Some critics argue that an opera’s stage directions are never reflected in its music. Many comic scenes in Mozart’s operas, however, open with violin phrases that sound like the squeaking of changing scenery. Clearly Mozart intended the music to echo the sounds occurring while stage directions are carried out. Hence, a change of scenery—the most basic and frequent stage direction—can be reflected in the music, which means that other operatic stage directions can be as well.
In the argument, the statement that many comic scenes in Mozart’s operas open with violin phrases that sound like the squeaking of changing scenery is offered in support of the claim that
(A) a change of scenery is the stage direction most frequently reflected in an opera’s music X
(B) an opera’s stage directions are never reflected in its music X
(C) an opera’s music can have an effect on the opera’s stage directions X
(D) a variety of stage directions can be reflected in an opera’s music
CORRECT. This is a premise in the argument: “Many comic scenes in Mozart’s operas, however, open with violin phrases that sound like the squeaking of changing scenery”. From this premise, the author concludes that since a simple and frequently occurring stage direction can be reflected, then other stage directions can be included in the music as well.
(E) the most frequent relation between an opera’s music and its stage directions is one of musical imitation of the sounds that occur when a direction is carried out X
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