PrepTest 123

[lcid:3591] Prep Test 123 LSAT — Reading Comp — S4 Reading comp

Passage

The two passages discuss recent scientific research on music. They are adapted from two different papers presented at a scholarly Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage SummaryTopic: Science

Passage A

Paragraph 1
  • Paragraph note
    • A question, and similarities
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Question - Did language and music originate separately or together?
    • Similarities between language and music

Paragraph 2
  • Paragraph note
    • Studies on similarities; a key difference
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Brain studies - Music and language part of same system; more similar than different
    • Analogy - Two programs on same radio
    • Difference - People are better at language than music

Paragraph 3
  • Paragraph note
    • Answer to question
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Answer - Evolved together as brain size increased
    • Answer - Language primary over music; language evolved, music followed it

Passage B

Paragraph 1
  • Paragraph note
    • An expert view; the Author's view
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Darwin - Music is not practical and is mysterious
    • Combo = lyric narrative
    • Author - Music helps moms and kids bond, so it's evolutionarily useful

Paragraph 2
  • Paragraph note
    • Studies of music forming bonds
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Lullabies excluded
    • Studies - Recording parents and kids show they mimic each other with motions and singing

Paragraph 3
  • Paragraph note
    • A question and answer (causal chain)
  • Views, minor Meta-Structures, points of intersection, and the author's attitude
    • Question - What evolutionary advantage does music give?
    • Answer - Baby heads bigger → Birth canals more narrow → Earlier births → Longer dependence on mom = emotional bonds are good for survival

Main Point:
Passage A - Music and language originated in the same neurological system, but natural selection worked exclusively on language, bringing music along for the ride.

Passage B - As human infants were born earlier, they became more dependent on their mothers for longer periods of time, and so music provided an evolutionary advantage in creating strong emotional bonds between the two.

Key Lines:

Passage A:
Lines 1-2 - The central question of the passage
Lines 8-10 - An overall comparison
Lines 12-14 - A noteworthy difference
Lines 19-21 - The answer to the question
Lines 21-24 - A corollary to the answer

Passage B:
Lines 28-32 - An opposing expert view
Lines 32-37 - The Author's view
Lines 41-42 - Studies are introduced
Lines 50-51 - A question is asked
Lines 51-End - A causal chain that leads to an answer

Meta-Structure - Relationship Between Passages
While Passage A talks about the origination of both language and music, Passage B discusses only the latter. And the two authors have different opinions on its development. The Author of Passage A believes music and language "evolved together" (Line 20), but that natural selection worked on language, not music (Lines 23-24). The Author of Passage B, on the other hand, suggests an evolutionary basis for the development of language (Lines 57-62). So the Authors are largely in disagreement over the evolutionary history of music.

Question/Answer (Passage A) - Passage A has a central Question/Answer structure. The Author puts forward a question in Paragraph 1, and she then provides an answer to it in Paragraph 3. When a passage is built around a Question/Answer structure, the Author's answer to the question serves as the main point, which led us to the main point we wrote out above.

Question/Answer (Passage B) - Passage B has a Question/Answer structure, though it's limited to Paragraph 3 instead of being a central feature that defines the entire passage. However, it is still on a central topic of the passage, and so the answer needs to be reflected in the main point

Causal Chain (Passage B) - Science passages frequently deal with causality. Passage B presents a pretty long causal chain to explain the evolutionary basis of music (Lines 51-62), and knowing how heavily causality is featured in that passage will likely lead us to looking for causal answers when a question asks about it!

Last Thoughts:
We've summed this passage up pretty well so far, so let's head to the questions!

Question prompt

Both passages were written Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right

Credited answer: C

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

Question Type

Science

Strategy Overview

Reiterate the main points of both passages, then find the overlap between them and identify the answer that best addresses it

Answer Anticipation

Passage A has a central Question/Answer structure. The Author puts forward a question in Paragraph 1, and she then provides an answer to it in Paragraph 3. When a passage is built around a Question/Answer structure, the Author's answer to the question serves as the main point:
Music and language originated in the same neurological system, but natural selection worked exclusively on language, bringing music along for the ride.
Passage B doesn't have the same type of central Meta—Structure, but it does present a Point—Counterpoint argument, where the Author argues a different view than a key expert. That view — stated in the first person ("I suggest", Line 32) — is likely the main point of the passage. That's backed up by the rest of the passage bringing up studies supporting it and then exploring the causality behind it, leading to the following main point:
As human infants were born earlier, they became more dependent on their mothers for longer periods of time, and so music provided an evolutionary advantage in creating strong emotional bonds between the two.
What's the overlap between them? The discussion of the origins and evolution of music, and whether it has an evolutionary advantage. The correct answer should bring this topic up.

Answer choices

  1. A
    What evolutionary advantage did Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice A is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 20—21; Lines 51—52) Both passages mention in an offhand manner that brain sizes in early hominids increased, and that this happened alongside the development of music. However, that's not a question that's a primary concern of the passage, which is what this question asks about.
  2. B
    Why do human mothers Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice B is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 57—62) Passage B discusses this bonding behavior, but it's absent from Passage A.
  3. C
    What are the evolutionary Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice C matches the stem
    Correct. (Lines 19—24; Lines 57—62) While the two passages answer this question differently, they each provide an answer to it, and that answer is central to the passage. Passage A is all about the evolution of music and language, and it provides an answer that addresses this question — music and language originated as a part of the same neurological system, and then music rode along on language's coattails. Passage B deals with the evolutionary origins of music directly, stating that it's involved in infants bonding with their mothers and thus providing an evolutionary advantage. This answer is therefore correct.
  4. D
    Do the human abilities Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice D is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 1—2) Only Passage A dealt with language, so this answer misses the mark with Passage B.
  5. E
    Why are most people Remaining source text redacted.
    Why choice E is not credited
    Incorrect. (Lines 12—14) Passage B didn't discuss this, and Passage A drew this comparison without explaining it.

What this tests

Discussion

View all discussions Start a discussion