Although ballet originated in lavish Italian court dances, the art for

Question

Although ballet originated in lavish Italian court dances, the art form flourished in 17th-century France, most notably under the passionate devotion of XIV. In 1653, at age 15, Louis danced the lead in Le Ballet de la Nuit, a 13-hour, all night performance. Louis appeared as the rising sun, arrayed spectacularly in gold, gems, and ostrich plumes. This role led to the popular nickname the "Sun King," by which he is still referred today. While ballet was a vanity project, Louis had talent as a dancer. Under his personal ballet master, Pierre Beauchamps, Louis worked daily to develop his technique and to enhance and display what he considered his natural-born grace and physique.

Louis demanded as much from the noble members of his court. Louis believed that inner nobility was revealed through outward appearance: physical beauty, grace, etiquette, and adherence to social convention. As a result, court ritual and etiquette were rigid and demanding, and dance, along with  fencing and equestrianism , became part of a trio of noble disciplines. A noble's social status and patronage depended on pleasing the sovereign, so many learned to dance. More than 200 dancing schools emerged in Paris to train these nobles in the art of dance. To centralize and codify ballet instruction, Louis founded the Academie Royale de Danse at the Louvre in 1661, with Beauchamps as its head. The rest of Europe fervently embraced French fashion and culture, including courtly ballet, long after the monarch's death in 1715.    1 
 1. The main purpose of the passage is to

A. examine the courtly rituals of Louis XIV.
B. demonstrate the superiority of French ballet over Italian ballet.
C. describe the interrelationship between Louis XIV, his court, and ballet.
D. explain how Louis XIV came to be called the Sun King.
E. establish for readers that ballet is a noble art form.

2 
 2. The passage implies that

A. a noble who lacked physical beauty and grace risked disfavor in Louis's court.
B. Le Ballet de la Nuit was not well received by audiences and critics due to its length.
C. Louis was unattractive and tried to compensate by excelling at dance.
D. other European countries adopted ballet because they feared France's military power.
E. Louis believed that with practice anyone could learn ballet.

3 
 3. The author probably mentions fencing and equestrianism ( Highlighted ) in order to

A. demean Louis's court by showing how trivial activities were viewed as important.
B. demonstrate that military activities were still important during a time of peace.
C. describe two activities that eventually supplanted ballet in importance.
D. hint at Louis's enjoyment of physical activity as a means of self-improvement.
E. show that nobility was revealed in many ways in Louis XIV's court.

RC Butler Competition 2021  -  Participate and Win!   
Passage # 15 Date: 12-Jan-2021
 This question is a part of RC Butler Competition 2021 .  Click here for Details

Sajjad1994 · Accepted Answer

Explanation

1. The main purpose of the passage is to

Explanation

This question is a medium-level difficult, Answer options A and C are a bit closer or the ones one needs to think about. Take a look at each choice.

A. examine the courtly rituals of Louis XIV.

Its talks about something valid but extreme still cannot cross this option right away let’s keep it for now and read the other options.

B. demonstrate the superiority of French ballet over Italian ballet.

Passage did starts from narrating that ballet was flourished in France it never at any place shows that French ballet was superior than Italian ballet. Easy to cross.

C. describe the interrelationship between Louis XIV, his court, and ballet.

This one could be the answer, passage starts from the origin of ballet then states how ballet flourished in France with the work of Louis XIV and how the court worked for the betterment of the ballet in France. Seems really nice option let's keep it too.

D. explain how Louis XIV came to be called the Sun King.

Although this is discussed in the first paragraph but this is not the main purpose of the passage, it is just one part of the passage. This option is extreme and is easy to eliminate.

E. establish for readers that ballet is a noble art form.

This one couldn’t be the main purpose of the passage so eliminate it.

Now compare A and C, the first one is too specific and sticks only to the Louis ignoring the work of courts for the ballet. So A is out and C is the correct answer

Answer: C

2. The passage implies that

Explanation

In this question we have to find something which may or may not be discussed explicitly but supported by the passage fully. Scan the answer choices.

