Reading comp PrepTest 104 · Section 2 · Question 1

Topic: Humanities

Paragraph 1

• Paragraph note
  • Author's conclusion (Oddly, Miles Davis's incredible jazz does not get its due)
• Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
  • Comparison, according to the author:
    • Davis had one of the most astonishingly productive careers (first sentence)
  • Cause-and-effect relationship, according to the author:
    • The impatience and restlessness in his work caused many stylistic turns and critics to turn on Davis (last sentence)
  • Author's attitude: "the most astonishingly productive" (first sentence); "his genius has never received its due" (second sentence); "ever more innovative sounds" (last sentence)

Paragraph 2

• Paragraph note
  • Author's support (Davis moving from bebop to West Coast cool jazz)
• Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
  • Comparison, according to the author:
    • Davis's group in NYC making West Coast cool jazz, unlike bebop music, featured ensembles as much so, or more, than solos and slowed down tempos (last sentence)
  • Author's attitude: "first of many … surprises" (first sentence)

Paragraph 3

• Paragraph note
  • Author's support (Davis again switched to a new, less-restrictive style in late 1950s)
• Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
  • Comparisons, according to the author:
    • Unlike his West Coast cool jazz, in his next period allowed soloists to determine their own melodies instead of following the old restrictive pattern of chord changes (first through third sentences)
    • This new sound was similar to classical orchestral music; no matter how similar the recordings are to jazz, the instruments and rhythms are muted (last sentence)
  • Author attitude: "characteristic" (sentence one); "unified and integrated" (fourth sentence); "always understated … seem muted" (last sentence)

Paragraph 4

• Paragraph note
  • Author's support (Davis began adding electronic instruments and editing improvisations in 1960s, angering critics)
• Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
  • Comparison, according to the author:
    • Unlike his last era, Davis began using rock-style beats, electronic instruments, and heavy improvisations, creating a jagged sound scape (second through third sentences)
    • Similar to rock groups and movie editing, Davis had musicians improvise in-studio, then edited the tapes to make the finished product (third and fourth sentences)
    • But this was unlike jazz lovers' expectations (fifth and last sentences)
  • Cause-and-effect relationship, according to the author:
    • Davis's request that Hancock play electric, not acoustic, piano caused consternation among jazz purists (second sentence)
  • Author's attitude: "once again" (first sentence); "jagged soundscapes" (third sentence); "fierce polemics" (last sentence); "continued to belittle his contributions" (last sentence)

Paragraph 5

• Paragraph note
  • Author's interpretation of critical backlash (Davis's evolution made it hard for critics to rank/appreciate him)
• Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
  • Cause-and-effect relationship, according to the author:
    • Fear of Davis's exploration of possibilities probably led to the intense reactions against him (first sentence)
    • The fact that Davis's career endured, didn't die young, recorded consistently, and didn't dwell in any one niche caused the critics to find ranking Davis into their narrow aesthetic hierarchies (last sentence)
  • Comparison
    • Davis did the same thing all jazz explorers have done — trying to make his own style (second sentence)
  • Author attitude: "probably underlies the intensity" (first sentence); "broadening of possibilities that he exemplified" (first sentence); "ironically" (second sentence); "find it difficult to definitively rank Davis in the aesthetic hierarchy to which they clung" (last sentence)

Main Point: Davis's constant evolution made it difficult for critics to compare his career to other jazz musicians, and thus his genius never received its due.

Paragraph 1, Sentence 3 (P1, S3) - Criticisms and defense introduced

P5, S3 - Author's final defense

Rebutting Critics: This passage utilizes a Rebutting Critics Meta-Structure*. In such a passage, the author generallys presents criticisms of the subject matter, before mounting a defense against those critiques. Here, the author mentions that Miles Davis, despite his proliferous "genius," was "anathema" (someone who is intensely loathed) to critics (P1, S1-3). The author ultimately defends Davis against these criticisms in the final paragraph. Davis was doing what jazz explorers always did, he just did it for so long and at such a high level that critics had trouble pigeonholing him into their narrow aesthetic rankings (P5, S2-3).

The main point in a Rebutting Critics passage is generally the author's central defense of the subject matter. We could look to the last sentence to help us answer the main point, or to our summary of the author's defense ("Davis's constant evolution made it difficult for critics to compare his career to other jazz musicians, and thus his genius never received its due.")

*You may have concluded this is another Critical Meta-Structure passage, like a Criticizing a Viewpoint or Correcting the Record. You may have even thought this had a Descriptive Meta-Structure, like Question/Answer (Q: Why wasn't Davis appreciated more? A: Critics had trouble ranking him). You may have even gotten a bit out there and thought of this as a Paradox/Resolution passage since Davis's genius and the critical backlash is a discrepancy that the author resolves in the last paragraph. These would all work just fine for this passage. Remember, there's no one right answer when it comes to Meta-Structures. That said, we don't think that Innovative Subject or Importance of Subject are great fits for this passage. The author wants to do more than just show why Davis is innovative or important — the author wants to rebut the critics' position.

Comparison: The most prominent minor Meta-Structure is the comparison. No surprise there, since the author is constantly comparing one era of Davis to another. The author also compares Davis's 1960s approach to movie directors and rock bands. The author also compares Davis artistic restlessness to other jazz visionaries. The questions will likely ask about one or two of these comparisons, so highlighting the comparative words should help us locate the relevant details.

Did you notice how many author's attitude words we highlighted/underlined? Get ready for some Tone questions. We'll also get some Minor Point or Application questions about all the different eras of Miles Davis. But highlighting the minor Meta-Structures will help us with those. Hey, if highlighting author's attitude and minor Meta-Structures is cool, consider us Miles Davis.