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The whole idea behind the correct answer seems to unfairly rest on the interpretation of “performances” as “live-performances” v “old-recording”. I eliminated B, D, E for reasons mentioned by experts above and I was skeptical about A as well since I understood the fact that just because ppl believe they have aptitude doesn’t mean they actually have it and so, I was torn between A and C. I ruled out C because I didn’t see “performances” as only limited to live performances, an artist could be performing on a recording and thus went with A.


Can someone please shed light on this ^ GMATNinja KarishmaB MartyTargetTestPrep
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The whole idea behind the correct answer seems to unfairly rest on the interpretation of “performances” as “live-performances” v “old-recording”. I eliminated B, D, E for reasons mentioned by experts above and I was skeptical about A as well since I understood the fact that just because ppl believe they have aptitude doesn’t mean they actually have it and so, I was torn between A and C. I ruled out C because I didn’t see “performances” as only limited to live performances, an artist could be performing on a recording and thus went with A.

Can someone please shed light on this ^
Here's (C).

(C) Most people who appreciate classical music come to do so through old recordings rather than live performances.

The key thing we have to notice about (C) is that it mentions "old recordings." Now, here's the thing, even if we consider "recordings" performances, "old recordings" are not recordings made today or in the future. "Old recordings" are recordings that were made in the past.

The point of the passage that what's going on now and in the future will result in a reduction in classical music's popularity. The premise is that there will not be enough classical musicians of sufficient ability to enable people to "appreciate classical music's greatness."

So, by mentioning "old recordings," i.e., recordings made in the past, as the means by which people "appreciate classical music's greatness," (C) wrecks the argument by indicating what's going on now and in the future is not an issue since the appreciation of classical music is done by means of recordings made in the past.
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Music critic: Fewer and fewer musicians are studying classical music, decreasing the likelihood that those with real aptitude for such music will be performing it. Audiences who hear these performances will not appreciate classical music’s greatness and will thus decamp to other genres. So to maintain classical music’s current meager popularity, we must encourage more young musicians to enter the field.

Which of the following, if true, most weakens the music critic’s reasoning?

(A) Musicians who choose to study classical music do so because they believe they have an aptitude for the music.

(B) Classical music’s current meager popularity is attributable to the profusion of other genres of music available to listeners.

(C) Most people who appreciate classical music come to do so through old recordings rather than live performances.

(D) It is possible to enjoy the music in a particular genre even when it is performed by musicians who are not ideally suited for that genre.

(E) The continued popularity of a given genre of music depends in part on the audiences being able to understand why that genre attained its original popularity.

At its core, this is a PLANNING argument.

Plan: Encourage more young musicians to enter the field.
Goal: Maintain classical music’s current meager popularity.

Which answer choice weakens this plan?

C: Most people who appreciate classical music come to do so through old recordings rather than live performances.
Here, an appreciation for classical music depends not on young musicians entering the field and giving live performances but on exposure to old recordings.
As a result, the plan above is weakened.

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muralis18
GMATNinja KarishmaB

In option B -> if Classical music’s current meager popularity is attributed to the profusion of other genres of music available to listeners, then even if we increase people studying classical music it won't maintain/increase the popularity since the decline/current meager popularity is attributed not to X(decrease in people studying it) but to Y(increase in listening other genres)

So doesn't option B weaken the argument that, making people study classical music will maintain meager popularity?

Please let me know if I'm missing something.


(B) Classical music’s current meagre popularity is attributable to the profusion of other genres of music available to listeners.

It tells us why currently classical music is not very popular. What led to its decline in the past.
Our argument focusses on how to maintain the current meagre popularity in future. Why the popularity is meagre currently is not in scope for us. Whatever happened to give classical music its current meagre popularity may not continue in the future. We cannot assume that it will. Hence, it has no impact on our argument.

Hence, (B) is not correct.
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Music critic: Fewer and fewer musicians are studying classical music, decreasing the likelihood that those with real aptitude for such music will be performing it. Audiences who hear these performances will not appreciate classical music’s greatness and will thus decamp to other genres. So to maintain classical music’s current meager popularity, we must encourage more young musicians to enter the field.

