PrepTest 107, Section 4, Question 22
Critic: Most chorale preludes were written for the(98 more words not shown)
If the critic's statements are(15 more words not shown)
- ABach believed that(14 more words not shown)
- BIn composing music(20 more words not shown)
- CIn compositions other(15 more words not shown)
- DMost of Bach's(10 more words not shown)
- EMost of the(11 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Do not turn “most chorale preludes” into “most great chorale preludes.” The opening switches between all works in the category and the great ones within it. Those proportions need not be the same.
Then we hear about a mournful Bach piece. Does that reveal how Bach felt about the end of the year? Not necessarily. He could express the hymn's sad outlook without composing for the purpose of expressing his own feelings. His personal outlook might match the hymn's, or it might differ. We have not been told.
The critic gives us a firmer rule at the end: master artists never create in order to express their own feelings, and Bach was a master artist. For this question, accept that rule even if you would question it outside the passage. It tells us something about Bach's purpose in composing, not what his feelings actually were.
What we’re looking for
We need the statement that cannot be true. Four answers can fit the passage; one must conflict with it. I would test each against that rule and keep the opening's different groups separate. We do not need to predict which particular composition or instrument an answer will mention.
Working the answers
- A
Bach might have held this somber view. The critic says the piece does not necessarily reveal his attitude and that he did not create in order to express his feelings. Neither statement requires his feelings to be the opposite of the music's tone. A remains possible.
- B
This fits the rule about master artists. Bach did not compose in order to express his own attitude toward a subject. Remember what we are selecting: the impossible statement. Something that follows from the critic's account cannot be our answer here.
- CCorrect
The rule applies to Bach as a master artist, not just to his chorale preludes. C says he composed other music in order to express his feelings. That directly conflicts with the claim that master artists never create for that purpose. Changing the kind of composition does not remove Bach from the rule.
- D
We know Bach wrote most of the great organ chorale preludes. We do not know what proportion of his own chorale preludes were for organ. He could have written many more pieces for other instruments. Being responsible for most of one category does not tell us how that category compares with the rest of his work.
- E
Most chorale preludes overall were written for organ, but the great ones could have a different distribution. For example, many ordinary organ pieces could make organs dominant overall while most great pieces were for other instruments. The statement about Bach covers the great organ pieces only. It does not prevent E from being true.
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