PSAT 8/9 Writing and Language Practice Test 2: Landscape Mode

Questions 1-10 refer to the following information.

Landscape Mode

Today we are accustomed to seeing photographs of beautiful, natural places. The idea of painting a landscape may seem old-fashioned or lacking 1 when comparing the high-definition photos we're used to, but an artist's unique painting style can provide the viewer with much more than simply a visually pleasing scene. Acclaimed painter Chiura Obata embodies this idea: his landscapes comprise unique styles that have made his work highly influential over the past century.

Born in Japan, Obata 2 will immigrate to the United States as a teenager in 1903, hoping to find more contact with nature. A later trip to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California 3 kindles his lifelong passion for landscapes. During Obata's trip, the mountains and trees, among other stunning natural features, led 4 him to create over 100 sketches. Reverent of the beautiful space surrounding him, Obata even used water from the nearby lakes and streams to incorporate into his watercolor paintings. San Francisco Chronicle art critic Charles Desmarais wrote that many of Obata's works "are nominally landscapes that are less descriptive than visionary reactions to the natural world."

Not long after his trip, Obata returned to Japan and was able to have his sketches printed using 5 a traditional woodblock printing technique. This idea was fortunate because the colored prints were visually striking and different from landscapes that people had seen before. 6 Despite this, Obata won a prize in Japan and later showcased his work in many successful American art exhibits. The landscapes, including a famous print called Lake Basin in the High Sierra, 7 contrast the size and timelessness of the mountains with the relative insignificance of humans. Obata aimed to make the viewer feel the almost mystical experience he had had while in these natural spaces. The paintings are mysterious and 8 depict fine details even as they showcase immense features of the land.

As a professor at the University of California, 9 many students were introduced to his Japanese techniques and aesthetics, which then became defining attributes of the California Watercolor School art movement. Today, museum exhibits allow Obata's art to continue spreading and 10 influence to artists. His landscapes and their reflection on the relationship between impermanent human societies and enduring environmental features are as evocative today as ever.