The argument basically just says that
1. fewer people are learning classical music
2. Therefore, people with no real aptitude are likely to create classical music
3. Audiences who appreciate classical music would have judgments about classical music by people mentioned in point 2
4. Therefore (main conclusion), we must encourage more young people to enter the field of classical music

So basically, the author just says that in order for audiences to appreciate classical music, more and more young people MUST be encouraged to enter the field of classical music

Which of the following, if true, most weakens the music critic’s reasoning?

We are looking for an answer choice that would weaken the conclusion. Therefore, on rephrasing the question - which of the following answer choices would suggest that encouraging more and more young people to join the field of classical music is not a must?

Let's attack the answer choices.

(A) Musicians who choose to study classical music do so because they believe they have an aptitude for the music.
Doesn't relate to our rephrased question.

(B) Classical music’s current meager popularity is attributable to the profusion of other genres of music available to listeners.
Doesn't relate to our rephrased question.

(C) Most people who appreciate classical music come to do so through old recordings rather than live performances.
Bingo! If audiences appreciate classical music through the recordings then we do not need to encourage more and more young people to join classical music. These audiences will likely have no major impact of the new classical music

(D) It is possible to enjoy the music in a particular genre even when it is performed by musicians who are not ideally suited for that genre.
Doesn't relate to our rephrased question

(E) The continued popularity of a given genre of music depends in part on the audiences being able to understand why that genre attained its original popularity.
Doesn't relate to our rephrased question
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My issue with C is "live performances" the question stem does not say live performances... it could simply be music recordings made by the performers.
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It is not mentioned in the question stem that audience will hear "live" performance.
do we have to assume that you see a recording and hear a live performance??
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mihir0710
I was torn between Option E and C and finally chose E ...But OA says C..
What is wrong with E ?
Can someone explain ...
The critic's conclusion is that "we must encourage more young musicians to enter the field "in order to "maintain classical music’s current meager popularity". How does the author reach this conclusion?

  • Fewer and fewer musicians are studying classical music, and, as a result, it is becoming less likely that those with real aptitude for classical music will be performing it. This implies that the quality of classical music performances is declining.
  • As the quality of the performances decreases, those performances will become less likely to showcase the greatness of classical music. Thus, audiences will become less likely to appreciate the greatness of classical music.
  • If audiences do not appreciate the greatness of classical music, they will chose to listen to other types of music.
  • To summarize: less qualified performers => weaker performances that do no showcase the greatness of classical music => audiences who do not appreciate the greatness of classical music => audiences moving away from classical music and opting to listen to other types of music instead

The author then concludes that "we must encourage more young musicians to enter the field" in order to "maintain classical music’s current meager popularity". Notice the word must; this implies that if we do NOT encourage more young musicians to enter the field, we will not be able to "maintain classical music’s current meager popularity".

We are asked, "Which of the following, if true, most weakens the music critic’s reasoning?"

Quote:
A. Musicians who choose to study classical music do so because they believe they have an aptitude for the music.
The critic's argument does not discuss why fewer and fewer musicians are studying classical music. If fewer and fewer musicians believe that they have an aptitude for classical music, that might explain why fewer and fewer musicians are choosing to study classical music. Choice (A) doesn't seem to weaken the critic's reasoning, so (A) can be eliminated.

Quote:
B. Classical music’s current meager popularity is attributable to the profusion of other genres of music available to listeners.
The author's argument is not concerned with explaining classical music's current meager popularity. Rather, the author discusses what he/she believes must be done to maintain the current level of popularity. Choice (B) can be eliminated because it does not weaken the critic's reasoning.

Quote:
C. Most people who appreciate classical music come to do so through old recordings rather than live performances.
The critic reasons that audiences will move away from classical music as they listen to weaker performances of classical music. However, if most people who appreciate classical music come to do so through old recordings rather than live performances, it doesn't matter if the quality of the performances is in decline. Those people can still listen to old recordings and thus still appreciate the greatness of classical music. This breaks the critic's line of reasoning, so (C) is a solid choice.

