PrepTest 130, Section 4, Question 3
The reason music with a simple recurring rhythm(81 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(11 more words not shown)
- AThe explanation of(20 more words not shown)
- BThe comforting sound(15 more words not shown)
- CBirth deprives us(19 more words not shown)
- DPeople seek sensations(17 more words not shown)
- EThe comforting sound(11 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
That first sentence could be a conclusion, but we need to see what the rest of the passage does with it. Does the author give reasons to believe that music reminds us of the womb, or use that claim to establish something else?
“After all” introduces a reason: the mother's regular heartbeat is the first sound heard in the womb, and it is comforting. Birth takes that familiar source of comfort away. The author then connects our continuing desire for warmth and security with our attraction to simple recurring sounds.
What we’re looking for
The repeated beat in music fits that story. It resembles a comforting rhythm we experienced before birth. For the main-conclusion question, keep that explanation together: music with a simple recurring rhythm has a strong appeal because it recalls the womb environment. The heartbeat and the desire for comfort support that explanation; they are not the whole point by themselves.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
This restates the explanation the passage develops: music with a simple recurring rhythm appeals to us because it reminds us of the womb environment. The heartbeat, the loss of that comfort at birth, and our later attraction to recurring sounds all support this claim.
- B
The passage does say that the mother's heartbeat is the first sound heard in the womb. But it treats that fact as a starting point for explaining the appeal of rhythmic music. It does not offer reasons to establish why the heartbeat is the first sound. B gives supporting evidence, not the main conclusion.
- C
This is a claim the author makes along the way. Birth takes away the warmth and security of the womb and also the comforting heartbeat. That loss helps explain our later attraction to recurring rhythms. C stops at this intermediate step and leaves out the explanation of music's appeal.
- D
The author is explaining why recurring rhythmic sounds appeal to people seeking warmth and security. D instead explains why people seek warmth and security in the first place. Those are different claims. The main conclusion connects the appeal of music to the womb experience.
- E
The heartbeat's being a simple recurring sound helps connect the womb experience with the rhythm of music. But that connection serves the broader explanation of why the music appeals to us. E identifies one feature doing supporting work, rather than the point it supports.
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