PrepTest 103, Section 3, Question 11
Linsey has been judged to be a bad(39 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(8 more words not shown)
- ADisjointed and subjective(11 more words not shown)
- BSome readers do(14 more words not shown)
- CSong lyrics that(17 more words not shown)
- DA disjointed and(21 more words not shown)
- EThe quality of(19 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Disjointed and subjective lyrics might be a criticism, but are they enough to decide that Linsey is a bad songwriter? Maybe a song has meaning or other strengths that the criticism overlooks. Calling the lyrics disjointed doesn't automatically settle the quality of the whole song. That is my first hesitation about the judgment.
The author takes a different route: respected modern novelists also write in a disjointed, subjective style. But a novel isn't a song. A style that works across a long story might have a different effect in a lyric. Merely finding the same description in both kinds of writing doesn't establish that it matters in the same way.
What we’re looking for
We're asked for an assumption the argument depends on. Then defend that comparison. The author needs the style's effect in novels to be comparable to its effect in songs; otherwise, the novelists' success wouldn't answer the criticism of Linsey.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
This is the connection the comparison needs. If disjointed, subjective writing works very differently in the two forms, good novels using it wouldn't give us a reason to question the criticism of these songs. A makes the novelists relevant by giving the style a comparable effect in both. It doesn't require songs and novels to be alike in every respect.
- B
Some readers might miss the subtleties, but the argument could work even if all readers appreciated them. The question is whether the novelists provide a useful comparison for judging songs, not whether some readers misunderstand the novels.
- C
The author doesn't need these lyrics to have as much narrative structure as every other kind of lyric. A song could succeed without telling a highly structured story. More fundamentally, comparing narrative structure among song lyrics doesn't connect the effect of this style in songs with its effect in novels.
- D
We don't need to rank this style's suitability for novels and songs against every other kind of writing. It might work equally well in a play or a poem without damaging the author's comparison. D adds a preference over other forms that the argument doesn't require.
- E
The argument doesn't have to decide that lyrics matter more than musical form. Its chosen response concerns whether this particular writing style justifies the negative judgment. The author could make that comparison while thinking music matters more, less, or equally. We also shouldn't assume the lyrics are bad simply because they have the characteristics being debated.
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