A. a noble who lacked physical beauty and grace risked disfavor in Louis's court.

Nothing is provided straight forward to opt for this option but since the question asked for what is  “implied by the passage”  we have to search for the support to prove this option valid or invalid. The lines in the start of the  second paragraph  provide some support to this option:

“Louis believed that inner nobility was revealed through outward appearance: physical beauty, grace, etiquette, and adherence to social convention.”

Now what implies by these lines above is actually the option A. Its seems a good one to keep with until we find something better than this option.

B. Le Ballet de la Nuit was not well received by audiences and critics due to its length.

This is 180, the length of the event is discussed to probably show how the event was successful and well received by the public.

C. Louis was unattractive and tried to compensate by excelling at dance.

This option is also opposite and easy to eliminate.

D. other European countries adopted ballet because they feared France's military power.

This option is really unnecessary as nothing can be found in the passage as such talking about the French military power. The option provides outside information.

E. Louis believed that with practice anyone could learn ballet.

Now this option seems one possibility and is discussed a very little part of it in the passage but can we implied that fully is doubtful. The lines in the passage:

“More than 200 dancing schools emerged in Paris to train these nobles in the art of dance. To centralize and codify ballet instruction, Louis founded the Academie Royale de Danse at the Louvre in 1661”

May or may not support this option so this is something we are doubtful but cannot guarantee. Finally A is better among all here.

Answer: A

3. The author probably mentions fencing and equestrianism in order to

This is a medium question again, options C and E are closer. If test taker has read 2 lines provided before the mentioned words he or she could reach the true answer. Let’s have a look at the answer choices.

A. demean Louis's court by showing how trivial activities were viewed as important.

Author at any time in the passage never try to demean Louis’s work, Court, Court’s work and Ballet. This option is easy to eliminate because of its opposite direction.

B. demonstrate that military activities were still important during a time of peace.

Military activities? Oh really I don’t think so. Eliminate.

C. describe two activities that eventually supplanted ballet in importance.

Trap! The mentioned are some activities but they not at any time supplanted or demean the ballet. This could be a trap for those don’t understand its meaning completely. This is a kind of 180 answer choice.

D. hint at Louis's enjoyment of physical activity as a means of self-improvement.

Nothing is discussed about the enjoyment of the Louis. Eliminate.

E. show that nobility was revealed in many ways in Louis XIV's court.

This option is correct! When you read 2-3 lines given before the mentioned activities it is clear that there were some more activities happening in the courts to show the nobility. Read the lines below which completely supports this option

“Louis believed that inner nobility was revealed through outward appearance: physical beauty, grace, etiquette, and adherence to social convention. As a result, court ritual and etiquette were rigid and demanding, and dance, along with fencing and equestrianism, became part of a trio of noble disciplines.”

Answer: E

Vie3nrose · Answer

Question 1. The main purpose of the passage is to 
 
The first sentence in the passage usually introduces us to the main topic and purpose of the discussion:  "Although ballet originated in lavish Italian court dances, the art form flourished in 17th-century France, most notably under the passionate devotion of XIV."  Based on this, we can expect some of the main themes in the passage to be "ballet" and "XIV" (and his devotion to ballet?).
 
A. examine the courtly rituals of Louis XIV.
 INCORRECT   -- Louis XIV's courtly rituals are discussed in PG2, but not in PG1. Also, this answer choice doesn't mention ballet at all
 
B. demonstrate the superiority of French ballet over Italian ballet.
 INCORRECT   -- The author never directly compares French ballet vs Italian ballet (just mentions that it originated in Italy but flourished in France). Also this answer choice doesn't mention Louis XIV at all. 
 
C. describe the interrelationship between Louis XIV, his court, and ballet.
 CORRECT   -- This answer choice has the themes we're looking for: PG1 introduces Louis XIV's relationship ballet and PG2 talks about how much ballet was valued within his court. Good fit!
 
