Extraordinary creative activity has been characterized as revolutionar

11 min

1 incorrect rest all correct.
For question 1 I have a doubt that option A can be a valid answer as the author mentions in the passage a new theory proposes new generalizations..
E is also correct as per the passage.
I am not able to eliminate A.
Can anybody explain to me how to eliminate A?

Please send all the answers' explanation.

Posted from my mobile device

@, arvind910619, for 1st question my understanding was:
Q- The author considers a new theory that coherently relates diverse phenomena to one another to be the
(A) basis for reaffirming a well-established scientific formulation
(B) byproduct of an aesthetic experience
(C) tool used by a scientist to discover a new particular
(D) synthesis underlying a great work of art
(E) result of highly creative scientific activity

The first para mentions "For the sciences, a new theory is the goal and end result of the creative act. Innovative science produces new propositions in terms of which diverse phenomena can be related to one another in more coherent ways."

Option (A) says reaffirming a well-established scientific formulation, not new henc A cant be true.



Can anyone explain 2nd question. How is (A) not correct? Is it because of "outdo" The author implies that Beethoven’s music was strikingly original because Beethoven

(A) strove to outdo his predecessors by becoming the first composer to exploit limits
(B) fundamentally changed the musical forms of his predecessors by adopting a richly inventive strategy
(C) embellished and interwove the melodies of several of the great composers who preceded him
(D) manipulated the established conventions of musical composition in a highly innovative fashion
(E) attempted to create the illusion of having transcended the musical forms of his predecessors

Hi,
The passage mentions "Innovative science produces....". So for question 1 the correct answer should indicate some result or finding, which we can find in option E only.
Question 2, "... he was an incomparable strategist who exploited limits..." exploit and manipulate ..the meaning is same. so the answer will be D.

The passage mentions that "For the sciences, a new theory is the goal and end result of the creative art" in the first para.

bm2201

Pls provide OE for Q1,3,5,6

Hi GDT,

I don't have the official OE's but let me know if this helps.

1. The author considers a new theory that coherently relates diverse phenomena to one another to be the

(A) basis for reaffirming a well-established scientific formulation
(B) byproduct of an aesthetic experience
(C) tool used by a scientist to discover a new particular
(D) synthesis underlying a great work of art
(E) result of highly creative scientific activity


Explanation: can be inferred from the lines:"For the sciences, a new theory is the goal and end result of the creative act. Innovative science produces new propositions in terms of which diverse phenomena can be related to one another in more coherent ways. Such phenomena as a brilliant diamond or a nesting bird are relegated to the role of data, serving as the means for formulating or testing a new theory.". The lines imply that new theory is the goal and end result of creative activity.


3. The passage states that the operas of the Florentine Camerata are

(A) unjustifiably ignored by musicologists
(B) not generally considered to be of high aesthetic value even though they are important in the history of music
(C) among those works in which popular historical themes were portrayed in a musical production
(D) often inappropriately cited as examples of musical works in which a new principle of organization was introduced
(E) minor exceptions to the well-established generalization that the aesthetic worth of a composition determines its importance in the history of music

Explanation: can be directly inferred from the lines: " More generally, however, whether or not a composition establishes a new principle in the history of music has little bearing on its aesthetic worth. Because they embody a new principle of organization, some musical works, such as the operas of the Florentine Camerata, are of signal historical importance, but few listeners or musicologists would include these among the great works of music.".
The author says that the history of music doesn't really have any bearing on it's aesthetic value. He cites an example of the operas of the Florentine Camerata, that though they have significant historical importance, they are not considered of high aesthetic value, and only very few musicologists would count them among the great works of music.


5. vThe author regards the idea that all highly creative artistic activity transcends limits with

(A) deep skepticism
(B) strong indignation
(C) marked indifference
(D) moderate amusement
(E) sharp derision

Explanation: lines to consider: "However, the idea that extraordinary creativity transcends established limits is misleading when it is applied to the arts, even though it may be valid for the sciences". Author finds the idea misleading when it is applied to arts, thus making option A a better choice. Author doesn't seem to indignant (option B) about the claim, he is skeptical as he thinks the idea might be valid for sciences. Other options can be easily eliminated.


6. The author implies that an innovative scientific contribution is one that

(A) is cited with high frequency in the publications of other scientists
(B) is accepted immediately by the scientific community
(C) does not relegate particulars to the role of data
(D) presents the discovery of a new scientific fact
(E) introduces a new valid generalization

Explanation: can be again inferred from the lines: "Innovative science produces new propositions in terms of which diverse phenomena can be related to one another in more coherent ways", implying that science introduces new theories, using which diverse phenomenon can be related to one another, thus introducing a valid generalization.


Thanks.

bm2201
Can you explain the question 4 and 7?

