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Medical College Admission Test: Verbal Reasoning, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Writing Sample Questions 192–196 (page: 39)

Updated On: 9-Feb-2026

Gauguin's attitude toward art marked a break from the past and a beginning to modern art. Like all Post- Impressionist artists, he passed through an Impressionist phase but became quickly dissatisfied with the limitations of the style, and went on to discover a new style that had the directness and universality of a symbol and that concentrated on impressions, ideas and experiences. The beginning of his modern tradition lay in his rejection of Impressionism. He considered naturalism an error to be avoided. He was preoccupied with suggestion rather than description, seeking to portray not the exterior, but the essence of things in their purest, simplest, and most primitive form, which could only be achieved through simplification of the form. He firmly believed throughout his life that "art is an abstraction" and that "this abstraction [must be derived] from nature while dreaming before it." One must think of the creation that will result rather than the model, and not try to render the model exactly as one sees it. This was the birth of "Synthetism" or rather Synthetist-Symbolic, as Gauguin referred to it, using the term "symbolic" to indicate that the forms and patterns in his pictures were meant to suggest mental images or ideas and not simply to record visual experience.
Symbolism flourished around the period of 1885 to 1910 and can be defined as the rejection of direct, literal representation in favor of evocation and suggestion. Painters tried to give a visual expression to emotional experiences, and therefore the movement was a reaction against the naturalistic aims of Impressionism. Satisfying the need for a more spiritual or emotional approach in art, Symbolism is characterized by the desire to seek refuge in a dreamworld of beauty and the belief that color and line in themselves could express ideas. Stylistically, the tendency was towards flattened forms and broad areas of color, and features of the movement were an intense religious feeling and an interest in subjects of death, disease, and sin.
Similarly, "Synthetism" involved the simplification of forms into large-scale patterns and the expressive purification of colors. Form and color had to be simplified for the sake of expression. This style reacted against the "formlessness" of Impressionism and favored painting subjectively and expressing one's ideas rather than relying on external objects as subject matters. It was characterized by areas of pure colors, very defined contours, an emphasis on pattern and decorative qualities, and a relative absence of shadows.

Gauguin's new art form merged these two movements and succeeded in freeing color, form, and line, bringing it to express the artists' emotions, sensibilities, and personal experiences of the world around them. His style created a break with the old tradition of descriptive naturalism and favored the synthesis of observation and imagination. Gauguin sustained that forms are not discovered in nature but in one's wild imagination, and it was in himself that he searched rather than in his surroundings. For this reason, he scorned the Impressionists for their lack of imagination and their mere scientific reasoning. Furthermore, Gauguin used color unnaturalistically for its decorative or emotional effect and reintroduced emphatic outlines. "Synthetism" signified for him that the forms of his pictures were constructed from symbolic patterns of color and linear rhythms and were not mere scientific reproductions of what is seen by the eye.
Dempsey, A., & Dempsey, A. (2010). Styles, Schools and Movements: The Essential Encyclopaedic Guide to Modern Art. London: Thames & Hudson.
Which of the following hypothetical pieces of evidence would diminish the author's claims about the importance of Gauguin?

  1. Evidence that Gauguin's style of painting was based on work by van Gogh and other painters active during the 1870s and 80s.
  2. Evidence that both Gauguin and the Impressionists rejected the more formal and conventional realism of the early 1800s.
  3. Photographic evidence that some of Gauguin's works bear no apparent resemblance to the landscape they were supposedly based on.
  4. Evidence that the Impressionists' works were considered just as shocking and revolutionary in their time as Gauguin's work would later be.

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

This Reasoning Beyond the Text question requires you to understand the author's main claims about Gauguin.
The passage states that Gauguin's work "marked a break from the past" and describes him as a key originator of many aspects of Symbolism. If he instead borrowed these ideas and techniques from others, his influence and originality would be less, and his painting would represent less of a dramatic break from earlier work.
B ­ incorrect. The fact that both groups rejected an earlier style does not diminish the importance of the break between the two of them.
C ­ incorrect. This choice would reinforce the author's claims, since the passage focuses on Gauguin's lack of interest in accuracy.
D ­ incorrect. The passage does not imply that the Impressionists' work was never revolutionary.



