PrepTest 151

Incorrect. Aimless music can still be creative. Also, rock music might be a good outlet for many ideas expressed through short songs.

Incorrect. The author seems to think that shorter rock songs can be artistic. Also, answers about what would be true if something happens are rarely correct in this question type, since it's very difficult to be certain of what would happen if things changed.

Incorrect. The author does believe that shorter rock songs are necessarily better than longer ones, but that doesn't necessarily connect to discipline. Maybe it takes more discipline to keep a song structure working through an 8-minute ballad.

Correct. Argument or Facts:
Argument

Valid or Flawed:
Flawed

Question Type:
Must Be True

Stimulus Summary:
Radio stations limited rock songs to 3 minutes. Rock musicians thought this limited creativity; critics think rock music has been better since the restriction ended. But they're wrong. Longer rock songs lack structure and are aimless.

Answer Anticipation:
This Must Be True question is interesting in that it features an argument, as well as two viewpoints. Understanding the author's opinion will be important, since the opposing viewpoint (that of musicians and critics) isn't treated as establishing things that are true (the opposite, in fact). So the correct answer should focus on the author's view that removing this radio restriction hurt rock music.

Answer Explanation:
This answer is correct if there's at least one example of a commercial barrier that benefited rock music. The 3-minute limit on radio play (which is called a commercial barrier in the stimulus), according to the author, helped keep rock from being aimless. With that example, this answer is established.

Key Takeaway:
When a Must Be True question features an argument with an opposing point, the correct answer will almost certainly deal with the author's view, not the opposing point, which isn't generally treated as true.

Incorrect. What rock music is best and the idea of self-consciousness is never brought up in the stimulus, so this answer is out of scope.