D. explain how Louis XIV came to be called the Sun King.
 INCORRECT   -- Although this was mentioned in passing in PG1, PG2 moves on from this topic to focus more on the importance of ballet within XIV's court
 
E. establish for readers that ballet is a noble art form.
 INCORRECT   -- Although PG2 does connect ballet and nobility in XIV's court, the focus of the passage (and PG1) is more on XIV's relationship with ballet

Question 2. The passage implies that
 
A. a noble who lacked physical beauty and grace risked disfavor in Louis's court.
 CORRECT   -- PG2: "Louis demanded as much from the noble members of his court. Louis believed that inner nobility was revealed through outward appearance: physical beauty, grace... A noble's social status and patronage depended on pleasing the sovereign, so many learned to dance." Negate test: if a noble who lacked physical beauty and grace didn't risk disfavour, probably not as many nobility would have felt compelled to learn dance
 
B. Le Ballet de la Nuit was not well received by audiences and critics due to its length.
 INCORRECT   -- Although PG1 mentions the ballet was 13 hours, there was no mention that it was not received well (and specifically because it was too long - maybe it was considered standard or short at the time?)
 
C. Louis was unattractive and tried to compensate by excelling at dance.
 INCORRECT   -- No indication in the passage that he was unattractive (PG1 mentions his self-defined "natural-born grace and physique" so maybe he didn't feel the need to compensate)
 
D. other European countries adopted ballet because they feared France's military power.
 INCORRECT   -- "The rest of Europe fervently embraced French fashion and culture, including courtly ballet, long after the monarch's death in 1715." No indication that adoption was driven by military fear (maybe they just appreciated the art form)
 
E. Louis believed that with practice anyone could learn ballet.
 INCORRECT   -- No mention that he believed anyone with practice could learn ballet but PG1 mentions "what he considered his natural-born grace and physique" and PG2 mentions that "Louis believed that inner nobility was revealed through...". Maybe he believed that you must be born with the grace and physique to excel at ballet, and only true nobility is born with this gift

Question 3. The author probably mentions fencing and equestrianism (Highlighted) in order to
 
A. demean Louis's court by showing how trivial activities were viewed as important.
 INCORRECT   -- No indication that the author considered these activities trivial or demeaning, in fact they seem to be discussed in a positive light ("fencing and equestrianism, became part of a trio of noble disciplines")
 
B. demonstrate that military activities were still important during a time of peace.
 INCORRECT   -- "fencing and equestrianism, became part of a trio of noble disciplines" -- "disciplines" in this context is speaking more to i.e. aristocratic hobbies, vs i.e. military discipline (Therefore, military activities are out of scope)
 
C. describe two activities that eventually supplanted ballet in importance.
 INCORRECT   -- On the contrary, the passage suggests that they were three equally important activities: "dance, along with fencing and equestrianism, became part of a trio of noble disciplines"
 
D. hint at Louis's enjoyment of physical activity as a means of self-improvement.
 INCORRECT   -- This example was provided to show Louis's demands on his court (not necessarily himself) to  reveal  their inner nobility (not as a method of self-improvement):"Louis demanded as much from the noble members of his court. Louis believed that inner nobility was revealed through outward appearance." 
 
E. show that nobility was revealed in many ways in Louis XIV's court.
 CORRECT   -- These were listed to show the three ways that demonstrated nobility in XIV's court: "dance, along with fencing and equestrianism, became part of a trio of noble disciplines"

Sumi1010 · Answer

Short note on the passage :
P1 - Louis work to originate ballet in France.
P2- Louis role in ballet emergence.

1. The main purpose of the passage is to

A. examine the courtly rituals of Louis XIV.
 The passage focuses particularly on the role of Louis in origin and emergence of ballet . 
B. demonstrate the superiority of French ballet over Italian ballet.
 There is no such comparison in the passage. 
C. describe the interrelationship between Louis XIV, his court, and ballet.
 Correct.The passage focuses on the role of Louis in origin and emergence of ballet. 
D. explain how Louis XIV came to be called the Sun King.
 The passage focuses particularly on the role of Louis in origin and emergence of ballet. The passage goes further after the Louis was called the Sun King. 
E. establish for readers that ballet is a noble art form.
 The passage is connects Louis with ballet and does not just talk on ballet as an art.