Gauguin's attitude toward art marked a break from the past and a beginning to modern art. Like all Post- Impressionist artists, he passed through an Impressionist phase but became quickly dissatisfied with the limitations of the style, and went on to discover a new style that had the directness and universality of a symbol and that concentrated on impressions, ideas and experiences. The beginning of his modern tradition lay in his rejection of Impressionism. He considered naturalism an error to be avoided. He was preoccupied with suggestion rather than description, seeking to portray not the exterior, but the essence of things in their purest, simplest, and most primitive form, which could only be achieved through simplification of the form. He firmly believed throughout his life that "art is an abstraction" and that "this abstraction [must be derived] from nature while dreaming before it." One must think of the creation that will result rather than the model, and not try to render the model exactly as one sees it. This was the birth of "Synthetism" or rather Synthetist-Symbolic, as Gauguin referred to it, using the term "symbolic" to indicate that the forms and patterns in his pictures were meant to suggest mental images or ideas and not simply to record visual experience.
Symbolism flourished around the period of 1885 to 1910 and can be defined as the rejection of direct, literal representation in favor of evocation and suggestion. Painters tried to give a visual expression to emotional experiences, and therefore the movement was a reaction against the naturalistic aims of Impressionism.

Satisfying the need for a more spiritual or emotional approach in art, Symbolism is characterized by the desire to seek refuge in a dreamworld of beauty and the belief that color and line in themselves could express ideas. Stylistically, the tendency was towards flattened forms and broad areas of color, and features of the movement were an intense religious feeling and an interest in subjects of death, disease, and sin.
Similarly, "Synthetism" involved the simplification of forms into large-scale patterns and the expressive purification of colors. Form and color had to be simplified for the sake of expression. This style reacted against the "formlessness" of Impressionism and favored painting subjectively and expressing one's ideas rather than relying on external objects as subject matters. It was characterized by areas of pure colors, very defined contours, an emphasis on pattern and decorative qualities, and a relative absence of shadows.
Gauguin's new art form merged these two movements and succeeded in freeing color, form, and line, bringing it to express the artists' emotions, sensibilities, and personal experiences of the world around them. His style created a break with the old tradition of descriptive naturalism and favored the synthesis of observation and imagination. Gauguin sustained that forms are not discovered in nature but in one's wild imagination, and it was in himself that he searched rather than in his surroundings. For this reason, he scorned the Impressionists for their lack of imagination and their mere scientific reasoning. Furthermore, Gauguin used color unnaturalistically for its decorative or emotional effect and reintroduced emphatic outlines. "Synthetism" signified for him that the forms of his pictures were constructed from symbolic patterns of color and linear rhythms and were not mere scientific reproductions of what is seen by the eye.
Dempsey, A., & Dempsey, A. (2010). Styles, Schools and Movements: The Essential Encyclopaedic Guide to Modern Art. London: Thames & Hudson.
Which of these quotes from fellow painters would Gauguin be LEAST likely to agree with, based on passage information?

  1. "Treat nature in terms of the cylinder, the sphere, and the cone." (Paul Cezanne)
  2. "There is only one true thing: instantly paint what you see. When you've got it, you've got it. When you haven't, you begin again." (Édouard Manet)
  3. "Paintings have a life of their own that derives from the painter's soul." (Vincent van Gogh)
  4. "Painting is a blind man's profession. He paints not what he sees, but what he feels, what he tells himself about what he has seen." (Pablo Picasso)

Answer(s): B

Explanation:

This Reasoning Beyond the Text question asks you to consider how quotes from artists relate to what we know about Gauguin's ideas. The quote from Manet suggests seeing the external world and capture it immediately in a painting. This runs contrary to the ideas presented in the passage. The first paragraph says Gauguin was "preoccupied with suggestion rather than description" and that Symbolism is defined as the "rejection of direct, literal representation in favor of evocation and suggestion." This quote would thus align Manet with Impressionism, which Gauguin rejects.
A ­ incorrect. This quote from Cezanne presents another principle of simplification, which is consistent with the idea of the passage about Synthetism as well as Gauguin's reintroduction of "emphatic outlines." C ­ incorrect. This quote does not concern itself with the external world but the internal experience or soul of the artist. This is in accordance with Gauguin's views as these were described in the passage.
D ­ incorrect. This quote suggests that painting should be based on expressing feelings, which is one of Symbolism's principles.



