The Right Answers

Blank 2: You should do blank 2 first because it is an obvious Math Strategy. The word "that" after "1990s" indicates that the two ideas support each other. The idea on the right says "one of these photographs might fetch a hundred times as much..." Maintaining this idea means we would guess "increase" for blank 2.

The answer choice that most closely matches this guess is ballooned.

Blank 3: Next, we do blank 3. The strategy we want to use here is Previously Referenced as indicated by the "the" before blank 3. Keep in mind that "the" does NOT always indicate a Previously Referenced, but it does in this case. So what idea did they talk about BEFORE blank 3? They talked about a price difference between the vintage and nonvintage prints. Thus, we guess a word like "difference" for blank 3.

The answer choice that most closely matches this guess is discrepancy.

Blank 1: Finally, we can do blank 1. Notice how the two sentences following the first support the first, as indicated by the two periods (full stops) and lack of contrast transition words. Consequently, we're using Math Strategy again. If you look at sentence three, you can see that the author puts the word "vintage" in quotation marks to indicate that they are NOT really vintage. The author also uses words and phrases like "take advantage" and "peddle" to indicate that some shenanigans are going on. Thus, we guess a word like "fakery" in blank 1.

The answer choice that most closely matches this guess is forgery.

The Wrong Answers

Blank 1

influence: This choice has no evidence. We don't know whether people are influencing or not influencing the art of photography itself.
style: This choice also has no evidence. The sentence doesn't reference the style or lack thereof in photography anywhere in the sentence.

Blank 2

weakened: This choice contradicts the logic of the sentence. The logic tells us the prices INCREASED, not weakened.
varied: This choice contradicts the logic of the sentence. The logic tells us the prices INCREASED, not changed or varied.

Blank 3

ambiguity: This choice contradicts the logic of the sentence, which tells us clearly that the prices increased, or ballooned. Thus, there is no lack of clarity here.
duplicity: This is a really good trick answer. We know that the people "peddling" the fake vintage prints are engaging in duplicity. But the "duplicitous" act is talked about in the third sentence. Blank 3 previously references the SECOND sentence -- not the third. Thus, this answer choice contradicts the logic of the sentence. Also, what in the hell does it mean to "take advantage" of "duplicity"? Wut?