PrepTest 145, Section 4, Question 22
Theorist: Hatred and anger, grief and despair, love(81 more words not shown)
The claim that music is(13 more words not shown)
- AIt is a(22 more words not shown)
- BIt is a(8 more words not shown)
- CIt is a(11 more words not shown)
- DIt is a(17 more words not shown)
- EIt is a(16 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Love and joy may share a feeling without being interchangeable. The theorist's idea is that a feeling becomes a particular emotion partly through its setting and what it leads someone to do. Love might involve a particular object of affection, while joy can describe a more general feeling.
I still have questions about that account. Couldn't someone love the earth or hate a disease? It's not obvious that the distinction always depends on a relationship with another person. But we don't have to settle the theory of emotions here. We need to understand how the author uses it.
What we’re looking for
The conclusion is that music can produce only an emotion's core. The author reasons that music is merely sound, so by itself it doesn't produce the social conditions or behavior that distinguish the full emotions. The claim about sound helps support that conclusion. That's the job to look for in this role question.
Working the answers
- A
The argument doesn't cite a particular piece of music as an instance of the general claim and then use that instance to undermine a viewpoint. It reasons directly from what music is said to be to what music can produce. A adds an example-based step that isn't there.
- B
The conclusion concerns music's producing only the core of an emotion. Calling music merely sound is part of the explanation offered for that limit. It's a supporting claim, not a portion of the conclusion.
- CCorrect
The claim helps support the conclusion. Because music is said to be merely sound, the author says it doesn't itself create the social conditions or behavior that distinguish complete emotions. Combine that with the opening account of emotions, and the author reaches the claim that music produces only their core. This is partial support because the account of what distinguishes emotions also does work.
- D
Using a claim as support isn't the same as asserting that its truth is the only way to establish the conclusion. The author relies on the sound claim in this argument but doesn't claim that no other argument could establish the conclusion without it. D adds that claim of necessity.
- E
The author accepts and uses the claim that music is merely sound. It isn't a hypothesis the argument rejects because evidence conflicts with it. E puts the claim on the opposite side of the reasoning.
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