Gauguin's attitude toward art marked a break from the past and a beginning to modern art. Like all Post- Impressionist artists, he passed through an Impressionist phase but became quickly dissatisfied with the limitations of the style, and went on to discover a new style that had the directness and universality of a symbol and that concentrated on impressions, ideas and experiences. The beginning of his modern tradition lay in his rejection of Impressionism. He considered naturalism an error to be avoided. He was preoccupied with suggestion rather than description, seeking to portray not the exterior, but the essence of things in their purest, simplest, and most primitive form, which could only be achieved through simplification of the form. He firmly believed throughout his life that "art is an abstraction" and that "this abstraction [must be derived] from nature while dreaming before it." One must think of the creation that will result rather than the model, and not try to render the model exactly as one sees it. This was the birth of "Synthetism" or rather Synthetist-Symbolic, as Gauguin referred to it, using the term "symbolic" to indicate that the forms and patterns in his pictures were meant to suggest mental images or ideas and not simply to record visual experience.
Symbolism flourished around the period of 1885 to 1910 and can be defined as the rejection of direct, literal representation in favor of evocation and suggestion. Painters tried to give a visual expression to emotional experiences, and therefore the movement was a reaction against the naturalistic aims of Impressionism. Satisfying the need for a more spiritual or emotional approach in art, Symbolism is characterized by the desire to seek refuge in a dreamworld of beauty and the belief that color and line in themselves could express ideas. Stylistically, the tendency was towards flattened forms and broad areas of color, and features of the movement were an intense religious feeling and an interest in subjects of death, disease, and sin.
Similarly, "Synthetism" involved the simplification of forms into large-scale patterns and the expressive purification of colors. Form and color had to be simplified for the sake of expression. This style reacted against the "formlessness" of Impressionism and favored painting subjectively and expressing one's ideas rather than relying on external objects as subject matters. It was characterized by areas of pure colors, very defined contours, an emphasis on pattern and decorative qualities, and a relative absence of shadows.
Gauguin's new art form merged these two movements and succeeded in freeing color, form, and line, bringing it to express the artists' emotions, sensibilities, and personal experiences of the world around them. His style created a break with the old tradition of descriptive naturalism and favored the synthesis of observation and imagination. Gauguin sustained that forms are not discovered in nature but in one's wild imagination, and it was in himself that he searched rather than in his surroundings. For this reason, he scorned the Impressionists for their lack of imagination and their mere scientific reasoning. Furthermore, Gauguin used color unnaturalistically for its decorative or emotional effect and reintroduced emphatic outlines. "Synthetism" signified for him that the forms of his pictures were constructed from symbolic patterns of color and linear rhythms and were not mere scientific reproductions of what is seen by the eye.
Dempsey, A., & Dempsey, A. (2010). Styles, Schools and Movements: The Essential Encyclopaedic Guide to Modern Art. London: Thames & Hudson.
According to the passage, Gauguin rejected Impressionism for a number of reasons. Which of the following reasons CANNOT be inferred to have been a motive of this rejection?

  1. Lack of flexibility within the style of Impressionism
  2. Lack of intense feelings and emotions in Impressionism
  3. Lack of beauty in Impressionism
  4. Lack of imagination in Impressionism

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

To answer this Reasoning-Within-the-Text question, look closely at what the passage says about impressionism. The author never implies that Impressionist paintings were not beautiful.
A ­ incorrect. Paragraph 1 states that Gauguin abandoned Impressionism due to the limitations of the style.
B ­ incorrect. The passage states that Symbolists wanted painting to "express the artists' emotions, sensibilities, and personal experiences of the world around them" (paragraph 4), suggesting that they would reject unemotional works.
D ­ incorrect. The Symbolists' "rejection of direct, literal representation" (paragraph 2) suggests they saw imagination as important.