C

2. The passage implies that

A. a noble who lacked physical beauty and grace risked disfavor in Louis's court.
 Correct. "Louis believed that inner nobility was revealed through outward appearance: physical beauty.." Implies that lacking physical beauty corresponds to lesser nobility (i.e. lesser honor to the court). 
B. Le Ballet de la Nuit was  not well received  by audiences and critics due to its length.
 Incorrect. In fact Louis got the fame of the Sun King there.
" In 1653, at age 15, Louis danced the lead in Le Ballet de la Nuit, a 13-hour, all night performance. This role led to the popular nickname the "Sun King," by which he is still referred today." 
C. Louis was  unattractive  and tried to  compensate  by excelling at dance.
 Incorrect. Louis can't be considered unattractive. If fact his opinion was just opposite . "Louis worked daily to develop his technique and to enhance and display what he considered his  natural-born grace and physique " 
D. other European countries adopted ballet because they  feared  France's military power.
 There was no fear for embracing ballet. "The rest of Europe fervently embraced French fashion and culture, including courtly ballet, long after the monarch's death in 1715." 
E. Louis believed that with practice  anyone could learn ballet .
 Though he tried to centralize the instructions of ballet, this information can't be inferred from the passage. He rather believed it a natural gift. 
"Louis worked daily to develop his technique and to enhance and display  what he considered his natural-born grace and physique ."

A

3. The author probably mentions fencing and equestrianism (Highlighted) in order to

A.  demean Louis's court  by showing how  trivial activities  were viewed as important.
 Ballet,fencing and equestrianism were trio of noble disciplines and the author does not demean it. 
B. demonstrate that military activities were still important during a  time of peace. 
 The passage is not about showing the importance of military activities. 
C. describe two activities that eventually  supplanted ballet  in importance.
 Fencing and equestrianism did not denigrate the ballet. 
D. hint at Louis's enjoyment of physical activity as a means of self-improvement.
 The passage does not consider that the trio - ballet,fencing and equestrianism - were for Louis's enjoyment. 
E. show that nobility was revealed in many ways in Louis XIV's court.
 Correct. Ballet had become the way to showcase the nobility and eventually, along with fencing and equestrianism, it became part of a trio of noble disciplines.

E

Tahamohsin · Answer

1. The main purpose of the passage is to

C

A. examine the courtly rituals of Louis XIV.
  This choice is wrong because it only talks about the main purpose of the second paragraph, but it doesn't cover the first paragraph.  
B. demonstrate the superiority of French ballet over Italian ballet.
  The passage only mentions that ballet originated in lavish Italian court dances, but the art form flourished in 17th-century France. NO such comparison was made.  
C. describe the interrelationship between Louis XIV, his court, and ballet.
  Yes, in the first paragraph the author describes the relationship between Louis and ballet, and in the second paragraph the author describes the relationship between Louis's court and the ballet.  
D. explain how Louis XIV came to be called the Sun King.
  Only first para talk about this.  
E. establish for readers that ballet is a noble art form.
  Yes, the ballet was a noble art, but to establish it is not the primary purpose of the author.

2. The passage implies that

A

A. a noble who lacked physical beauty and grace risked disfavor in Louis's court.
  This is an inference question so we need to find something that is absolutely undeniable based on the passage. The passage stated that 2 things from which we can infer that a noble who lacked physical beauty and grace risked disfavor in Louis's court.
 1)Louis believed that inner nobility was revealed through outward appearance: physical beauty, grace, etiquette, and adherence to social convention.
2)A noble's social status and patronage depended on pleasing the sovereign, so many learned to dance. 
Hence we can infer that a noble who lacked physical beauty and grace risked disfavor in Louis's court.  
B. Le Ballet de la Nuit was not well received by audiences and critics due to its length.
  Out of scope.The passage never stated that Le Ballet de la Nuit was not well received by audiences and critics due to its length.  
C. Louis was unattractive and tried to compensate by excelling at the dance.
  NO, wrong information. King Lousis never compensated is unattractive for the dance.  
D. other European countries adopted ballet because they feared France's military power.
  The passage never stated that other countries feared France's military power.  
E. Louis believed that with practice anyone could learn ballet.
  This could be true that Louis believed that with practice anyone could learn ballet, but we need to find something that must be true based upon the passage.