In question no 4, option D states: Who besides Monteverdi wrote music that the author would consider to embody new principles of organization and to be of high aesthetic value?
According to the passage I inferred that besides Monteverdi, Author regards Florentine Camerata the same way.
Please provide me with the reasoning for the both the questions (4 and 7)

Thanks

Hi Spunk17,

4. The passage supplies information for answering all of the following questions EXCEPT:

(A) Has unusual creative activity been characterized as revolutionary?
(B) Did Beethoven work within a musical tradition that also included Handel and Bach?
(C) Is Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro an example of a creative work that transcended limits?
(D) Who besides Monteverdi wrote music that the author would consider to embody new principles of organization and to be of high aesthetic value?
(E) Does anyone claim that the goal of extraordinary creative activity in the arts differs from that of extraordinary creative activity in the sciences?

Explanation : We cannot infer if apart from Monteverdi, author considered anyone else to embody new principles of organization and to be of high aesthetic value. He believes that history of music has little impact on the aesthetic values and thus mentions the operas of the Florentine Camerata, as an example of the same. It can be inferred from the lines: "whether or not a composition establishes a new principle in the history of music has little bearing on its aesthetic worth. Because they embody a new principle of organization, some musical works, such as the operas of the Florentine Camerata, are of signal historical importance."
Other options can be answered using the information in the passage.


7. Which of the following statements would most logically concluded the last paragraph of the passage?

(A) Unlike Beethoven, however, even the greatest of modern composers, such as Stravinsky, did not transcend existing musical forms.
(B) In similar fashion, existing musical forms were even further exploited by the next generation of great European composers.
(C) Thus, many of the great composers displayed the same combination of talents exhibited by Monteverdi.
(D) By contrast, the view that creativity in the arts exploits but does not transcend limits is supported in the field of literature.
(E) Actually, Beethoven’s most original works were largely unappreciated at the time that they were first performed.

Explanation: can be inferred from the lines:"Aesthetic particulars produced by the highly creative artist extend or exploit, in an innovative way, the limits of an existing form, rather than transcend that form." and "But a close study of his compositions reveals that Beethoven overturned no fundamental rules. Rather, he was an incomparable strategist who exploited limits-the rules, forms, and conventions that he inherited from predecessors such as Haydn and Mozart, Handel and Bach-in strikingly original ways."

Author concludes the passage, with Beethoven was a strategist who exploited limits that he inherited from predecessors, and that aesthetic particulars produced by the highly creative artist extend or exploit the existing limits, in an innovative way, thus implying that
similarly existing musical forms were further exploited by the by the next generation of great European composers. This question is a little tricky, but if we use POE, we can easily eliminate other options.


Hope this Helps.
Thanks.

Option mentions A " basis for reaffirming a well-established scientific formulation". It is talking about reaffirming a previously established formulation. Which is not the case and hence, can be rejected.

12 minutes all correct, including 5 minutes to read the passage and take notes.

The key here is to quickly understand the author's argument from the beginning that he disagrees with the general notion that all creative activity is the same, and then understand how he supports his point by stating the differences between creative work in the sciences vs the arts.

The correct answer to question 6 can be found implicitly throughout the entire first paragraph.

The first paragraph describes how creative, innovative artistic activities don’t really transcend limits as innovative scientific ones do. The paragraph is mainly focusing on this difference.

Near the end of the paragraph, the author states:

“The goal of highly creative art is very different: ............ What highly creative artistic activity produces is NOT a new generalization....”


By saying that creative artistic activity doesn’t transcend limits and then saying what it does NOT do

——-> the author implies that a creative, innovative scientific activity, which does in fact transcend limits, will do this thing.

An innovative scientific activity does transcend limits so therefore an innovative scientific discovery makes generalizations, unlike a creative artistic activity.

Posted from my mobile device

Hi
For Q7, I got confused between B and C. Could you please also explain on what basis do we rule out C?
Thank you.

Hi medha312,




Author concludes the passage, with Beethoven was a strategist who exploited limits that he inherited from predecessors, and that aesthetic particulars produced by the highly creative artist extend or exploit the existing limits, in an innovative way, thus implying that
similarly existing musical forms were further exploited by the by the next generation of great European composers and option C implies that many great composers displayed the same talent exhibited by Monteverdi, which might be true, but seems a bit generalized right. What great composers is the author referring to?? As we can clearly infer that next generation of great European composers exploited the existing limits in innovative ways. Thus B is the better answer here.

Hope This Helps.
Thanks.

bm2201 Can you please explain Q2?

Hi junii,

2. The author implies that Beethoven’s music was strikingly original because Beethoven

(A) strove to outdo his predecessors by becoming the first composer to exploit limits
(B) fundamentally changed the musical forms of his predecessors by adopting a richly inventive strategy
(C) embellished and interwove the melodies of several of the great composers who preceded him
(D) manipulated the established conventions of musical composition in a highly innovative fashion
(E) attempted to create the illusion of having transcended the musical forms of his predecessors

Explanation:
D can be directly inferred from the last lines of the passage: "But a close study of his compositions reveals that Beethoven overturned no fundamental rules. Rather, he was an incomparable strategist who exploited limits—the rules, forms, and conventions that he inherited from predecessors such as Haydn and Mozart, Handel and Bach—in strikingly original ways".

Other options can be easily eliminated as the options cannot be inferred from the passage. Beethoven exploited the limits that he inherited from predecessors in original ways. Thus D is the correct answer.


Hope This Helps.
Thanks.

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