of the passage. 
• The second set of skills involves considering new information introduced in the test question, mentally integrating it with the content of the passage, and then evaluating the potential impact of incorporating these new elements into the original passage. Reasoning about hypothetical elements requires you to synthesize the passage content in a fresh manner and modify your interpretation of the passage in a plausible way. 
• Application and integration questions involve similar types of thinking as they both deal with changes resulting from combinations or comparisons, and they test your mental flexibility. However, they have distinct requirements that will be further explained below. It is crucial to remember that, similar to questions that assess different levels of analysis and reasoning, you should rely exclusively on the content of the passages and the new information provided in the questions to determine your answers. Avoid the temptation to bring in your pre-existing knowledge when responding to these questions.

Applying or Extrapolating Ideas from the Passage to New Contexts

• Questions that assess application or extrapolation skills primarily focus on how the information or ideas presented in the passage can be extended to other domains or fields. This type of analysis and reasoning skill mirrors the approach taken by scientists or theoreticians who examine a set of facts or beliefs and generate new knowledge by combining the given information in novel ways. However, it is important to note that these combinations may or may not lead to successful outcomes.
• In each application question, the passage content serves as the given information, while the test question provides specific instructions on how the passage information can be applied to a new scenario or used to solve a problem outside the context of the passage. As the test taker, your initial task is to analyze the response options provided in order to assess the likely result of applying the existing passage content to the given new context. Each response option will yield a different outcome, but each question has only one correct option that can be objectively justified.
• The correct answer is the option that presents the most probable and reasonable outcome, solely based on the information provided in the passage and the question. These questions do not evaluate your personal ability to apply information or solve problems; instead, they assess your ability to apply the information from the question to the passage you have read. For example, if a question asks you to determine the author's probable response to four hypothetical situations, you would choose the response that aligns most closely with what the author has already stated or done according to the passage. To identify the correct response, eliminate options that do not fit or are incongruent with the context (e.g., framework, perspective, scenario) established by the passage material.
• Application questions sometimes require selecting a response option that is most analogous to a relationship described in the passage. In these cases, the parameters are broad, and likeness is measured not by inherent similarity but through analogy. Analogical questions test your ability to identify a fundamental shared feature between seemingly different things or processes. This may involve translating a figurative comparison into equivalent sets of literal terms. However, the task always entails delving beneath surface imagery to discern underlying relationships or paradigms.

Assessing the Impact of Incorporating New Factors, Information, or Conditions to Ideas from

the Passage

• The key distinction between application and incorporation skills lies in the purpose of incorporation questions. These questions serve a two-part objective: to introduce a specific piece of information for your consideration and to assess how the ideas in the passage may be impacted by its inclusion. Unlike application questions, incorporation questions operate on the premise that the ideas and information in the passage are potentially flexible, rather than a fixed framework.
• In some incorporation questions, you are tasked with finding the best answer to a "what if" scenario by reinterpreting and reassessing the content of the passage in light of the additional fact or idea introduced by the question. Does the new information align with or contradict the inherent logic of the passage? Can it coexist with the existing content, or would it undermine a part of the author's argument? If the latter is the case, the question might inquire about the modifications or adjustments needed to accommodate the new element within the passage. It is crucial to remember that the passage should be regarded as adaptable in this context.
• Other forms of incorporation questions may prompt you to consider the potential logical relationship between the passage content and the facts or assertions presented in the answer options. The objective is to select the option that, when added to the passage content, would result in the least amount of change. The correct response option will present a situation or argument that is most similar to what is already outlined in the passage. In other words, you need to determine which new fact or assertion would have the least impact on the central thesis developed in the passage.

Sample Skills Passage and Questions

The exhibition titled "The Garry Winogrand Game of Photography" served as a powerful reminder of why Garry Winogrand is regarded as one of the most significant American photographers of the twentieth century. Despite the passage of time, his street photographs, particularly those taken in Midtown Manhattan during the 1950s and 1960s, have retained their dynamic immediacy. Furthermore, his captivating animal photographs offer astute insights into the human condition, while his images capturing the essence of American road trips deviate from the path laid out by Walker Evans and Robert Frank, taking the genre on an unexpected trajectory. Moreover, Winogrand's documentation of various public events, including antiwar demonstrations, art-world parties, and political press conferences, has contributed significantly to the visual record of midcentury United States history. While his initially unconventional compositions and trademark tilted-frame effect were initially dismissed for their apparent lack of formal strength, we now recognize the subtlety and unpredictability of his framing, as well as the intricate interplay he often achieves between narrative and form.

