PrepTest 151, Section 1, Question 16

Working the answers

• A

  Both address music's importance in judging opera. A locates its value largely in musical emotion; B asks whether the music serves the situation and contributes to the whole.

• B

  Both discuss the combination. A says mixing music with words sacrifices artistic purity. B says the union creates opera's distinctive character and changes how we should assess the music: through its contribution within the work. They differ in emphasis, but the topic isn't exclusive to A.

• C
  Correct

  A explicitly explains music's ability to express and deepen emotion in a listener. B discusses music's place in the combined work without examining that emotional response. We shouldn't silently turn every discussion of artistic value into a claim about the listener's emotions.

• D

  A permits combining the arts when words are subordinated to music. B discusses operas in which music was subordinated to other features, noting their limited appeal and the need for fuller musical participation. Both address the relative priority of music and words, so this isn't an A-only issue.

• E

  B explicitly says not to judge the music and libretto in isolation. A's claim that opera is largely independent of words also addresses that relationship. Opposing approaches to an issue still count as both discussing it.