PrepTest 153, Section 1, Question 23

Working the answers

• A

  Alienation is central to A's account of blues. B's griots are low-ranking, but they have an established role, enduring patron relationships, and detailed knowledge of communal values. Being at the bottom of a social structure isn't the same as being disconnected from it.

• B

  A links blues to the destruction of traditional social ties. B doesn't describe the griots' music as a response to cultural loss. Their songs operate within continuing traditions.

• C

  Griots do preserve traditions. The problem is the blues side: A presents it as a response to the disruption of those traditions, finding expression in individual lives. That isn't the same function as preserving the traditions themselves.

• D

  This may sound historically plausible, but neither account establishes that both musical forms derive from earlier African musical traditions. The comparison of social roles doesn't supply that genealogy.

• E
  Correct

  Each has a recurring range of subjects. A expressly identifies the blues' perennial themes as heartache and hardships. B describes praise of patrons' ancestors, conduct, and adherence to public values. Those repeated concerns support a circumscribed set of themes—a limited thematic range. We don't need a rigid rule that every song uses exactly the same topic.