Reading comp PrepTest 151 · Section 1 · Question 19

Passage

Questions 15-21  . Passage A  .       Music does not always gain by association with  . words. Like images, words can Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage Summary

Topic: Humanities


Passage A

Paragraph 1

  • Paragraph note
    • Author: Music is better at expressing emotions than words and images
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Comparisons, according to the author:
      • Words and images can both excite emotions but sometimes can't express those emotions (first and second sentences)
      • Music is better at expressing the emotion than words (third sentence)
    • Cause-and-effect relationship, according to the author:
      • Music (and words set to music) can cause the emotion stirred by words or images to intensify (third and last sentences)
    • Author's attitude: "can excite the deepest emotions" (second sentence); "inadequate" (second sentence); "more adequate" (third sentence); "deepen its expression, and, by so doing, excite still deeper emotion" (third sentence); "can gain" (last sentence)

Paragraph 2

  • Paragraph note
    • Author: Setting words to music often diminishes the effect of each
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Definition of "libretto": words of an opera (last sentence)
    • Cause-and-effect, according to the author:
      • Setting words to music can cause striking emotions (particularly when the words are deemphasized) but reduces the purity of the words and music (first, second, and fourth sentences)
      • The emotional range of the music in an opera — not the opera's words, plot, or scenery — causes the opera's aesthetic value (last sentence)
    • Comparisons, according to the author:
      • Poetry and music are both great arts (third sentence)
      • But poetry and music are better alone than together (fourth sentence)
      • Music is more expressive than poetry (fourth sentence)
    • Example of music that would not be improved with words, according to the author:
      • Beethoven's Fifth Symphony (fifth sentence)
    • Example of an artistic medium in which the music is more impactful than the words, according to the author:
      • Opera (last sentence)
    • Author's attitude: "striking effect" (second sentence); "at the expense of the purity of each art" (second sentence); "Poetry is great art; so is music" (third sentence); "each is greater alone than in company" (fourth sentence); "various good ends arise ... provided that the words are subordinated to the more expressive medium of music" (fourth sentence); "depends for its aesthetic value" (last sentence); "emotional range — a region dominated by the musical element" (last sentence)

Passage B

Paragraph 1

  • Paragraph note
    • Two types of operas
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • List of two types of operas:
      • Item 1: Opera in which music is primary, sometimes derisively called "singer's opera," and exemplified by Italian operas (second sentence)
      • Item 2: Opera in which music is the most important factor but balanced with other elements; exemplified by Wagner's operas (second sentence)
    • Point of intersection with passage A:
      • The author of passage A clearly believes music is more important than words in an opera, and this author agrees (second sentence)
    • Author's attitude: "underserved contempt" (second sentence); "albet the most important" (second sentence)

Paragraph 2

  • Paragraph note
    • Author: In both types of opera, you need to analyze the words and music together
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Author's view:
      • When assessing an opera's music, you shouldn't judge whether the music would be a good concert piece but whether it serves the drama (second sentence)
      • When assessing an opera's poetry, you shouldn't judge whether the poetry would read well on the page but whether it supplies good material for the music and staging (third sentence)
    • Comparison, according to the author:
      • Music and poetry are as united as hydrogen and oxygen in water (fifth sentence)
    • Cause-and-effect relationship, according to the author:
      • The union of music and poetry causes opera to be completely unique (last sentence)
    • Point of intersection with passage A:
      • The author of passage A thinks opera is emotionally resonant because of the music, while the author of passage B argues that the two elements together make opera resonate (last sentence)

Main Points?

Passage A: Combining music and words can produce striking works of art, but more emotion is generally stirred by music and words by themselves, and music is more expressive than words.

Passage B: The union of music and words in opera gives opera its unique character.

Key Lines?

Passage A:

Paragraph 1, Sentence 3 (P1, S3) - Author's preference for music

P2, S3 - Author's conclusion

P2, S6 - Discussion of opera, the focus of passage B

Passage B:

P2, S1 - Author's opinion on opera

P2, S6 - Author's conclusion

Meta-Structure? Relationship Between Passages?

Relationship - Opposing Viewpoints: The authors of these two passages have slightly opposed viewpoints. The author of passage A is a big music lover and thinks music is a more emotionally impactful medium than words (PA, P1, S3). When discussing opera specifically, passage A's author argues that an opera's words are relatively unimportant and the opera's emotion is a product of the music (PA, P2, S6). On the other hand, passage B's author thinks that music and words function together to give opera its rich and unique character (PB, P2, S6). Therefore, the authors diverge in their views on opera.

Relationship - Different Scope: The topic of passage A is also quite a bit broader in scope than the topic of passage B. Passage A addresses the relationship between music and words in general. Passage A discusses opera, but just as an example of a work that combines both (PA, P2, S6). On the other hand, Passage B focuses the discussion on opera specifically. Identifying this difference in scope is relevant for the Author Agree/Disagree questions we'll likely get. Because we do not know the author of passage B's opinions on music and words generally, we can only select answer choices that bring up opera.

Last Thoughts?

Most test-takers will be able to recognize the slight shift in subject matter between passages A and B. Clearly, passage A addresses the relationship between words and music generally, while passage B specifically addresses how words and music interact in opera. However, some test-takers may not immediately recognize the different concerns the two passages have about their chosen subject matter. Notice how passage A consistently discusses the emotions music and words express and stir. Passage A doesn't discuss the quality of poems or music — just their capacity to evoke emotions. On the other hand, passage B is far more concerned with opera's aesthetic quality and unique character. Unlike passage A, passage B's author doesn't discuss the emotions stirred by operas.

Question prompt

Which one of the Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: A

The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.

