PrepTest 136, Section 1, Question 16
Music and literature, rivals among the arts, have(444 more words not shown)
The author's discussion in the(10 more words not shown)
- Afrom a common(24 more words not shown)
- Bfrom a general(27 more words not shown)
- Cfrom a description(28 more words not shown)
- Dfrom an observation(28 more words not shown)
- Efrom general comments(31 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
Follow the narrowing focus in the first paragraph. We start with music and literature generally. Then we move to the African American tradition, where music has a prominent place and influences writers. Finally, we reach Morrison's Jazz as a particular example that takes this connection further.
What we’re looking for
The movement is general relationship, particular tradition, particular work. Nobody reverses the opening claim along the way.
Working the answers
- A
The African American example supports the opening relationship; it doesn't deny it. The author says the relationship is especially strong in that tradition. A denial would move in the opposite direction.
- BCorrect
The two art forms are music and literature. The artistic tradition is African American art. The particular work is Jazz, whose musical structure exemplifies the preceding discussion. All three stages match in order.
- C
This misdescribes the last step as an inference about an individual. The author directly identifies what Morrison did in a particular novel. It also misses the intervening focus on a tradition. We don't need to insist the paragraph contains no supporting material at all to see that this isn't its sequence.
- D
The paragraph begins with two arts, not one specific art form, and becomes more specific rather than broadening to other arts. Morrison isn't offered as a counterexample.
- E
Again, there is no counterexample. The African American tradition and Morrison's novel illustrate the connection between writing and music instead of challenging it.
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