3. The author probably mentions fencing and equestrianism ( Highlighted ) in order to

E

A. demean Louis's court by showing how trivial activities were viewed as important.
  The author doesn't mention fencing and equestrianism to cause a loss in the dignity of Louis's court by showing how trivial activities were viewed as important. Instead, the author uses it to show they are part of the revealing novelty.  
B. demonstrate that military activities were still important during a time of peace.
  This choice is out of scope.  
C. describe two activities that eventually supplanted ballet in importance.
  Wrong. The author never uses these 2 activities to show that they replace the importance of the ballet.  
D. hint at Louis's enjoyment of physical activity as a means of self-improvement.
  Right but not the answer of the question. Yes, Louis enjoys the ballet. But we need to find why the author uses fencing and equestrianism in the passage.  
E. show that nobility was revealed in many ways in Louis XIV's court.
  Yes, the author uses fencing and equestrianism to show they were part of the noble disciplines. The noble uses these methods to pleasing the sovereign,

RashmikaAnegama · Answer

1. The main purpose of the passage is to
The author's main purpose is explain how ballet dancing has raised in LouisXIV's area - history and importance, so, C is the answer.

A. examine the courtly rituals of Louis XIV. 
No, that wasn't his main purpose

B. demonstrate the superiority of French ballet over Italian ballet. 
It's not making any comparison.

C. describe the interrelationship between Louis XIV, his court, and ballet. 
For the reason explained above

D. explain how Louis XIV came to be called the Sun King. 
That was not the main purpose

E. establish for readers that ballet is a noble art form. 
C is a better answer.

2. The passage implies that

A. a noble who lacked physical beauty and grace risked disfavor in Louis's court.

B. Le Ballet de la Nuit was not well received by audiences and critics due to its length. 
We don't have any statement saying that it was not well received

C. Louis was unattractive and tried to compensate by excelling at dance. 
 Louis appeared as the rising sun, arrayed spectacularly in gold, gems, and ostrich plumes.   this proves that the given option is wrong

D. other European countries adopted ballet because they feared France's military power. 
Nothing like this is implied in the passage

E. Louis believed that with practice anyone could learn ballet. 
Yes, as he established the ballet school, this can be implied

3. The author probably mentions fencing and equestrianism (Highlighted) in order to

A. demean Louis's court by showing how trivial activities were viewed as important.

B. demonstrate that military activities were still important during a time of peace.

C. describe two activities that eventually supplanted ballet in importance. 
They are not ballet's replacement

D. hint at Louis's enjoyment of physical activity as a means of self-improvement. 
This explains it clearly

E. show that nobility was revealed in many ways in Louis XIV's court. 
just the three ways, not many!

So, IMO, the answers are C,E,D

Deepakjhamb · Answer

1. The main purpose of the passage is to

c) describe the interrelationship between Louis XIV, his court, and ballet.

A. examine the courtly rituals of Louis XIV :  this is just some part of scope of para-2 , so its partial scope and misses the full passage primary purpose 
B. demonstrate the superiority of French ballet over Italian ballet :  This type of comparison is never mentioned , the passage only says that though ballet originated in Italy , it flourished in France . Also this can never be the the primary purpose of passage  
C. describe the interrelationship between Louis XIV, his court, and ballet:  yes this is the answer as first para tries to explain that ballet flourished under Louis iv and then second para shows that as Louis believed that inner nobility was revealed through outward appearance: physical beauty, grace, etiquette and as a result court rituals were made rigid and demanding with dance included and that A noble's social status and patronage depended on pleasing the sovereign, so many learned to dance .
 
