PrepTest 157
[lcid:3727] Prep Test 157 LSAT — Reading Comp — S4
Reading comp
Passage
In 1959, Hitsville, USA—the company better known as Motown Records—was founded in Detroit, Michigan by Berry Gordy, Jr. Several factors
Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage Summary Topic:
Humanities
Paragraph 1
Main Point:
Motown Records' success resulted from founder Berry Gordy, Jr.'s business acumen and the label's independence, the deep pool of talented artists fostered by the public music-education program in Detroit's African American community, and the artists' early embrace of electric instruments.
Key Lines?
Paragraph 1, Sentence 2 (P1, S2) - Phenomenon
P1, S3 - Author's Explanation
P2, S1 - Support for the author's explanation
P3, S1 - Support for the author's explanation
P4, S1 - Support for the author's explanation
Meta-Structure?
Phenomenon/Explanation: The passage's overarching Meta-Structure is Phenomenon/Explanation. The author only discusses one phenomenon — Motown Records' rapid success (P1, S2) — and one explanation (P1, S3), which lends this passage a straightforward, easy-to-follow structure (not unlike the pop music formula perfected by Motown's songwriters and performers). In a classic Phenomenon/Explanation passage, the explanation is the main point if the author presents or endorses the explanation. (Alternatively, if the author quibbles with the explanation, then the author's opinion of the explanation is the main point.) Here, the author both offers and heartily endorses the explanation of Motown's success. This explanation is best summarized by the third sentence of the first paragraph. So, we could use that sentence to select an answer for the Main Point question. However, that sentence doesn't discuss the use of electric instruments described by the final paragraph, so we modified that sentence to include that factor in the Main Point section above.
Causality: Many Phenomenon/Explanation passages feature a central cause-and-effect relationship (the explanation is generally causal, as it is here), and this passage is no exception. This author also describes other supporting cause-and-effect relationships throughout the passage. We probably don't want to get too bogged down with understanding and memorizing all of those relationships as we read. Still, a prudent test taker would highlight or underline the cause-and-effect relationship described in the passage. These include:
List: This passage is also organized around a list. Like a well-organized high school essayist, this author wrote a thesis sentence that listed a few reasons why Motown became so successful. Then, in the subsequent paragraphs, the author elaborated on each item in a list. When the author organizes a passage around items on a list, it's a good idea to note or remember which item was discussed in each paragraph. In this passage, we have Gordy's business savvy/independence discussed in the second paragraph, the deep pool of talented artists fostered by Detroit's public music programs chronicled in the third paragraph, and the use of electric instruments described in the final paragraph.
Last Thoughts?
The Phenomenon/Explanation and Lists Meta-Structures interact in an interesting way. The phenomenon is described in the first paragraph, and then three components of the explanation get described in the subsequent paragraphs. Notice how the author doesn’t claim that any one of these components is more or less important than the others. Some test-takers have a tendency to place more emphasis on the part of an explanation mentioned first, or the part of an explanation that is attributable to an individual. For these reasons, some test-takers may think that Berry Gordy, Jr. is the most important factor to Motown’s success, or that the other two parts of the explanation are also attributable to Gordy. There are several incorrect answer choices that will prey on this misapprehension. So, it’s important to remember that each part of the explanation is separate and equally important to the author.
