Music and literature, rivals among the arts, have not coexisted withou

Hi

You can check answer under spoiler, however if you are talking about explanations kindly mention question number i will post explanation.

Thanks

Please post explanation for question 4.

Very nice passage. It seemed daunting initially ( by the looks of it), but it is beautifully structured and can be solved in about 7 minutes. I got first 4 right in 7 minutes. overall got 5th wrong. do we have explanation for that?

Hope it helps

Hope it helps

Hi SajjadAhmad can you please post the explanation for 6, 7, 8

Hope it helps

Hi everyone,
Solved this one in 18 minutes and got 6/8 correct.

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P1

Paragraph one starts with a general statement about music and writing. We are given that those 2 are somehow connected and that "writing" aspires to be like music, which is characterized by a form who affects the context as well. Furthermore a great example of all this is the AAM (African American Music), which we know is the best art of north America.
Then a contrast is introduced: no-one before TM based a novel entirely upon a music genre.

Brief summary: Music and writing are connected and TM is an example of a writer exploiting this connection

P2

Paragraph 2 explains how "jazz" is influenced by music. While the plot obviously play a role, the way in which the story is told contributes even more. The novel is characterized by frequent shifts from the 3rd person to the 1st person and characters are given a lot of time to talk and to express themselves. However characters are always controlled and guided by the author. Similarly all this happens also in a Jazz band where musicians perform solos but they stick to a common line.

Brief summary: The way in which music affects TM's "jazz" novel

P3

Paragraph 3 talks about DE. DE, similarly to what TM does in her novel, works with a lot of musicians who are always kept in line no matter how bold they were.

Brief summary: DE did something similar in music as what TM did in her novel

P4

Paragraph four talks about the achievement of "jazz": the novel was paradoxically able to give space to the characters while keeping a fixed scope throughout the narration. Plus the novel redefined the possibilities of the narrative point of view.

Brief summary: "Jazz"'s achievements

Main point

The main point is to understand through the example of a novel how the music genre can be successfully applied to the genre of writing.

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1. Which one of the following most accurately states the main point of the passage?

Pre-thinking

Main point question

Refer to main point and paragraph summaries above


(A) In Jazz, Morrison has realized a significant artistic achievement in creating the first African American work of fiction whose plot, themes, and setting are all drawn from the world of jazz.
This one sounds good except for the fact that according to the passage "jazz" was not the first fiction

(B) Morrison's striking description of a musical ensemble performance containing solo improvisations constitutes an important artistic innovation and makes Jazz an important model for other writers.
the point is that TM's work metaphorically resembled jazz in a way that its characters were given the same time to talk as in jazz singers were given time to sing. Plus nowhere it is mentioned that the novel is a model for other writers

(C) Although many African American writers have used music as a central metaphor in their works, Morrison's 1992 novel is unique and innovative for using jazz as its central metaphor.
out of scope

(D) Building on the works of many African American writers and musical composers, Morrison has over the years developed an innovative jazzlike style of narration, which she used especially effectively in the novel Jazz.
not the main point and we are not also given that the author evolved over time

(E) In Jazz, Morrison has succeeded in creating an original and effective narrative strategy that is a literary analogue of Duke Ellington's style of musical composition.
This is correct and good candidate for the main point even tough it could be mistaken for a partial scope answer. POE helped

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2. The author's discussion in the first paragraph proceeds in which one of the following ways?

Pre-thinking

Structure question

In P1 we are given a general statement about music and writing. Then we are given that an example of this relationship is represented by AAM and that TM wrote a unique novel based on this relationship.


(A) from a common claim about the arts, to a denial of this claim as applied to a particular artistic tradition, to a hypothesis about a particular individual
Out of scope per the highlight terms

(B) from a general remark about two art forms, to a similar observation about a particular artistic tradition, to a specific comment about a particular work that exemplifies the prior remarks
This is very in line with pre-thinking

(C) from a description of a common claim about two art forms, to some specific evidence that supports that claim, to an inference regarding a particular individual to whom that claim applies
Out of scope per the terms highlighted

(D) from an observation about a specific art form, to a more general claim about the applicability of that observation to other art forms, to a particular counterexample to the first observation
out of scope per the terms highlighted

(E) from general comments about the arts, to a purported counterexample to the general comments as applied to a particular artistic tradition, to a description of a particular work that bears out the original comments
out of scope per the terms highlighted

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3. The author's assertion in lines 10-16 would be most called into question if which one of the following were true?

Pre-thinking

Weaken question

The followings are the lines provided by the question stem:

"North American art. But while many African American
writers have used musicians and music as theme and
metaphor in their writing, none had attempted to draw
upon a musical genre as the structuring principle for
an entire novel until Toni Morrison did so in her 1992
(15) novel Jazz, a novel set in the Harlem section of
New York City in 1926."

[b]We should treat this as a normal CR question. The only information given is that TM was the only one to write a novel entirely derived from a music genre.

Clearly we need to suggest that either she was not the only one or that she did not entirely structure her novel based on a music genre
[/b]

(A) Even a casual reading of Jazz makes it evident that the author has intentionally tried to simulate a style of jazz performance in the narration of the story.
Not in line with pre-thinking

(B) A small number of African American novelists writing earlier in the twentieth century sought to base the form of their work on the typical structure of blues music.
in line with pre-thinking. This proves that TM was not the only one and the first to do such thing

(C) All novels about nonliterary arts and artists appear as if their authors have tried to make their narrative styles reminiscent of the arts in question.
Not in line with pre-thinking

(D) Depending partly on whether or not it is read aloud, any novel can be found to be somewhat musical in nature.
Not in line with pre-thinking

(E) A smaller number of African American writers than of non-African American writers in North America have written novels whose plots and characters have to do with music.
Not in line with pre-thinking


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4. The information in the passage most supports which one of the following statements regarding Ellington?

