PrepTest 107

Incorrect. The Critic does assume that any music that is demonstrated to be divinely inspired is religious, but this answer reverses that connection. It also shifts from the stimulus where the music is called divinely inspired to an answer talking about whether the music is inspiring.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Errors in Reasoning

Stimulus Summary:
Some people - Handel wrote music for religious texts. Vierne didn't, so his works aren't religious.
Critic - Listening to Vierne's works at Notre Dame makes you believe they're divinely inspired!

Answer Anticipation:
The Critic in this argument rebuts an argument made by "[s]ome people," and in an Errors in Reasoning question we should always start analyzing a rebuttal by seeing if it discusses the same topic as the opposing point.

Here, that opposing point concludes that Vierne's music isn't religious music. It reaches that conclusion by contrasting it with Handel's music, which took religious texts and put music to it.

The Critic here doesn't counter this by suggesting that Vierne's music did set music to religious texts or even deal with religious topics. Instead, it counters the argument by talking about how the music is moving—especially when listened to in a cathedral—and thus must have been divinely inspired.

So the opposing point is arguing that Vierne's music isn't about religion, and the Critic is arguing over whether it was "divinely inspired." That's a shift in what they're talking about, so let's find an answer highlighting this Equivocation.

Answer Explanation:
The people arguing that Vierne's music isn't religious are talking about whether it deals with religious content, such as Handel's music that has religious text. The Critic is discussing whether it's religious in the sense that it was "divinely inspired." That's a shift in meaning, so this answer is correct.

Key Takeaway:
Whenever an argument in an Errors in Reasoning question features a rebuttal, start by seeing if the author rebuts the argument actually made by the opposing point. Frequently, she will shift the meaning of a key term or address a separate point than the one being made.

Incorrect. The Critic states that this organ music is divinely inspired, so it doesn't care about other organ music.

Incorrect. In all cases of symphonies being referred to, the word refers to pieces of music, and there's no indication that certain characteristics are missing in any case, so this answer is incorrect.

Incorrect. The argument only cares about Vierne's organ symphonies, not all organ symphonies, so this answer is too broad to be an assumption of the Critic's argument.