Quote:
D. It is possible to enjoy the music in a particular genre even when it is performed by musicians who are not ideally suited for that genre.
The author does not argue that it will not be possible to enjoy classical music performed by musicians who are not ideally suited for that genre. Instead, the author argues that classical performances by musicians who are not ideally suited for that genre will fail to convey the greatness of classical music and thus cause audiences to listen to other types of music. Choice (D) does not weaken the critic's reasoning, so it can be eliminated.

Quote:
E. The continued popularity of a given genre of music depends in part on the audiences being able to understand why that genre attained its original popularity.
The author does not claim that appreciation for the greatness of classical music is the ONLY necessary requirement for maintaining the current level of popularity. The popularity can certainly be affected by other factors, such as understanding why classical music attained its original popularity. Even if the continued popularity of classical music depends in part on the audiences being able to understand why classical music attained its original popularity, the popularity of classical music might still be in jeopardy unless more young musicians enter the field. (E) can be eliminated, and we're left with (C).
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Sachdeep
It is not mentioned in the question stem that audience will hear "live" performance.
do we have to assume that you see a recording and hear a live performance??
No assumptions necessary. We're talking about music here, so it probably makes more sense to assume people are simply listening to recordings, but even if they were watching videos, it wouldn't matter. The point is that if people are developing a love for classical music without needing to hear the music live, the argument falls apart.

If the live performers aren't as good, what difference does it make? The recordings -- whatever form they might take -- are what really matter for winning over new fans.

I hope that clears things up!
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GMATNinja KarishmaB AjiteshArun

(B) Classical music’s current meager popularity is attributable to the profusion of other genres of music available to listeners.
(C) Most people who appreciate classical music come to do so through old recordings rather than live performances.

If C gives us a reason that popularity depends on old recordings rather than live performances, why cant we have a similar reasoning for B. B also gives the reason for current popularity.

So both B & C gives us a reason for popularity and therefore can be related to how can we maintain current popularity.

Why this reasoning is incorrect?
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Sneha2021
GMATNinja KarishmaB AjiteshArun

(B) Classical music’s current meager popularity is attributable to the profusion of other genres of music available to listeners.
(C) Most people who appreciate classical music come to do so through old recordings rather than live performances.

If C gives us a reason that popularity depends on old recordings rather than live performances, why cant we have a similar reasoning for B. B also gives the reason for current popularity.

So both B & C gives us a reason for popularity and therefore can be related to how can we maintain current popularity.

Why this reasoning is incorrect?
Hi Sneha2021,

Let's take another look at the task. We need to weaken "we must encourage more young musicians to enter the field". So to maintain classical music’s current meager popularity, we need to show that encouraging more young musicians to enter the field is not necessary or not helpful.

Option B
This option says that there are a lot of other genres of music available to listeners. Does this mean that we can't or shouldn't encourage more young musicians to enter the field? Maybe more young musicians will be able to help maintain the popularity of classical music even if listeners have a lot of other options.

Option C
The author was concerned that "audiences who hear these (live) performances will not appreciate classical music’s greatness and will thus decamp to other genres". This option tells us that listeners actually develop an appreciation for classical music from old recordings. Thus they are already exposed to the greatness of classical music (old recordings ~ greatness by those with real aptitude), which means that they are less likely to "decamp to other genres".

Also, we now have an alternative strategy (old recordings). So when the author says "we must encourage more young musicians to enter the field", we can respond by saying that no, this isn't necessary (we can use old recordings instead).
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GMATNinja , please why can not D be the answer in place of C . Because C uses "most". means still there will be some people who enjoy classical music through live performances. So these ( some ) people might shift to other genre. Wheres in D we have clear possibility of keeping the status quo maintained in the genre by introducing the musicians from other field and classical music will still be enjoyed.
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mihir0710
I was torn between Option E and C and finally chose E ...But OA says C..
What is wrong with E ?
Can someone explain ...
The critic's conclusion is that "we must encourage more young musicians to enter the field "in order to "maintain classical music’s current meager popularity". How does the author reach this conclusion?

