QUESTION: 17

Using art to condemn the moral shortcomings of society is nothing new. English artist William Hogarth (1697 — 1764) was renowned for prints that revealed the moral lapses of eighteenth-century England. Despite the fact that Hogarth enjoyed the patronage of England’s wealthier citizens, he did not shrink away from producing scathing depictions of all levels of English society.
In the ten-print series Industry and Idleness, Hogarth presents two apprentices who begin working side by side only to arrive at vastly different ends. The first apprentice is portrayed as a morally incorruptible, diligent worker. He is promoted, marries his boss’s daughter, and achieves great distinction and financial success. The other apprentice does little work and engages in many unsavory activities. He is fired from his apprenticeship and continues down a path of illicit behavior and corruption. The series comes to a climax when the two former coworkers are reunited with the industrious apprentice — now elevated to alderman — standing in judgment of the idle coworker brought before him for murder. The idle apprentice is sentenced to death and executed, whereas the industrious apprentice goes on to become Lord Mayor of London. Among Hogarth’s most popular series was The Rake’s Progress, which tells the story of wealthy Tom Rakewell. In the first of eight prints, Tom inherits a large sum of money that he foolishly spends on enhancing his image and prestige in superficial ways. His prodigal ways lead to his rapid decline as he is arrested for debt and in return marries an old maid for her money. He begins gambling, is imprisoned, and eventually goes insane in Bedlam. Tom’s descent and desperate outcome, like many of Hogarth’s subjects, is tied directly to moral corruption and poor self-discipline. It is interesting that Hogarth’s prints were extremely popular in his day. Whatever the moral shortcomings of eighteenth-century England, its citizens welcomed Hogarth’s social critiques and harsh judgments.

The passage suggests that Hogarth’s work is important because

Hogarth developed the technique of story-telling through prints.
Hogarth defied authorities and convention by depicting the life of common criminals.
it reveals the hardships of life in eighteenth-century England.
it provides a critical view of the moral shortcomings of Hogarth’s society.
it demonstrates that art is an important medium for social change.

Answer(s): D

Explanation:

The second sentence provides the answer: Hogarth “was renowned for prints that revealed the moral lapses of eighteenth-century England.” The passage does not indicate that Hogarth was the first to tell stories through prints (choice a) or that he defied authorities by portraying particular subjects in his prints (choice b). His prints may have often revealed the hardships of life in his time (choice c), but the example of The Rake’s Progress also shows that he dealt with the life of the privileged who often did not have to experience those hardships.
The passage says that Hogarth pointed out problems in his society, but nothing indicates that his work inspired change in his society (choice e).

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QUESTION: 18

people in eighteenth-century England were too quick to judge each other.
the moral choices people make determine whether they will succeed or fail.
apprentices often engaged in immoral behavior in Hogarth’s time.
successful politicians are morally incorruptible.
the moral apprentice feels sorry for his former coworker.

Answer(s): B

Explanation:

The series describes the different outcomes of two men who start off in similar circumstances as apprentices but arrive at vastly different ends. The most logical conclusion to draw is that the choices the men make regarding their behavior determine the difference in their outcomes — one succeeds in business and politics, whereas the other lives a life of corruption and dies a criminal. The passage does not mention that people were too quick to judge each other (choice a); the alderman’s job was to judge his former apprentice who was guilty of murder, so the judgment does not appear to be hasty. Nothing suggests that the corrupt apprentice reflects that corruption was common among apprentices in Hogarth’s day, so choice c is incorrect. The morally incorruptible apprentice becomes a successful politician, but it is a leap of false logic to assume that all successful politicians are morally incorruptible, so choice d is incorrect. Finally, the passage does not provide any description of the alderman’s emotions as he sentences his former coworker, so choice e is also incorrect.

