PrepTest 150, Section 4, Question 1
This passage was adapted from an article published(462 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(9 more words not shown)
- AAlthough he was(29 more words not shown)
- BContrary to critics(33 more words not shown)
- CThough Wynton Marsalis(31 more words not shown)
- DBy emphasizing appreciation(23 more words not shown)
- EDespite widespread acknowledgement(18 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
We've already predicted the connection: Marsalis promoted appreciation of jazz's past, and record companies responded by selling old recordings instead of investing in new artists. That was not the result he was trying to achieve. His own approach still allowed innovation.
What we’re looking for
Look for both the influence and its unintended result. The criticism of Marsalis and the defense of his music help explain the situation, but neither is the whole point.
Working the answers
- A
There is no recent turn toward traditional elements. His emphasis on jazz history extends over two decades. We also aren't told that this supposed change is why companies refuse to give him a contract. A builds an explanation from events the author does not describe.
- B
The author does defend Marsalis against the charge that his music is mere revivalism. But B adds that his emphasis widened the audience, which isn't established. It also leaves out the central business consequence: companies favoring reissues over new talent.
- C
This reverses the relevant direction. Marsalis's promotion of the past influenced the companies' decisions. The author does not say the companies' decisions caused him to move away from traditionalism, or that he made such a change at all.
- DCorrect
This gives us the prediction: his emphasis unintentionally helped lead companies away from developing new talent and toward vintage recordings. The final two paragraphs explain both how the companies interpreted his message and why the resulting strategy was profitable.
- E
The increasing criticism is real, but it is the setup. The author goes on to distinguish what Marsalis advocated from the business response it helped produce. E stops before that explanation.
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