Gauguin's attitude toward art marked a break from the past and a beginning to modern art. Like all Post- Impressionist artists, he passed through an Impressionist phase but became quickly dissatisfied with the limitations of the style, and went on to discover a new style that had the directness and universality of a symbol and that concentrated on impressions, ideas and experiences. The beginning of his modern tradition lay in his rejection of Impressionism. He considered naturalism an error to be avoided. He was preoccupied with suggestion rather than description, seeking to portray not the exterior, but the essence of things in their purest, simplest, and most primitive form, which could only be achieved through simplification of the form. He firmly believed throughout his life that "art is an abstraction" and that "this abstraction [must be derived] from nature while dreaming before it." One must think of the creation that will result rather than the model, and not try to render the model exactly as one sees it. This was the birth of "Synthetism" or rather Synthetist-Symbolic, as Gauguin referred to it, using the term "symbolic" to indicate that the forms and patterns in his pictures were meant to suggest mental images or ideas and not simply to record visual experience.
Symbolism flourished around the period of 1885 to 1910 and can be defined as the rejection of direct, literal representation in favor of evocation and suggestion. Painters tried to give a visual expression to emotional experiences, and therefore the movement was a reaction against the naturalistic aims of Impressionism. Satisfying the need for a more spiritual or emotional approach in art, Symbolism is characterized by the desire to seek refuge in a dreamworld of beauty and the belief that color and line in themselves could express ideas. Stylistically, the tendency was towards flattened forms and broad areas of color, and features of the movement were an intense religious feeling and an interest in subjects of death, disease, and sin.
Similarly, "Synthetism" involved the simplification of forms into large-scale patterns and the expressive purification of colors. Form and color had to be simplified for the sake of expression. This style reacted against the "formlessness" of Impressionism and favored painting subjectively and expressing one's ideas rather than relying on external objects as subject matters. It was characterized by areas of pure colors, very defined contours, an emphasis on pattern and decorative qualities, and a relative absence of shadows.
Gauguin's new art form merged these two movements and succeeded in freeing color, form, and line, bringing it to express the artists' emotions, sensibilities, and personal experiences of the world around them. His style created a break with the old tradition of descriptive naturalism and favored the synthesis of observation and imagination. Gauguin sustained that forms are not discovered in nature but in one's wild imagination, and it was in himself that he searched rather than in his surroundings. For this reason, he scorned the Impressionists for their lack of imagination and their mere scientific reasoning. Furthermore, Gauguin used color unnaturalistically for its decorative or emotional effect and reintroduced emphatic outlines. "Synthetism" signified for him that the forms of his pictures were constructed from symbolic patterns of color and linear rhythms and were not mere scientific reproductions of what is seen by the eye.
Dempsey, A., & Dempsey, A. (2010). Styles, Schools and Movements: The Essential Encyclopaedic Guide to Modern Art. London: Thames & Hudson.
Given the passage's discussion of Synthetist-Symbolism, and some undiscussed remarks about how Japanese art influenced Gauguin's work, which of these features of Japanese painting can be reasonably assumed to characterize Gauguin's art form?

  1. Use of strong colors and compositional freedom
  2. Use of fluid curved lines
  3. Use of animals and landscapes as subjects
  4. Use of narrative elements to express ideas

Answer(s): A

Explanation:

This Reasoning-Beyond-the-Text question asks you to infer connections between Japanese painting and
Gauguin's Synthetist-Symbolist art. Even without prior knowledge of Japanese art nor any discussions of it in the passage, the question itself implies that a reasonable assumption can be made using the descriptions provided in the passage. Since Synthetist-Symbolism was described as "characterized by the desire to seek refuge in a dreamworld of beauty and the belief that color and line in themselves could express ideas," it could be inferred that the use of strong colors and compositional freedom might characterize both types of art.
Most of these descriptions are found in paragraph 4, particularly about how Gauguin used colors freely and "unnaturalistically for its decorative or emotional effect. . . the forms of his pictures were constructed from symbolic patterns of color and linear rhythms."
B ­ incorrect. The passage does state that Gauguin used outlines but does not suggest the importance of fluidity or of curved vs. straight lines. Hence, there were no indications that this option might be correct.
C ­ incorrect. Paragraph 2 states that Symbolism, one of the two movements from which Gauguin formed his "new" art, has death, disease, and sin as its typical subjects. No reference is made to animals and landscapes as motives. In paragraph 4 it is stated that "it was in himself that he searched rather than in his surroundings." Hence, it could be inferred that this option was likely incorrect.
D ­ incorrect. Gauguin was particularly interested in suggesting mental images and ideas in an art work as opposed to merely representing visual reality. Nothing in the passage mentions narrative as a factor in his artistic process or form. Hence, there were no indications that this option might be correct.



