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Section 8: CSET: Art Subtest II
Sample Constructed-Response Questions

Extended Assignment Directions

For the following questions, you are to prepare a written response of approximately 250 to 350 words.

Read each assignment carefully before you begin to write. Think about how you will organize what you plan to write.

Sample Extended-Response Assignments

Assignment 1

Use the information below to complete the exercise that follows.

Art has been used throughout history to represent, establish, reinforce, and reflect group identity and ethics or values.

Using your knowledge of visual arts, prepare a response of approximately 250–350 words in which you address each of the following points:

Assignment 2

Use the reproduction below of the photograph Near Olive Branch, Mississippi (1971) by William Eggleston to complete the exercise that follows.

photo of a red brick building and a white abandoned building

The color photograph depicts parts of two buildings, each taking up roughly the two halves of the composition. The building on the left is made of brick. The bricks are painted white on the top half of the building. A large window takes up most of what can be seen of the building. Immediately in front of it is a kind of wooden chest with an advertisement for a type of soft drink on the front of it. That detail, the window, and a concrete slab at the base of the building suggest the building was at one time a store. There is a long crack in the concrete slab. The paint on the brick is faded and the building looks otherwise abandoned. The building on the right side of the composition also appears to be abandoned. It is in poor structural shape with a sagging wall and roof. Two trees near the building also appear to be in poor physical shape, the bark on their trunks missing in many places and some of their branches broken. A narrow dirt road or path runs between the two buildings. Patchy green grass can be seen on either side of the dirt road. A small patch of sky in the background indicates that the photograph was taken during the day. The color of the sky is milky.

Using your knowledge of visual art, prepare a response of approximately 250–350 words in which you address each of the following points:

Examples of Strong Extended Responses

Assignment 1

The post-World War II period in the United States between 1950-1970 was a time of unprecedented economic prosperity and saw the growth of a huge middle class. World class manufacturing and technological advancements in transportation, electronics, and media made the U.S. a world leader.

It was also a period of civil unrest, and a time to question the authority of the church, the government, and even gender roles. There were assassinations, riots, demonstrations, and wars in Korea and Vietnam. But throughout all this, American media/entertainment painted a picture of abundance and exalted individualism to the world: the American Dream and American Exceptionalism.

Although Andy Warhol is best known for his iconic images of Campbell's soup cans, his images of Marilyn Monroe represent this period better. In addition to painting on canvas, he would silkscreen, using the technology and language of mass-production and advertising. Warhol chose not just any image of Marilyn, but iconic poses, instantly recognizable by the masses, reproduced in multiples, representing our fascination with abundance, monetized sexuality, and celebrity lifestyle.

Warhol’s images represent examples of "Pop Art". In the later 1950's, major Pop artists like Warhol, Jasper Johns, and Roy Lichtenstein made art inspired by comic books, and used everyday symbols like letters, numbers, soup cans, and celebrities. James Rosenquist painted images from current events, television, and advertising at a billboard scale. Pop Art was art that took the viewer’s attention off the canvas and into the streets, to art about society and culture. The viewer’s role was redefined—distinctions between painting and sculpture, between the art gallery and mass-media, between popular culture and academics, were being blurred, reflecting the shifting values of the culture.

Artists hold up mirrors reflecting our culture to us. As the middle class grew, wants became needs. Social mobility led to mass-production, mass-media, and mass-consumption. With technical advancements in computers, medicine, transportation, communications, and graphics/advertising, citizens became bombarded by hundreds of images a day, most about entertainment or commerce. Pop artists reflected in their artwork our preoccupation with wealth, celebrity, style over substance, fame, and the "American Dream".

Assignment 2

In the left foreground of the photograph entitled, "Near Olive Branch, Mississippi (1971)", by William Eggleston, is a faded white and red painted brick building. The stained brick textures and the aged paint show neglect of what was once a retail business like a general store. A cracked, concrete slab at the bottom of the photo makes a triangular shape and on it sits a wooden storage cabinet with a slanted lid, painted to match the building. A prominent metal 7-up advertisement is nailed to it.

On the right, in the middle ground of the picture, is an even more dilapidated corrugated sheet metal shack with a saggy roof line and an outhouse. This shack is flanked by two large trees. In the middle of the photo, further in the background, is a field and sky.

This composition is divided into thirds like a pie chart, or the radial design of a peace symbol or Mercedes-Benz logo, with the 7-up sign in the center for emphasis, to anchor the viewer’s eye. The two strong diagonal edges of the triangular concrete slab take the eye from the center of the photograph to the lower corners. The edge of the brick building creates the strong vertical center line mimicked by the bold vertical lines of the trees. The diagonal lines of the shack's roof edge and of the brick building's individual windowpanes reinforce the dominant diagonal lines of the concrete shape in the extreme foreground.

At first glance one may see a picture of two old buildings in disrepair, seemingly banal subject matter. Yet further evaluation sees this photograph is overtly balanced and symmetrical, with all lines, shapes and textures supporting the centrally emphasized soda pop ad and unifying the composition.

In addition to simple documentation, this photograph's content communicates the ravages of time, an economic downturn with corporate consolidation at its core, and a ghost town's history of demographic movement from rural lifestyles to urban and suburban ones. This is a study in lines, shapes, and textures, and an artwork that communicates sadness, aspects of memory, and nostalgia for better times.

Extended-Response Assignment Performance Characteristics

The following performance characteristics will guide the scoring of responses to the extended-response constructed-response questions on CSET: Art Subtest II.

Purpose The extent to which the response addresses the constructed-response assignment's charge in relation to relevant CSET subject matter requirements.
Subject Matter Knowledge The application of accurate subject matter knowledge as described in the relevant CSET subject matter requirements.
Support The appropriateness and quality of the supporting evidence in relation to relevant CSET subject matter requirements.
Depth and Breadth of Understanding The degree to which the response demonstrates understanding of the relevant CSET subject matter requirements.

Extended-Response Assignment Scoring Scale

Scores will be assigned to each response to the extended-response constructed-response questions on CSET: Art Subtest II according to the following scoring scale.

Score Point Score Point Description
4 The "4" response reflects a thorough command of the relevant knowledge and skills as defined in the subject matter requirements for CSET: Art.
  • The purpose of the assignment is fully achieved.
  • There is a substantial and accurate application of relevant subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence is sound; there are high-quality, relevant examples.
  • The response reflects a comprehensive understanding of the assignment.
3 The "3" response reflects a general command of the relevant knowledge and skills as defined in the subject matter requirements for CSET: Art.
  • The purpose of the assignment is largely achieved.
  • There is a largely accurate application of relevant subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence is adequate; there are some acceptable, relevant examples.
  • The response reflects an adequate understanding of the assignment.
2 The "2" response reflects a limited command of the relevant knowledge and skills as defined in the subject matter requirements for CSET: Art.
  • The purpose of the assignment is partially achieved.
  • There is limited accurate application of relevant subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence is limited; there are few relevant examples.
  • The response reflects a limited understanding of the assignment.
1 The "1" response reflects little or no command of the relevant knowledge and skills as defined in the subject matter requirements for CSET: Art.
  • The purpose of the assignment is not achieved.
  • There is little or no accurate application of relevant subject matter knowledge.
  • The supporting evidence is weak; there are no or few relevant examples.
  • The response reflects little or no understanding of the assignment.
U The "U" (Unscorable) is assigned to a response that is unrelated to the assignment, illegible, primarily in a language other than English, or does not contain a sufficient amount of original work to score.
B The "B" (Blank) is assigned to a response that is blank.

Acknowledgments

Eggleston, William (b. 1939) © Eggleston Artistic Trust. Near Olive Branch, Mississippi. 1971. Dye transfer print, 8 x 11 3/4" (20.4 x 29.9 cm). Purchase. Location: The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, U.S.A. Photo Credit: Digital Image © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource, NY.

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