PrepTest 133, Section 2, Question 21
Most opera singers who add demanding roles to(84 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(7 more words not shown)
- AYoung opera singers(14 more words not shown)
- BSome young opera(16 more words not shown)
- COnly opera singers(12 more words not shown)
- DOnly mature opera(12 more words not shown)
- EMost young opera(9 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Is it how powerfully they sing, how much they sing, or how they use their voices?
Those are different possible explanations for young singers losing their voices. I might initially wonder whether demanding roles simply involve too much singing. The passage instead argues that the problem is technique: most young singers lack the training needed to avoid straining their vocal cords, particularly at full strength.
The observation about powerful young singers matters to that response. If the problem were simply insufficient vocal power, why would the strongest young voices be the most likely to be ruined? The author points us toward how those voices are being used, rather than treating power alone as protection.
What we’re looking for
We could ask for more evidence separating technique from overuse. But this is a supported-inference question, so we take the information given and ask what it establishes. I'd initially look for something about the importance of technique. We should also be open to a narrower conclusion that the explanation supports, even if it doesn't capture the whole dispute about the cause.
Working the answers
- A
Being less likely than the most powerful singers to ruin a voice doesn't mean being unlikely to ruin it. Less powerful singers could still lack the necessary technique and strain their vocal cords. The passage doesn't give them the protection A claims merely because they have less vocal power.
- B
This returns to the proposed explanation the passage challenges: immature voices lack the power needed for demanding roles. The author identifies inadequate technique as the real problem. We aren't given support for concluding that immaturity itself causes some of these singers' voice damage.
- C
How long does the technical training take? We aren't told. Perhaps some useful change in technique can be taught quickly. The passage makes training relevant, but doesn't establish that many years of it are required before someone should attempt a demanding role.
- D
The passage doesn't make maturity a requirement for avoiding strain. A young singer might have learned the proper technique. What the author emphasizes is training, so we can't replace that requirement with an age requirement.
- ECorrect
Most young singers taking demanding roles lose their voices early, and the passage explains that outcome through vocal-cord strain caused by inadequate technique. That supports the claim that most young singers performing these roles strain their vocal cords.
Notice that E doesn't decide the whole technique-versus-power dispute. It steps back to the strain the passage is explaining. We may have expected an answer about why the damage happens, but a supported answer can instead state a more basic result established by the discussion.
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