In organizing the exhibition, one of the curators, Richard Misrach, decided to shed light on an aspect of Winogrand's work that had received little attention: his color slides. Winogrand began experimenting with color photography in the 1950s and continued to do so until the late 1960s. The reasons behind his decision to stop shooting in color remain unknown, but it is possible that the difficulties and expenses associated with producing color prints, as well as their instability, played a role.

Misrach was particularly drawn to Winogrand's photographs taken at boxing matches in the 1950s, selecting eighteen such shots for the exhibition. In these images, the boxers' bodies are isolated against dark backgrounds, often fragmented by out-of-focus ropes that create a quasi-abstract effect across the frame. One particularly striking shot captures a boxer recoiling from a body blow, seemingly ascending into the surrounding void with an off-center composition that adds to its bizarre allure.

This small but captivating selection left viewers eager to see more of Winogrand's color work. However, it was the presentation of the color slides that sparked heated debates among the curators. Bill Jay expressed objections to showcasing the slides in any format due to the fact that they had never been edited by Winogrand himself. Unlike the prints in the archive, which had been selected for enlargement by the photographer from contact sheets, the slides had undergone no such process. Jay insisted that the archive's extensive collection of slides and unproofed negatives should be exclusively used for research purposes and should never be published or exhibited.

Misrach defended his decision by arguing that adhering strictly to "curatorial laws" would prevent the public from accessing the true hidden treasures within the archive. He also pointed out that Winogrand had given his photographs, slides, and negatives to the Center for Creative Photography without any conditions, implying consent for their display and publication. Misrach noted that if Winogrand had intended to keep his archive private, he could have simply chosen to destroy it. Indeed, as others noted, some photographers have deliberately destroyed their negatives to exert control over the fate of their work.

Furthermore, some curators emphasized the significance of posthumous discoveries of an artist's work. Taking the discussion to a broader context, one curator argued that artists are not always the best judges of their own work, citing the example of Franz Kafka requesting Max Brod to destroy his manuscripts, a request that Brod ignored to the benefit of the world's literary heritage.
Q.1. If it were established with certainty that Winogrand did, as the author suggests, stop shooting in color because of the “difficulty and expense of making color prints and their instability” (paragraph 2), this information would best support which of the following arguments?
(a) Winogrand would have liked to have his color slides printed once the technology made this feasible.
(b) Winogrand felt that working in color was stylistically inferior to black and white.
(c) The color slides should be viewed as finished products and not printed.
(d) Winogrand would have returned to photographing in color once the technology improved.

Correct Answer is Option (d)
This question requires you to evaluate the implications of new information, specifically, what would it mean if it were confirmed that Winogrand stopped shooting in color due to the difficulties and expenses associated with making color prints and their instability. Your task is to determine which arguments in the passage would be best supported by this new information.

This question exemplifies the second skill in Reasoning Beyond the Text as it introduces a scenario that has not been discussed in the passage. It asks you to assess how this new scenario would impact the arguments presented in the passage.

If it is established that Winogrand stopped shooting in color because of the technical and financial challenges associated with color photography, it logically follows that if he were able to overcome these challenges, he would likely resume shooting in color. The other options rely on assumptions that are not supported by the information provided in the question. The question does not imply anything about Winogrand's feelings towards printing color slides or his preference for black and white photography over color.

Q.2. Someone who agreed with Misrach’s defense of his choice to show the color slides would be most likely to also approve of:
(a) exhibiting works that an artist had donated to a museum for scholarly purposes only.
(b) examining the rest of Winogrand’s unprinted photographs and selecting some for display.
(c) requiring that artists clearly state their intentions for display and publication when donating works to a museum.
(d) organizing an exhibition that included all of Winogrand’s work whether previously shown and published or not.

Correct Answer is Option (b)

This question demonstrates the first skill in Reasoning Beyond the Text as it involves taking an argument presented in the passage, specifically Misrach's defense of his decision to display the color slides, and applying that understanding to a new situation to determine if it is comparable to the idea expressed in the passage. To answer the question, you must identify the option that corresponds to Misrach's defense of his choice to showcase the color slides.

In the concluding paragraph of the passage, Misrach provides a rationale for his decision, mentioning the presence of potential "hidden treasures" within the archive and suggesting that the curator, rather than the artist, might be responsible for selecting these. Hence, option B is the closest match to the principle underlying Misrach's defense.