Question Type

Humanities

Strategy Overview

Consult notes and choose the answer choice that (1) ties the author of passage B's evidence to their conclusion, and (2) the author of passage A would disagree with

Answer Anticipation

First, what even is this question? The phrase "following principle" in the question stem might ring a bell if you've been working on Principle questions in Logical Reasoning. This phrase shows up in Principle (Strengthen) questions in Logical Reasoning and Reading Comp. In these questions, we have to pick the answer choice with the principle — or rule — that connects the author's evidence to the conclusion the author reaches.This question asks us for the principle that will tie the author of passage B's evidence to their conclusion. So, as we check each answer choice, we'll want to make sure that it connects a piece of evidence the author of passage B uses to a conclusion the author draws.This question also specifies that the author of passage A must disagree with the correct answer. That criterion can help us anticipate what the correct answer will say. We know the two authors diverge in their views on opera. When discussing opera, passage A's author argues that an opera's words are relatively unimportant and the opera's emotion is a product of the music (PA, P2, S6). On the other hand, passage B's author thinks that music and words function together to give opera its rich and unique character (PB, P2, S6). Therefore, the correct answer will probably say something about words' importance to opera. If an answer choice doesn't say that, we should table it and check if any remaining answer choices do.

Answer choices

  1. A
    An opera's nonmusical elements Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A matches the stem

    (A) Does this mention something about words' importance to opera?

    It mentions "nonmusical elements," which could refer to words! Therefore, we can give this a full analysis. We can do so by asking two questions ...

    1. Does this connect the author of passage B's evidence to their conclusion?

    Yes. The author of passage B concludes that aesthetic judgments of operas shouldn't judge the music in isolation (PB, P2, S1). As evidence, the author says the "nonmusical elements" like the poetry of the libretto "furnishes opportunity for effective musical and scenic treatment" (PB, P2, S3). Additionally, the author says any assessment of the music must also consider whether the music contributes something that the nonmusical elements cannot (PB, P2, S2). The author's premises address the central role opera's nonmusical factors play, and their conclusion is about how we should judge opera's aesthetic value. Therefore, the claim that an opera's "nonmusical elements are essential to the opera's aesthetic value" is a principle underlying the author's argument.

    1. Does the author of passage A disagree with this statement?

    Yes! The author of passage A says opera is "largely independent of words" and "depends for its aesthetic value not upon the poetry ... but upon its emotional range — a region dominated by the musical element" (PA, P2, S6). So, passage A's author disagrees that nonmusical elements are essential to an opera's aesthetic value."

    Because this answer choice passes these two questions, we can confidently select it without assessing the remaining choices.

  2. B
    Even in operas where Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited

    (B) Does this mention something about words' importance to opera?

    Nope. Therefore, this is not something the author of passage A would disagree with. In fact, the author of passage A says that music is more important than any other element in opera (PA, P2, S6). Since we know passage A's author would accept this principle, we can eliminate it without considering whether it connects the author of passage B's evidence to their conclusion.

  3. C
    An opera cannot be Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C is not credited

    (C) Does this mention something about words' importance to opera?

    Not quite. Still, many test-takers are understandably enticed by this answer choice, so let's analyze it. We can do so by asking two questions ...

    1. Does this connect the author of passage B's evidence to their conclusion?

    Not really. The author of passage B thinks that any aesthetic judgment of an opera must assess how the opera's music, words, and staging interact (PB, P2, S1-3). Therefore, it seems reasonable to conclude that the author of passage B would agree with this statement. But this isn't an Author Agree question. We need to be certain that the claim connects the author's evidence to their conclusion. The author of passage B never explicitly states what an "artistically successful" opera must do. And while the author talks about how the audience must consider the opera's balance of music, words, and staging, the author never says a successful opera must "skillfully" balance these or any other elements. Therefore, it's a stretch to say this is a principle implicit in the author of passage A's argument. Even if we did say that ...

    1. Does the author of passage A disagree with this statement?

    Not necessarily. The author of passage A says that opera's 'aesthetic value" depends on its "emotional range — a region dominated by the musical element" (PA, P2, S6). The author of passage A thinks that music is, by far, the most factor in assessing whether an opera is artistically successful. But the author still might think the emotional range depends somewhat on the balance of plot, scenery, and poetry (notice how the author says the emotional range is "dominated" by music — that doesn't mean music is the only factor that contributes to an opera's emotional range). Or, the author might think that successful operas must balance several musical factors — like melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, etc. For these reasons, we can't say that the author of passage A would disagree with this claim.

  4. D
    In order for an Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited

    (D) Does this mention something about words' importance to opera?

    It doesn't mention words specifically, but it mentions "other features of the opera," which could refer to its words. However, it says the music "should not be subordinated to other features of the opera." The author of passage A — the big music lover — would agree with this statement! In fact, the author says that any combination of words and music — like an opera — can produce interesting results as long as the "words are subordinated to the more expressive medium of music" (PA, P2, S4). Because passage A's author would agree with this principle, we can eliminate (D) without considering whether it connects the author of passage B's evidence to their conclusion.

  5. E
    An opera's libretto has Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited

    (E) Does this mention something about words' importance to opera?

    It mentions the libretto, but it doesn't describe its importance. For that reason, most experienced test-takers would feel comfortable eliminating this one without applying the full analysis. Moreover, the author of passage B ultimately concludes that the music and libretto are a "union" that shouldn't be judged in isolation (PB, P2, S1, S6). Therefore, this cannot connect the author of passage B's evidence to their conclusion.

What this tests

Question analytics

Based on historical answer selection rates for this question.

Answer choice distribution

  1. A Credited 53%
  2. B 7%
  3. C 24%
  4. D 10%
  5. E 6%

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