D. explain how Louis XIV came to be called the Sun King:  this is only partial scope mentioned in first para , cannot be primary purpose 
E. establish for readers that ballet is a noble art form: this noble concept is only part of para -2 and hence is only partial scope and cannot be primary purpose

2. The passage implies that

answer a) noble who lacked physical beauty and grace risked disfavor in Louis's court. 
 
A. a noble who lacked physical beauty and grace risked disfavor in Louis's court:  para 2 mentions that Louis demanded as much(Luis worked daily) from the noble members of his court. Louis believed that inner nobility was revealed through outward appearance: physical beauty, grace, etiquette, and adherence to social convention. As a result, court ritual and etiquette were rigid and demanding, and dance, along with fencing and equestrianism, became part of a trio of noble disciplines. A noble's social status and patronage depended on pleasing the sovereign, so many learned to dance . Thus if noble's social status and patronage depended upon pleasing the king , they risked disfavour if they lacked in principles that Louis believed in .

B. Le Ballet de la Nuit was not well received by audiences and critics due to its length:  being not well received is outside scope of the passage and is never mentioned  
C. Louis was unattractive and tried to compensate by excelling at dance:  its nowhere given that Louis was unattractive  
D. other European countries adopted ballet because they feared France's military power:  its never given in passage that European countries adapted ballet as they feared French' military power , so out of scope . Its just given that rest of Europe adapted ballet after monarch's death.  
E. Louis believed that with practice anyone could learn ballet:  actually this cannot be implied as second para last line says that Louis worked daily to develop his technique and to enhance and display what he considered his natural-born grace and physique . so in short he believed that ballet talent was natural born grace , so we cannot infer that he believed that anyone who practices could learn ballet .

3. The author probably mentions fencing and equestrianism (Highlighted) in order to
 answer d) hint at Louis's enjoyment of physical activity as a means of self-improvement.
 
A. demean Louis's court by showing how trivial activities were viewed as important :  this is extreme language as we cannot say that these activities were trivial - ie too easy or having little value . Nowhere from passage it can be inferred  
 
B. demonstrate that military activities were still important during a time of peace:  nowhere we can take this to say that these demonstrate military activities were imp during time of peace . firstly we do not know that his reign was time of peace and secondly nowhere we can infer that fencing and equestrianism demonstrated military activities as they could be leisure sport also . also this line -As a result, court ritual and etiquette were rigid and demanding, and dance, along with fencing and equestrianism, became part of a trio of noble disciplines- indicates that these items were mentioned to mean something rigid and demanding activities .

C. describe two activities that eventually supplanted ballet in importance. -  we cannot infer that fencing and equestrianism replaced ballet in importance eventually . as the line- As a result, court ritual and etiquette were rigid and demanding, and dance, along with fencing and equestrianism, became part of a trio of noble disciplines- only says that dancing along with other 2 activities became part of noble discipline trio . 
D. hint at Louis's enjoyment of physical activity as a means of self-improvement: yes as the line - As a result, court ritual and etiquette were rigid and demanding, and dance, along with fencing and equestrianism, became part of a trio of noble disciplines- indicates that these items were mentioned to mean something rigid and demanding physical activities . also in para 1 last line it says that Louis worked daily to develop his technique and to enhance and display what he considered his natural-born grace and physique.Louis demanded as much from the noble members of his court . Thus combining this we get that these 2 activities of fencing and equesterian hint at Louis's enjoyment of physical activity (demanding item) as a means of self improvement

E. show that nobility was revealed in many ways in Louis XIV's court:  actually these items were not mentioned to show that nobility was revealed in many ways as court ritual and etiquette were rigid and demanding and this trio qualified as noble discipline , so ruled out

rocky620 · Answer

Para-1  - History - Evolution of Ballet. Louis XIV affection towards the dance form
 Para-2  - How did Louis XIV introduced ballet in his court and his role towards generalize the Ballet instructions - His role in enhancing the dance form.