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QUESTION: 19

Using art to condemn the moral shortcomings of society is nothing new. English artist William Hogarth (1697 — 1764) was renowned for prints that revealed the moral lapses of eighteenth-century England. Despite the fact that Hogarth enjoyed the patronage of England’s wealthier citizens, he did not shrink away from producing scathing depictions of all levels of English society.
In the ten-print series Industry and Idleness, Hogarth presents two apprentices who begin working side by side only to arrive at vastly different ends. The first apprentice is portrayed as a morally incorruptible, diligent worker. He is promoted, marries his boss’s daughter, and achieves great distinction and financial success. The other apprentice does little work and engages in many unsavory activities. He is fired from his apprenticeship and continues down a path of illicit behavior and corruption. The series comes to a climax when the two former coworkers are reunited with the industrious apprentice — now elevated to alderman — standing in judgment of the idle coworker brought before him for murder. The idle apprentice is sentenced to death and executed, whereas the industrious apprentice goes on to become Lord Mayor of London. Among Hogarth’s most popular series was The Rake’s Progress, which tells the story of wealthy Tom Rakewell. In the first of eight prints, Tom inherits a large sum of money that he foolishly spends on enhancing his image and prestige in superficial ways. His prodigal ways lead to his rapid decline as he is arrested for debt and in return marries an old maid for her money. He begins gambling, is imprisoned, and eventually goes insane in Bedlam. Tom’s descent and desperate outcome, like many of Hogarth’s subjects, is tied directly to moral corruption and poor self-discipline. It is interesting that Hogarth’s prints were extremely popular in his day. Whatever the moral shortcomings of eighteenth-century England, its citizens welcomed Hogarth’s social critiques and harsh judgments.

Based on the passage, which of the following best expresses the main lesson of Hogarth’s work?

If you are diligent and industrious, you will achieve great distinction.
Wealth leads to moral corruption.
Do not judge others until you have walked in their shoes.
Some people are born immoral and cannot be changed.
Wise choices and self-discipline can keep us from moral lapses.

Answer(s): E

Explanation:

The successful apprentice in Industry and Idleness conveys that diligence and industriousness (plus moral behavior) leads to great distinction (choice a), but this idea is too limiting to be the main lesson of Hogarth’s work, as it does not apply to The Rake’s Progress. Similarly, wealth may have had to do with Tom Rakewell’s moral corruption (choice b), although that is not clear from the description, and wealth is not a factor in the apprentice’s downfall in Industry and Idleness, so this is incorrect. Hogarth’s work seems to encourage the judgment of others based on their moral behavior, and the descriptions of his work suggest that he does not take into account particular circumstances, so choices is incorrect. The passage does not claim that the corrupt apprentice or Rakewell were “born bad,” so choice d is incorrect. The successful apprentice’s focus on diligence, the title of the series, the corrupt apprentice’s loss of work, and Rakewell’s poor choices make e the best choice.

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QUESTION: 20

The labor market is changing yet again. Increasingly, American business is turning to interim staffing to cover a greater number of its employment vacancies. Once interim (or temporary) staffing was reserved for the lower- level positions requiring little training, such as an envelope stuffer, receptionist, day laborer, and the like. Today, however, a more highly trained professional is being sought for interim work. It is not uncommon to find computer programmers, writers, marketing professionals, CPAs, and even chief financial officers working in an interim capacity. The reasons for these changes in staffing norms are generated at both the employer and employee level. Employers are pushing the drive toward interim staffing in order to maintain maximum flexibility.
Companies can be more innovative and flexible in their planning cycles if they have the option to hire employees on an as-needed basis. Additionally, employers save money using interim staffers, as they are not required to provide health insurance to temporary workers and they are not obligated to pay severance when the job terminates. Employees, too, are pushing the trend toward interim staffing. Increasingly, professionals are seeking more flexibility in their work schedules — often in response to family obligations. No longer does the permanent 9 to 5, Monday through Friday schedule work for everyone. By working interim, employees can work when it fits their schedules. However, interim staffing is not for everyone. Organizations whose workflow requires continuity of personnel may find interim staffing an impediment to productivity. Likewise, employees who need a steady source of income or who require the health insurance and other benefits provided by permanent employers may find the unpredictability in interim work problematic.

According to the passage, the main benefit to employers of interim staffing is

cost savings from not having to provide benefits.
constant influx of new ideas
flexibility in hiring
flexibility in scheduling
a more highly trained interim employee pool.

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

The second paragraph states that “Employers are pushing the drive toward interim staffing in order to maintain maximum flexibility.” This narrows the choices to c and d. The following sentence reveals that c is the correct Answer “Companies can be more innovative and flexible in their planning cycles if they have the option to hire employees on an as-needed basis.”

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Free GMAT SECTION 3: VERBAL ABILITY Exam Braindumps (page: 5)

QUESTION: 17

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QUESTION: 18

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QUESTION: 19

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QUESTION: 20

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