Humanities
Paragraph 1
- Paragraph note
- Phenomenon, author's explanation
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Phenomenon: Motown's rapid success in the 1960s
- Author's explanation: Gordy's entrepreneurial skills, Motown's independence, rich musical talent in Detroit's African American community
- Main conclusion of the passage
- Author's attitude: "rich musical talent," "vanguard of the popular music industry" (last sentence)
- Paragraph note
- Support for explanation: Motown's independence, Gordy's entrepreneurial skills
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Comparison: Distinction is drawn between record industry conventions (limited markets, alternate versions of songs) and Motown's practices (appeal to all audiences, no alternate versions of songs, high-quality recordings)
- Cause-and-effect relationship (Independence caused Gordy's freedom to defy conventions)
- Paragraph note
- Support for explanation: Detroit's public music education programs supplied talented artists
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Cause-and-effect relationship (Hackley's programs caused "vibrant musical atmosphere," which caused a deep pool of talented and experienced artists)
- Examples of "Motown sound": the Supremes, the Temptations, the Miracles
- Author's attitude: "crucial factor," "well-developed," "deep and talented pool" (first sentence); "vibrant musical atmosphere" (third sentence)
- Paragraph note
- Support for explanation: Growing popularity of electric instruments
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Cause-and-effect relationships (African American musicians' embrace of electric instruments caused Motown's success and caused a revolution in popular music)
- Example of electric instrument: Electric bass (second sentence)
- Author's attitude: "noteworthy role" (first sentence); "distinctive sound" (second senetnce); "revolution" (third sentence); "landmark shifts" (last sentence)
Main Point:
Motown Records' success resulted from founder Berry Gordy, Jr.'s business acumen and the label's independence, the deep pool of talented artists fostered by the public music-education program in Detroit's African American community, and the artists' early embrace of electric instruments.
Key Lines?
Paragraph 1, Sentence 2 (P1, S2) - Phenomenon
P1, S3 - Author's Explanation
P2, S1 - Support for the author's explanation
P3, S1 - Support for the author's explanation
P4, S1 - Support for the author's explanation
Meta-Structure?
Phenomenon/Explanation: The passage's overarching Meta-Structure is Phenomenon/Explanation. The author only discusses one phenomenon — Motown Records' rapid success (P1, S2) — and one explanation (P1, S3), which lends this passage a straightforward, easy-to-follow structure (not unlike the pop music formula perfected by Motown's songwriters and performers). In a classic Phenomenon/Explanation passage, the explanation is the main point if the author presents or endorses the explanation. (Alternatively, if the author quibbles with the explanation, then the author's opinion of the explanation is the main point.) Here, the author both offers and heartily endorses the explanation of Motown's success. This explanation is best summarized by the third sentence of the first paragraph. So, we could use that sentence to select an answer for the Main Point question. However, that sentence doesn't discuss the use of electric instruments described by the final paragraph, so we modified that sentence to include that factor in the Main Point section above.
Causality: Many Phenomenon/Explanation passages feature a central cause-and-effect relationship (the explanation is generally causal, as it is here), and this passage is no exception. This author also describes other supporting cause-and-effect relationships throughout the passage. We probably don't want to get too bogged down with understanding and memorizing all of those relationships as we read. Still, a prudent test taker would highlight or underline the cause-and-effect relationship described in the passage. These include:
- P2, S1: Gordy's business savvy and independence led to Motown's success
- P3, S1-S2: Hackley's musical programs led to the deep pool of Detroit musical artists, which led to Motown's success)
- P4, S4: The use of electric instruments also led to Motown's success/pop music revolution
List: This passage is also organized around a list. Like a well-organized high school essayist, this author wrote a thesis sentence that listed a few reasons why Motown became so successful. Then, in the subsequent paragraphs, the author elaborated on each item in a list. When the author organizes a passage around items on a list, it's a good idea to note or remember which item was discussed in each paragraph. In this passage, we have Gordy's business savvy/independence discussed in the second paragraph, the deep pool of talented artists fostered by Detroit's public music programs chronicled in the third paragraph, and the use of electric instruments described in the final paragraph.
Last Thoughts?
The Phenomenon/Explanation and Lists Meta-Structures interact in an interesting way. The phenomenon is described in the first paragraph, and then three components of the explanation get described in the subsequent paragraphs. Notice how the author doesn’t claim that any one of these components is more or less important than the others. Some test-takers have a tendency to place more emphasis on the part of an explanation mentioned first, or the part of an explanation that is attributable to an individual. For these reasons, some test-takers may think that Berry Gordy, Jr. is the most important factor to Motown’s success, or that the other two parts of the explanation are also attributable to Gordy. There are several incorrect answer choices that will prey on this misapprehension. So, it’s important to remember that each part of the explanation is separate and equally important to the author.