  • Fewer and fewer musicians are studying classical music, and, as a result, it is becoming less likely that those with real aptitude for classical music will be performing it. This implies that the quality of classical music performances is declining.
  • As the quality of the performances decreases, those performances will become less likely to showcase the greatness of classical music. Thus, audiences will become less likely to appreciate the greatness of classical music.
  • If audiences do not appreciate the greatness of classical music, they will chose to listen to other types of music.
  • To summarize: less qualified performers => weaker performances that do no showcase the greatness of classical music => audiences who do not appreciate the greatness of classical music => audiences moving away from classical music and opting to listen to other types of music instead

The author then concludes that "we must encourage more young musicians to enter the field" in order to "maintain classical music’s current meager popularity". Notice the word must; this implies that if we do NOT encourage more young musicians to enter the field, we will not be able to "maintain classical music’s current meager popularity".

We are asked, "Which of the following, if true, most weakens the music critic’s reasoning?"

Quote:
A. Musicians who choose to study classical music do so because they believe they have an aptitude for the music.
The critic's argument does not discuss why fewer and fewer musicians are studying classical music. If fewer and fewer musicians believe that they have an aptitude for classical music, that might explain why fewer and fewer musicians are choosing to study classical music. Choice (A) doesn't seem to weaken the critic's reasoning, so (A) can be eliminated.

Quote:
B. Classical music’s current meager popularity is attributable to the profusion of other genres of music available to listeners.
The author's argument is not concerned with explaining classical music's current meager popularity. Rather, the author discusses what he/she believes must be done to maintain the current level of popularity. Choice (B) can be eliminated because it does not weaken the critic's reasoning.

Quote:
C. Most people who appreciate classical music come to do so through old recordings rather than live performances.
The critic reasons that audiences will move away from classical music as they listen to weaker performances of classical music. However, if most people who appreciate classical music come to do so through old recordings rather than live performances, it doesn't matter if the quality of the performances is in decline. Those people can still listen to old recordings and thus still appreciate the greatness of classical music. This breaks the critic's line of reasoning, so (C) is a solid choice.

Quote:
D. It is possible to enjoy the music in a particular genre even when it is performed by musicians who are not ideally suited for that genre.
The author does not argue that it will not be possible to enjoy classical music performed by musicians who are not ideally suited for that genre. Instead, the author argues that classical performances by musicians who are not ideally suited for that genre will fail to convey the greatness of classical music and thus cause audiences to listen to other types of music. Choice (D) does not weaken the critic's reasoning, so it can be eliminated.

Quote:
E. The continued popularity of a given genre of music depends in part on the audiences being able to understand why that genre attained its original popularity.
The author does not claim that appreciation for the greatness of classical music is the ONLY necessary requirement for maintaining the current level of popularity. The popularity can certainly be affected by other factors, such as understanding why classical music attained its original popularity. Even if the continued popularity of classical music depends in part on the audiences being able to understand why classical music attained its original popularity, the popularity of classical music might still be in jeopardy unless more young musicians enter the field. (E) can be eliminated, and we're left with (C).
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Vineet921

Well, if you're going to consider that "most" doesn't mean "all," then you really don't want D! It's just saying "it is possible," which leaves us wondering how many people, if any, will actually do this. Generally, when we want to weaken or strengthen an argument, we're not going to get much out of mild statement such as "it is possible to do X" or "some people do Y," unless the entire argument rests on the assumption that this NEVER happens. For instance, if I say my car will not be stolen because it's locked and I have the only key, then sure, we can weaken by saying "It's possible to open and start a locked car without the key." Why? Because I seem to think the key is the ONLY way to take the car.

However, in this argument, the author is just relying on the general idea that if people don't hear the music played well, they won't appreciate its greatness. That doesn't necessarily mean no one will appreciate, or that it's not possible to appreciate. The author just thinks that people aren't going to get the right experience without a good player. Aside from its weakness, D also fails to address this specific issue--appreciating greatness. It only addresses enjoyment, and we don't know that people who enjoy a concert are appreciating its true greatness.

As for C, the "most" is fine. We don't need the answer to prove that no one needs live concerts. It just shows that the most common way to learn to appreciate classical music is through recordings. If that's the case, then it's clearly not necessary for everyone to hear it played live by the best performers. In that case, the conclusion doesn't have to follow. Classical music could continue on just fine, with most/all fans learning about it first from recordings.
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