1. The main purpose of the passage is to

The passage is concerned about ballet and how did the people view changed for it.

A. examine the courtly rituals of Louis XIV.....  The court rituals were mentioned in order to support the fact that nobility was important and it was attained through certain activities. Its only Part explanation. Eliminate.  
B. demonstrate the superiority of French ballet over Italian ballet......  We cannot infer anything about the degree of superiority between French and Italian Ballet. It is only mentioned that it originated in Italy and flourished in France. Eliminate  
C. describe the interrelationship between Louis XIV, his court, and ballet......  This is a major part of the passage. But the passage is concerned about ballet and how people looked at the art form before, during and after the life of Louis XIV. Eliminate  
D. explain how Louis XIV came to be called the Sun King......  Its just mentioned as a result of Louis XIV appearance in the ballet performance. Eliminate.   
E. establish for readers that ballet is a noble art form......  Yes. Louis XIV, a noble himself adopted the art form to enhance the grace and his physical appearance, He wanted his noble man to do the same, after that he opened a ballet academy and post his death the Europeans adapted this fashion. Keep It

2. The passage implies that

A. a noble who lacked physical beauty and grace risked disfavor in Louis's court......  It is mentioned that  "A noble's social status and patronage depended on pleasing the sovereign, so many learned to dance ". They did this as Louis had demanded them to do so. Keep it.   
B. Le Ballet de la Nuit was not well received by audiences and critics due to its length......  Even though it was lengthy, nothing can be said about it reception by audience. Its not mentioned in the passage. Eliminate.  
C. Louis was unattractive and tried to compensate by excelling at dance......  He wanted to enhance and display what he considered his natural-born grace and physique, does not mean that he was unattractive. Eliminate.  
D. other European countries adopted ballet because they feared France's military power......  There is no mention of military power of France. Eliminate.  
E. Louis believed that with practice anyone could learn ballet......  Yes. He believed this, as he himself learned it. But it is a weak choice compared to option A. Eliminate.

3. The author probably mentions fencing and equestrianism (Highlighted) in order to

These two activities are examples of the activities that Louis XIV court noble man considered noble.

A. demean Louis's court by showing how trivial activities were viewed as important......  These may be trivial activities. But nothing can be said for sure. All we know that they were important. Eliminate  
B. demonstrate that military activities were still important during a time of peace......  These may be leisure activities/military activities. But was the time mentioned in passage peaceful? Cant be said. Eliminate  
C. describe two activities that eventually supplanted ballet in importance......  No. Ballet became a part of noble disciplines. If this had been the case it would have lost its importance. But it gained popularity. Eliminate.  
D. hint at Louis's enjoyment of physical activity as a means of self-improvement......  Yes. It is mentioned. Louis worked daily to  "develop his technique and to enhance and display what he considered his natural-born grace and physique." ,  "Louis demanded as much from the noble members of his court. Louis believed that inner nobility was revealed through outward appearance: physical beauty, grace, etiquette, and adherence to social convention. As a result, court ritual and etiquette were rigid and demanding, and dance, along with fencing and equestrianism, became part of a trio of noble disciplines." . These parts hints that Louis wanted to enhance his grace through physical activities. Keep It.  
E. show that nobility was revealed in many ways in Louis XIV's court......  This is a weak Choice. Eliminate.

IMO Option E, A, D

Neha2404 · Answer

IMO

1)C
2)A
3)E

1. The main purpose of the passage is to

A. examine the courtly rituals of Louis XIV.
INCORRECT: only a part of whole RC

B. demonstrate the superiority of French ballet over Italian ballet.
INCORRECT: nowhere mentioned

C. describe the interrelationship between Louis XIV, his court, and ballet.
CORRECT: The RC revolves around Louis and his devotion to ballet and his court

D. explain how Louis XIV came to be called the Sun King.
INCORRECT: Just a part of the whole RC

E. establish for readers that ballet is a noble art form.
INCORRECT: same reason as D

2. The passage implies that

A. a noble who lacked physical beauty and grace risked disfavor in Louis's court.
CORRECT: Louis believed that inner nobility was revealed through outward appearance: physical beauty, grace, etiquette, and adherence to social convention

B. Le Ballet de la Nuit was not well received by audiences and critics due to its length.
C. Louis was unattractive and tried to compensate by excelling at dance.
D. other European countries adopted ballet because they feared France's military power.
E. Louis believed that with practice anyone could learn ballet.

