Political theories have, in fact, very little more to do with musical

Question

Political theories have, in fact, very little more to do with musical creation than electronics theories have. Both merely determine methods of distribution. The exploitation of these methods is subject to political regulation and is quite rigidly regulated in many countries. The revolutionary parties, both in Russia and elsewhere, have tried to turn composers on to supposedly revolutionary subject-matter. The net result for either art or revolution has not been very important. Neither has official fascist music accomplished much either for music or for Italy or Germany.

Political party influence on music is just censorship anyway. Performances can be forbidden and composers disciplined for what they write, but the creative stimulus comes from elsewhere. Nothing really “inspires” an author but money or food or love.

That persons or parties subventioning musical uses should wish to retain veto power over the works used is not at all surprising. That our political masters (or our representatives) should exercise a certain negative authority, a censorship, over the exploitation of works whose content they consider dangerous to public welfare is also in no way novel or surprising. But that such political executives should think to turn the musical profession into a college of political theorists or a bunch of hired propagandists is naïve of them. Our musical civilization is older than any political party. We can deal on terms of intellectual equality with acoustical engineers, with architects, with poets, painters, and historians, even with the Roman clergy if necessary. We cannot be expected to take very seriously the inspirational dictates of persons or of groups who think they can pay us to get emotional about ideas. They can pay us to get emotional all right. Anybody can. Nothing is so emotion-producing as money. But emotions are factual; they are not generated by ideas. On the contrary, ideas are generated by emotions; and emotions, in turn, are visceral states produced directly by facts like money and food and sexual intercourse. To have any inspirational quality there must be present facts or immediate anticipations, not pie-in-the-sky.

Now pie-in-the-sky has its virtues as a political ideal, I presume. Certainly most men want to work for an eventual common good. I simply want to make it quite clear that ideals about the common good (not to speak of mere political necessity) are not very stimulating subjectmatter for music. They don’t produce visceral movements the way facts do. It is notorious that  musical descriptions of hell , which is something we can all imagine, are more varied and vigorous than the placid banalities that even the best composers have used to describe heaven; and that all composers do better on really present matters than on either: matters like love and hatred and hunting and war and dancing around and around.

The moral of all this is that the vetoing of objective subject-matter is as far as political stimulation or censorship can go in advance. Style is personal and emotional, not political at all. And form or design, which is impersonal, is not subject to any political differences of opinion.    1 
 1. The author is making a statement defending

I. intellectual freedom
II. the apolitical stance of most musicians
III. emotional honesty

(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) I and II only
(D) I and III only
(E) I, II, and III

2 
 2. The tone of the author in the passage is

(A) exacting
(B) pessimistic
(C) critical
(D) optimistic
(E) fatalistic

3 
 3. The author’s reaction to political influence on music is one of

(A) surprise
(B) disbelief
(C) resignation
(D) deference
(E) rancor

4 
 4. According to the author, political attempts to control the subject matter of music

(A) will be resisted by artists wherever they are made
(B) may succeed in censoring but not in inspiring musical works
(C) will succeed only if the eventual goal is the common good
(D) are less effective than the indirect use of social and economic pressure
(E) have profoundly influenced the course of modern musical history

5 
 5. The author refers to “musical descriptions of hell” ( Highlighted ) to make the point that

(A) musical inspiration depends on the degree to which the composer’s imagination is stimulated by his subject
(B) composers are better at evoking negative emotions and ideas than positive ones
(C) music is basically unsuited to a role in support of political tyranny
(D) religious doctrines have inspired numerous musical compositions
(E) political ideals are a basic motivating force for most contemporary composers

6 
 6. The author implies that political doctrines usually fail to generate artistic creativity because they are too

(A) naïve
(B) abstract
(C) rigidly controlled
(D) concrete
(E) ambiguous

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

4. According to the author, political attempts to control the subject matter of music

Explanation

This question is particularly related to paragraph 2; read the paragraph and then use POE to reach the answer.

Political party influence on music is j ust censorship anyway. Performances can be forbidden and composers disciplined for what they write,  but the creative stimulus comes from elsewhere.  Nothing really “inspires” an author but money or food or love.

