PrepTest 144, Section 1, Question 5
"Never was anything as incoherent, shrill, chaotic and(427 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(12 more words not shown)
- Athe technical mastery(3 more words not shown)
- Bthe use of(3 more words not shown)
- Cthe use of(6 more words not shown)
- Dthe depiction of(10 more words not shown)
- Ethe progression through(12 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
The author praises several achievements, but the question asks which is valued most highly. The final paragraph gives us the priority: the real issue is what music says, not how it is made. Schoenberg is essential because he captured emotional states that music had not expressed before.
What we’re looking for
So we should choose that expressive achievement over one of the technical means used to reach it. An answer can name something the author admires and still miss the comparison the question asks us to make.
Working the answers
- A
The author calls the technical mastery awe-inspiring, so this is explicitly praised. But the next paragraph moves beyond technique to what the music communicates. Praise alone doesn't make this the highest-valued feature.
- B
Shifting chromatic harmonies describe the first style, which was already common in Schoenberg's youth. They are not singled out as the central reason his music is essential.
- C
The author expressly says Schoenberg's importance is not grounded in the 12-tone system. Its invention is an achievement, but it isn't the top priority here.
- DCorrect
This closely matches the explanation of what makes the music essential: its precise expression of recognizable, sometimes disquieting emotional states not previously captured in music. It answers the author's question about what the work has to say.
- E
The three-style progression organizes the account of his development. The author ultimately values the expressive result, not the mere fact that his career included three styles.
More Author's Opinion questions
Learn the LSAT our way
Our platform drills Author's Opinion questions at your level and adjusts as you improve.