Question prompt
Which one of the
Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right
Credited answer: D
The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.
Question Type
Humanities
Answer choices
-
Auncertainty in light of Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice A is not credited
An experienced LSATer wouldn't read past "uncertainty." Remember, Gordy "insisted" that Motown's records could appeal to all, so "uncertainty" is the exact opposite of what we're looking for. Moreover, Gordy thought Motown could defy "past trends"; he certainly wouldn’t let past trends deter him, then. -
Bwillingness to accept anticipated Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice B is not credited
Does a person who "insisted" that his small record label could make massive, universal hits sound this reserved to you? The author never says that Gordy would be willing to accept that audiences would be indifferent to Motown's music. The author never even claimed that anyone anticipated that audiences would be indifferent to Motown's music. -
Ccourage in the face Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice C is not credited
"Courage" would be a slightly strange, but not entirely inaccurate, way to describe Gordy's confidence. Do you recall reading anything about "unpromising statistics," though? An experienced test-taker would recognize that they don't recall any references to "unpromising statistics" and defer to see if a more familiar description of Gordy's attitude appears in another answer choice. Better yet, such a test-taker would take their lack of familiarity as a sign that "statistics" was not discussed in this passage and eliminate this outright. -
Dconfidence rooted in firm Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice D matches the stem
Question Type:
Minor Point/Must Be True
Strategy Overview:
Review the notes to recall Gordy's attitude, consult the passage if necessary, then find an answer reflecting Gordy's attitude
Answer Anticipation:
Our notes or memory of the second paragraph should help us recall Gordy's attitude about the potential for Motown's widespread appeal. He had a lot of faith in the potential for crossover appeal for Motown's records — so much so that he was willing to forgo the record industry's then-standard practice to record different versions of songs for different audiences. If you need to consult the passage, that's fine too. Many test-takers find it beneficial to highlight comparisons described in RC passages, as they frequently help answer Must Be True questions. The comparison between Motown and the typical record company can help us answer this one, and highlighting it would have helped us quickly locate the relevant part of the passage: "Gordy insisted that the musical performances recorded by Motown artists would appeal not just to African American audiences, but to a much wider market, and that there would thus be no need to engage high-priced major-label artists to produce alternate versions of Motown's songs" (P2, S3).
So, whether we're working from memory, our notes, or the passage, we should look for an answer choice about Gordy's conviction that Motown's records could have widespread appeal.
Answer Choice Explanation:
"Confidence" is a promising start. This answer choice says this confidence is "rooted in firm personal conviction," which the passage never explicitly claims. However, note the verbs used to describe Gordy throughout the second paragraph: he "rejected" common practices (P2, S2), and he "insisted" that his music would appeal to the masses (P2, S3). Both of these words are strong action verbs. They are used to show that someone is acting boldly and without reservation. And in the first paragraph, the author claims he had a "belief" in his economic independence (P1, S3). All of these suggest that Gordy had "strong personal conviction" — a steadfast belief in and commitment to his vision. For these reasons, (D) is supported by the passage and is correct.
Key Takeaway:
Test-takers who can complete Reading Comp in the requisite time use their time answering questions wisely. These test-takers fight the urge to search for unfamiliar topics in the passage (like "unpromising statistics" and "changing economic conditions" here), and instead defer on or eliminate answer choices that bring such topics up. -
Eoptimism based on changing Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice E is not credited
"Optimism" is a great start and arguably a more apt description of Gordy than "confidence" in (D). But this answer choice suffers from a similar problem as (C). Do you recall reading anything about "changing economic conditions"? An experienced test-taker would recognize that they don't remember any references to "economic conditions" and check the passage to see if any references were made to economic conditions (perhaps by using the CTRL/Command+F function). Better yet, such a test-taker would take their lack of familiarity as a sign that "economic conditions" was not discussed in this passage and eliminate this outright.
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