Now read the answer choices one by one.

(A) will be resisted by artists wherever they are made

Not mentioned, Out of scope.

(B) may succeed in censoring but not in inspiring musical works

This is true based on the referred text above.

(C) will succeed only if the eventual goal is the common good

Out of scope for the question asked.

(D) are less effective than the indirect use of social and economic pressure

Same as (A) Out of scope.

(E) have profoundly influenced the course of  modern musical history

Distorting the picture by injecting  "modern musical history"

Answer: B

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. The tone of the author in the passage is

Explanation

The author is critical of attempts to censor the arts, especially music.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

6. The author implies that political doctrines usually fail to generate artistic creativity because they are too

Explanation

See  paragraph 4 , in which the author states that  “ideals”  do not inspire music as  “facts”  do; and also see lines 9–10  (but the creative stimulus comes from elsewhere. Nothing really “inspires” an author but money or food or love.)  and 24–25.  (To have any inspirational quality there must be present facts or immediate anticipations, not pie-in-the-sky.)

Answer: B

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

5. The author refers to “musical descriptions of hell” (Highlighted) to make the point that

Explanation

Read the related text from the passage:

It is notorious that musical descriptions of hell, which is something we can all imagine, are more varied and vigorous than the placid banalities that even the best composers have used to describe heaven; and that all composers do better on really present matters than on either:

This leads to answer choice A.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

3. The author’s reaction to political influence on music is one of

Explanation

The author's reaction to political influence on music is one of resignation. They acknowledge that political regulation and censorship of music is not surprising, but they also make it clear that political parties should not expect to turn musicians into propagandists or political theorists. The author asserts that the creative stimulus for music comes from personal and emotional factors such as money, food, and love, rather than political ideas. Therefore, the vetoing of objective subject-matter is as far as political stimulation or censorship can go in advance. Based on this, the answer is  (C)  resignation.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. The author is making a statement defending

Explanation

The author is arguing that musicians will not conform to any control over their creativity. Thus, they want to be intellectually free and emotionally honest. It does not mean that they could not be active in politics (apolitical).

Answer: D

ducchi1301 · Answer

This is a hard passage, containing a combination of questions with tremendous difficulties. Personally, I have answered 5/6 questions incorrectly. Therefore, I will analyze that again here.

1. The author is making a statement defending

I. intellectual freedom 
 II. the apolitical stance of most musicians 
 III. emotional honesty

(A) I only 
 (B) II only 
 (C) I and II only 
   (D) I and III only   
 (E) I, II, and III 
 
Ideas supporting I:   Our musical civilization is older than any political party. We can deal on terms of intellectual equality with acoustical engineers, with architects, with poets, painters, and historians, even with the Roman clergy if necessary.  
Ideas supporting II: Although it is supplied that  "   Political party influence on music is just censorship anyway." . It doesn't mean that they're not supposed to be connected with politics any way. Eliminate II. 
 Ideas supporting III: Supplied in the last paragraph.

2. The tone of the author in the passage is

(A) exacting
(B) pessimistic
  (C) critical (The text is about criticizing the implementation of biases from politics.)
  (D) optimistic
(E) fatalistic

3. The author’s reaction to political influence on music is one of

(A) surprise
(B) disbelief
  (C) resignation
  (D) deference
(E) rancor

4. According to the author, political attempts to control the subject matter of music

(A) will be resisted by artists wherever they are made
(B) may succeed in censoring but not in inspiring musical works  (This is acceptable, as provided:  Political party influence on music is just censorship anyway. ) 
(C) will succeed only if the eventual goal is the common good
(D) are less effective than the indirect use of  social  and economic pressure  (No social factors are mentioned.) 
(E) have profoundly influenced the course of modern musical history
  
  6. The author implies that political doctrines usually fail to generate artistic creativity because they are too

(A) naïve
(B) abstract   (This is correct, as provided: To have any inspirational quality there must be present facts or immediate anticipations, not pie-in-the-sky.)  
(C) rigidly controlled
(D) concrete
(E) ambiguous

Political theories have, in fact, very little more to do with musical

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Political theories have, in fact, very little more to do with musical

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