An American museum of East Asian art reviewed its acquisitions strategy in 2009. As part of that review, a marketing...
GMAT Two Part Analysis : (TPA) Questions
An American museum of East Asian art reviewed its acquisitions strategy in 2009. As part of that review, a marketing executive recommended purchasing more ceramics, jades, and paintings of people or landscapes because visitor surveys indicated that those types are of greatest interest to museumgoers in the region. The museum's curator recommended purchasing more twenty-first-century East Asian art—particularly abstract (nonrepresentational) paintings and sculptures—because the museum's collection is weakest in that area.
Among the East Asian works of art described below, select a painting and a sculpture, each of which satisfies at least one of the recommendations made by the marketing executive and at least one of the recommendations made by the curator. Make only two selections, one in each column.
OWNING THE DATASET
Visual Representation
| Choice | Type | Marketing Exec Criteria | Curator Criteria |
| 1. Girl's face painting (2006) | Painting | ✓ Painting of people | ✓ 21st century |
| 2. Fish painting (2002) | Painting | ✗ Not people/landscape | ✓ 21st century |
| 3. Jade vase (1849) | Vase | ✓ Jade | ✗ Not 21st century |
| 4. Abstract ceramic (2008) | Sculpture | ✓ Ceramic | ✓ 21st century, abstract |
| 5. Fossil sculpture (2004) | Sculpture | ✗ Not ceramic/jade | ✓ 21st century, abstract |
Immediate Inferences
- Each selected work must satisfy at least one criterion from EACH recommender
- Works that only satisfy one recommender's criteria cannot be selected
- We need exactly one painting and one sculpture
UNDERSTANDING THE QUESTION
Task Analysis
- Select one painting that meets both recommenders' criteria
- Select one sculpture that meets both recommenders' criteria
- Each must satisfy at least one recommendation from the marketing executive AND at least one from the curator
PROCESSING THE SOLUTION
Critical Insight
The key constraint is the AND condition - each selected work must satisfy criteria from BOTH recommenders, not just one.
Strategic Analysis
For Painting Selection:
- Choice 1 (Girl's face, 2006):
- Marketing exec: ✓ (painting of people)
- Curator: ✓ (21st century)
- QUALIFIES
- Choice 2 (Fish painting, 2002):
- Marketing exec: ✗ (not people or landscape)
- Curator: ✓ (21st century)
- DOES NOT QUALIFY
For Sculpture Selection:
- Choice 4 (Abstract ceramic, 2008):
- Marketing exec: ✓ (ceramic)
- Curator: ✓ (21st century, abstract)
- QUALIFIES
- Choice 5 (Fossil sculpture, 2004):
- Marketing exec: ✗ (not ceramic or jade)
- Curator: ✓ (21st century, abstract)
- DOES NOT QUALIFY
- Choice 3 (Jade vase, 1849):
- Not a sculpture, and doesn't meet curator criteria
- DOES NOT QUALIFY
FINAL SOLUTION SYNTHESIS
Solution Path Recap
- Identified dual requirement: each work must satisfy BOTH recommenders
- Systematically evaluated each choice against both sets of criteria
- Eliminated choices that only satisfied one recommender
- Found unique qualifying painting and sculpture
Final Answer
- Painting: Painting of girl's face, in shades of blue and red, acrylic and oil on canvas, 2006
- Sculpture: Abstract sequence of interconnected curves, ceramic, 2008
Key Insights
- The AND condition between recommenders' criteria was the critical constraint
- Only one painting and one sculpture in the choice set satisfied both requirements
- This made the solution deterministic once the constraint was properly understood
Exam Strategy
- Always parse compound requirements carefully ("at least one... AND at least one...")
- Create a quick matrix to track which choices satisfy which criteria
- Eliminate non-qualifying options systematically to find the unique solution