Pre-thinking

Inference question

An inference could be that what DE did with his music is very similar to what TM did in her novel.
Also notice that "performed as if with quotation
marks around their improvisations and solos." resembles what is said in the previous paragraph about TM style.

Let's analyze the option choices


(A) Morrison has explicitly credited him with inspiring the style of narration that she developed in Jazz.
cannot be inferred

(B)He preventedhis musicians from performing lengthy solos in order to preserve the unity of his compositions.
He did not prevent them.

(C) He is a minor character in Morrison's Jazz.
cannot be inferred

(D) He composed music that was originally intended to be performed by the specific musicians he conducted.
"Duke Ellington
was the first to construct his compositions with his
individual musicians and their unique "voices" in
mind."

This seems reasonable and the only choice left after rejecting the other options on a solid base.

(E) Though he composed and conducted primarily jazz, he also composed some music of other genres.
cannot be inferred


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5. The author's primary purpose in the passage is to

Pre-thinking

Main point question

Refer to main point and to paragraph summaries above


(A) analyze and commend the variety of contributions to the art of the novel made by a particular writer
The author is not interested in the contributions

(B) contrast a particular African American writer's work with the work of African American practitioners of another art
out of scope

(C) describe a particular aspect of one work by a particular writer
In line with pre-thinking. The particular aspect is that the novel is entirely based on a music genre. This is broad enough to be the main point

(D) demonstrate the ways in which two apparently dissimilar arts are, on a deeper analysis, actually quite similar
From the beginning the author says that the two arts are connected.

(E) detail the thematic concerns in the work of a particular writer and identify the sources of those concerns
thematic concerns are not discussed


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6. Each of the following excerpts from the passage exhibits the author's attitude toward the novel Jazz EXCEPT:

Pre-thinking

Detail question




(A) " ... whose music is often considered its greatest artistic achievement and one of the greatest contributions to North American art" (lines 8-10)
This is the author opinion about a topic, the AAM. Hence it does not portray the author attitude toward the novel itself

(B) "In Jazz, the connection to music is found not only in the novel's plot but, more strikingly, in the way in which the story is told" (lines 17-19)
this is the author option about the novel

(C) "The narration slips easily from the third-person omniscience of the narrator's disembodied voice ... " (lines 19-21)
this are facts about the novel

(D) " ... Morrison has found a way, paradoxically, to create the sense of an ensemble of characters improvising within the fixed scope ... " (lines 49-51)
facts about the novel

(E) "By simulating the style of a genius of music while exhibiting Morrison's own linguistic virtuosity ... " (lines 52-54)
author opinion about the novel

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7. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would be most likely to believe which one of the following?

Pre-thinking

Inference question

This is a broad question. Instead of pre-thinking all the possible inferences for time sake we will analyze the answer choices one by one


(A) In Jazz, Morrison has perfected a style of narration that had been attempted with little success by other North American writers in the twentieth century.
[b]In P1 the author clearly states that this approach was never attempted before.[/b]

(B) Because of its use of narrative techniques inspired by jazz, Morrison's novel representsthe most successful representation to date of the milieu in which jazz musicians live and work.
Too extreme because of "the most successful"

(C) In Jazz, Morrison develops her narrative in such a way that the voices of individual charactersare sometimes difficult to distinguish, in much the same way that individual musicians' voices merge in ensemble jazz playing.
We do not have enough information to say that all that applies to the genre of jazz also applies in the novel

(D) The structural analogy between Jazz and Duke Ellington's compositional style involves more than simply the technique of shifting between first-person and third-person narrators.
This could be it. DE is said to give space to musicians and their solos but at the end all those solos are quotations. A similar reasoning is applied to TM. Hence we can infer this statement

(E) Morrison disguises the important structural connections between her narrative and Duke Ellington's jazz compositions by making the transitions between first- and third-person narrators appear easy.
cannot be inferred


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8. The passage contains information that most helps to answer which one of the following questions?

Pre-thinking

Detail question

Let's analyze the answer choices


(A) Do any African American visual artists also attempt to emulate African American music in their work?
we know that some AAWriters tried to base their composition partially on music. Emulate distorts the meaning

(B) In what way is Jazz stylistically similar to other literary works by Morrison?
This seems to be given in P2

(C) After the publication of Jazz, did critics quickly acknowledge the innovative nature of the narrative style that Morrison uses in that novel?
No info about critics

(D) How many works by African American writers have been inspired by the music of Duke Ellington?
how many works: not given

(E) What characteristic of Jazz is also present in the work of some other African American writers?
Not given.


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It is a god day to be alive!

Scary passage. Got 7/8 correct. Total time : 16.45.

I must say, for Q1,2,7 I relied completely on my POE and chose the last remaining choice

Good read

Hi Sajjad1994

Ca you post answer for question 3.

Explanation Credit: PowerScore

Hello sajjad1994

Can you please post answers for question no 1 and 2.

Thanks.

Explanation Credit: PowerScore

Got 6 out of 8, missed question number 2 (had to guess), and number 7 (went for C, thanks Sajjad1994 for both the passage and the explanations). Pretty hard passage though. Pretty slow in terms of timings (17 min and 38 sec) :/

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