PrepTest 150, Section 3, Question 4
The reason J. S. Bach is remembered is(48 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(7 more words not shown)
- ASeveral of Bach's(12 more words not shown)
- BThere are a(12 more words not shown)
- CBach wrote many(18 more words not shown)
- DThe exact number(15 more words not shown)
- ESome great creative(16 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
Does producing enough music make memorable music inevitable?
The author says Bach is remembered because he was prolific: he produced a lot. The explanation doesn't require a high proportion of his compositions to be outstanding. It says that with more than a thousand attempts, some outstanding works were bound to emerge and survive.
I'd want to test that supposed connection. Perhaps there is another reason Bach's work is remembered. Or perhaps we can find other composers who produced enormous amounts of music and were forgotten. If volume reliably delivered the result the author promises, those other prolific composers should be remembered too.
What we’re looking for
For a weakener, that second route is especially direct: give us the large output without the enduring reputation. It would show why the number of compositions alone doesn't settle the explanation.
Working the answers
- ACorrect
These composers produced even more than Bach, yet they have largely been forgotten. That challenges the idea that producing a large enough body of work inevitably yields outstanding pieces that keep the composer remembered. A doesn't prove volume played no role for Bach or identify the true explanation for his reputation. It shows that the proposed mechanism isn't enough on its own to deliver the supposedly inevitable result.
- B
A small number of excellent works could make someone else famous while a large output helped Bach become famous. The argument doesn't say volume is required for every composer to be remembered. B shows that another route exists, not that the proposed route fails. A more directly tests what supposedly follows from producing a great deal.
- C
Mediocre works being forgotten fits the story: Bach produced many works, and the outstanding ones endured. The argument doesn't require all of his compositions to survive or all to be good. C doesn't challenge the mechanism the author proposes.
- D
Whether the total was 1,010 or 2,000, it was still more than a thousand. Not knowing the exact count doesn't remove the evidence that Bach produced a large amount. We need a reason to doubt that this output explains his lasting reputation, not an exact inventory of every piece.
- E
Other creative people might be remembered because an unusually high proportion of their work was outstanding. That could coexist with the author's different explanation for Bach. E doesn't tell us that Bach belongs to that group or show that his volume of work failed to contribute to his reputation.
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