Saul Hoffman's scientific journal paper published in 2015 in Societies explores the relationship between two topics that at the surface are very distant from each other. As he goes on to state, "It is relatively easy, at least for an economist, to see why economists would be attracted to issues like teen pregnancy and teen childbearing, despite their apparent distance from the core topics of economics. First, economics ­ especially microeconomics ­ is fundamentally the study of choices that individuals make, traditionally and most often in formal markets with monetary prices, but now more and more frequently outside that sphere. Viewed from that perspective, choices involving sexual and fertility behavior among teens are an incredibly challenging, but inviting, target. Is it possible to identify the role of economic incentives, including government policy, on these behaviors? Is it sensible to apply traditional models of rational choice decision-making to teens?
Second, the traditional concern about teen fertility was predicated on the notion that it was an economically catastrophic act. In a famous and oft-quoted 1968 article, Arthur Campbell wrote that 'The girl who has an illegitimate child at the age of 16 suddenly has 90 percent of her life's script written for her,' including reduced opportunities for schooling, the labor market, and marriage. But it doesn't take too much reflection to appreciate that more may be going on in leading to these poor outcomes than just a teen birth. Disentangling the causal effect of teen childbearing on subsequent socio-economic outcomes from its correlational effect is another deliciously inviting and challenging target, this time well-suited for the applied economist or econometrician.
Just to make all this yet more inviting, the two research strands are closely related. Suppose it could be demonstrated that for some teens the socio-economic impact of a teen birth was negligible. For example, maybe future prospects for some teens were equally poor with or without a birth or perhaps government programs provided substantial benefits, so that the net impact on socio-economic well-being was consequently small or even positive. Then, it might well be 'rational' in an economic sense to have a teen birth in the first place, thereby linking the research on the causal impact of a teen birth with the research on the choice determinants of a teen birth. So what came to be known as the teen birth `causes' literature and the teen birth `consequences' literature were clearly interrelated.
And then, to add yet another layer of challenge, the teen fertility rate in the U.S. has fallen at a rate that is totally unprecedented. Teen fertility was once widespread, with most of it occurring within early and sometimes not entirely voluntary marriage. In 1960, the teen fertility rate was approximately 90 births per 1000, which implied that more than 40% of women ever had a teen birth. When I published my first article on teen births 25 years ago, the teen fertility rate was 60 births per 1000, down one-third from 1960, but it had increased six years in a row in what turned out to be a deviation from the downward trend. Since then the rate has declined every single year, except for a short but puzzling uptick between 2005 and 2007. In 2014, the teen fertility rate was 24.2 births per 1000, the lowest teen fertility rate ever recorded in the U.S., though still shockingly high by European standards. Thus, the rate fell by more than 50% during my professional association with the topic and by 70% since 1960. Of course, at the same time teen marital births largely disappeared, falling from 85% of teen births to 12%.
This adds yet another focus for economic research. Why did the rate fall? Did it have anything to do with changes in the costs of teen childbearing or changes in policy? Is it a good thing or not?
In this article I try to make sense out of these various research strands by providing a personal narrative through the economics literature on teen childbearing, with a special emphasis on the three issues discussed above. My goal is to make the literature, including some reasonably technical content, accessible and valuable to a non-economist."
Hoffman, S. (2015). Teen Childbearing and Economics: A Short History of a 25-Year Research Love Affair.
Societies, 5(3), 646-663. doi:10.3390/soc5030646
What is the author's main purpose in writing this passage?

  1. To demonstrate that the current downturn in teen births is surprising because the socioeconomic consequences of teen birth have become less severe
  2. To elucidate the possible reasons for and against bearing a child as a teenager
  3. To present the question of teen birth as a challenging and fascinating question for the economist
  4. To critique the existing literature that falsely assumes giving birth as a teen is always a harmful act

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

This Foundations-of-Comprehension question asks you what the author is trying to accomplish in the passage.
The author begins by stating that "It is relatively easy, at least for an economist, to see why economists would be attracted to issues like teen pregnancy and teen childbearing," explains that this topic can be discussed as an economic one despite its distance from traditional economic questions, and discusses several reasons that the topic is particularly challenging. Thus, the overall focus is on the complexity and interest of this topic when viewed through an economic lens.
A ­ incorrect. The author does suggest that the downturn needs to be explained, but does not imply that it is irrational or argue definitively that teen birth has gotten less harmful. This is also just one of the topics that is tackled in the passage.
B ­ incorrect. The focus of the article is not simply on motivations, but on why these motivations are complex and worthy of study by economists.
D ­ incorrect. The author suggests in paragraph 2 that this assumption is incorrect, but this is a secondary point made to support the main point of the subject's complexity.



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