3. The author probably mentions fencing and equestrianism (Highlighted) in order to

A. demean Louis's court by showing how trivial activities were viewed as important.
B. demonstrate that military activities were still important during a time of peace.
C. describe two activities that eventually supplanted ballet in importance.
D. hint at Louis's enjoyment of physical activity as a means of self-improvement.
E. show that nobility was revealed in many ways in Louis XIV's court.
CORRECT: in 3 ways as fencing, equestrianism and then Ballet too

Pankaj0901 · Answer

Answer IMO:
1. C
2. A
3. E

1. The main purpose of the passage is to

A. examine the courtly rituals of Louis XIV.
 INCORRECT. There is no examination of courtly rituals. 
B. demonstrate the superiority of French ballet over Italian ballet.
 INCORRECT. That's not the main purpose of the passage. 
C. describe the interrelationship between Louis XIV, his court, and ballet.
 CORRECT. Lous XIV, his court and ballet are linked to each other since the beginning of the passage. 
D. explain how Louis XIV came to be called the Sun King.
 INCORRECT. That's only one line of the first paragraph in the passage. 
E. establish for readers that ballet is a noble art form.
 INCORRECT. Ballet is a noble art in context to Louis XiV's court, but author doesn't intend to establish to readers the same.

2. The passage implies that

A. a noble who lacked physical beauty and grace risked disfavor in Louis's court.
B. Le Ballet de la Nuit was not well received by audiences and critics due to its length.
C. Louis was unattractive and tried to compensate by excelling at dance.
D. other European countries adopted ballet because they feared France's military power.
E. Louis believed that with practice anyone could learn ballet.
 ANSWER IMO A: As mentioned in the first sentence of P2: "Louis demanded as much from the noble members of his court. Louis believed that inner nobility was revealed through outward appearance: physical beauty, grace, etiquette, and adherence to social convention.".

3. The author probably mentions fencing and equestrianism (Highlighted) in order to

A. demean Louis's court by showing how trivial activities were viewed as important.
 INCORRECT. "Demean" is too strong a word. While author may sound a bit critical but demeaning is certainly not correct. 
B. demonstrate that military activities were still important during a time of peace.
 INCORRECT. How are these activities related to military activities is not clear! 
C. describe two activities that eventually supplanted ballet in importance.
 INCORRECT. Had describing the two activities that supplanted ballet was the main reason, mentioning the words "fencing" and "equestrianism" would not make sense.  
D. hint at Louis's enjoyment of physical activity as a means of self-improvement.
 INCORRECT. Not intended to show the enjoyment or a means of self-improvement. Nothing such is specified in the passage. 
E. show that nobility was revealed in many ways in Louis XIV's court.
 CORRECT. Since the intention was to express nobility, this tells how nobility was revealed in many ways.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hello Everyone!

Question number one here is medium level in difficulty, B, D and E are easy to eliminate, only options A and C looks better, A being too extreme and covering fractional part of the passage is out hence C is the answer. Question number two is hard, Options B, C and D were easy eliminations only answer option A and E were tough to decide, E is mentioned in the passage so we have to choose what  “Implies”  by the passage and the answer  choice A  is correct. Question number three is comparatively easy. Detailed explanation will be posted soon.

Excellent work done by  Vie3nrose   Tahamohsin   Sumi1010  and  Pankaj0901

Thank you

VerbalBot · Answer

Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.

Although ballet originated in lavish Italian court dances, the art for

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Although ballet originated in lavish Italian court dances, the art for

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards