Take a close look at the two paintings featured in today’s Winning Words post. An unknown Paleolithic artist painted the horses on a wall deep inside a cave in what is today southwest France. Eastman Johnson painted A Ride For Liberty in March 1862. It depicts an enslaved family on a horse escaping Confederate lines into Union territory.
Both paintings are AFFECTING because they touch our emotions. The 30,000-year-old cave art creates a link with the prehistoric artist that transcends time. In the same way, A Ride For Liberty creates a sense of shared humanity between the slaves risking their lives for freedom and our modern understanding of the importance of living in a free society.
SAT test writers have highlighted several compelling works of art that illustrate AFFECTING. Don’t be misled by METICULOUS. Although each painting is carefully drawn, the passage does not support METICULOUS. Instead, the phrase “shared humanity” supports AFFECTING as the most precise answer.
AFFECTING – touching the emotions; moving