Proponents of different jazz styles have always argued that their

Question

Proponents of different jazz styles have always argued that their predecessors’ musical style did not include essential characteristics that define jazz as jazz. Thus, 1940’s swing was belittled by beboppers of the 1950’s, who were themselves attacked by free jazzers of the 1960’s. The neoboppers of the 1980’s and 1990’s attacked almost everybody else. The titanic figure of Black saxophonist John Coltrane has complicated the arguments made by proponents of styles from bebop through neobop because in his own musical journey he drew from all those styles. His influence on all types of jazz was immeasurable. At the height of his popularity, Coltrane largely abandoned playing bebop, the style that had brought him fame, to explore the outer reaches of jazz.

Coltrane himself probably believed that the only essential characteristic of jazz was improvisation, the one constant in his journey from bebop to open-ended improvisations on modal, Indian, and African melodies. On the other hand, this dogged student and prodigious technician—who insisted on spending hours each day practicing scales from theory books—was never able to jettison completely the influence of bebop, with its fast and elaborate chains of notes and ornaments on melody.

Two stylistic characteristics shaped the way Coltrane played the tenor saxophone, he favored playing fast runs of notes built on a melody and depended on heavy, regularly accented beats. The first led Coltrane to “sheets of sound,” where he raced faster and faster, pile-driving notes into each other to suggest stacked harmonies. The second meant that his sense of rhythm was almost as close to rock as to bebop.

Three recordings illustrate Coltrane’s energizing explorations. Recording  Kind of Blue  with Miles Davis, Coltrane found himself outside bop, exploring modal melodies. Here he played surging, lengthy solos built largely around repeated motifs—an organizing principle unlike that of free jazz saxophone player Ornette Coleman, who modulated or altered melodies in his solos. On  Giant Steps , Coltrane debuted as leader, introducing his own compositions. Here the sheets of sound, downbeat accents, repetitions, and great speed are part of each solo, and the variety of the shapes of his phrases is unique. Coltrane’s searching explorations produced solid achievement.  My Favorite Things  was another kind of watershed. Here Coltrane played the soprano saxophone, an instrument seldom used by jazz musicians. Musically, the results were astounding. With the soprano’s piping sound, ideas that had sounded dark and brooding acquired a feeling of giddy fantasy.

When Coltrane began recording for the Impulse! label, he was still searching. His music became raucous, physical. His influence on rockers was enormous, including Jimi Hendrix, the rock guitarist, who, following Coltrane, raised the extended guitar solo using repeated motifs to a kind of rock art form.    1 
 1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) discuss the place of Coltrane in the world of jazz and describe his musical explorations
(B) examine the nature of bebop and contrast it with improvisational jazz
(C) analyze the musical sources of Coltrane’s style and their influence on his work
(D) acknowledge the influence of Coltrane’s music on rock music and rock musicians
(E) discuss the arguments that divide the proponents of different jazz styles

2 
 2. The author implies that which of the following would have been an effect of Coltrane’s having chosen to play the tenor rather than the soprano saxophone on  My Favorite Things ?

(A) The tone of the recording would have been more somber.
(B) The influence of bebop on the recording would have been more obvious.
(C) The music on the recording would have sounded less raucous and physical.
(D) His influence on rock music might have been less pervasive.
(E) The style of the recording would have been indistinguishable from that on  Kind of Blue.

3 
 3. Which of the following best describes the organization of the fourth paragraph?

(A) A thesis referred to earlier in the passage is mentioned and illustrated with three specific examples.
(B) A thesis is stated and three examples are given each suggesting that a correction needs to be made to a thesis referred to earlier in the passage.
(C) A thesis referred to earlier in the passage is mentioned, and three examples are presented and ranked in order of their support of the thesis.
(D) A thesis is stated, three seemingly opposing examples are presented, and their underlying correspondence is explained.
(E) A thesis is stated, three dissimilar examples are considered, and the thesis is restated.

4 
 4. According to the passage, John Coltrane did all of the following during his career EXCEPT:

(A) improvise on melodies from a number of different cultures
(B) perform as leader as well as soloist 
(C) spend time improving his technical skills
(D) experiment with the sounds of various instruments
(E) eliminate the influence of bebop on his own music

5 
 5. The author mentions the work of Ornette Coleman in the fourth paragraph in order to do which of the following?

(A) Expand the discussion by mentioning the work of a saxophone player who played in Coltrane’s style.
(B) Compare Coltrane’s solos with the work of another jazz artist.
(C) Support the idea that rational organizing principles need to be applied to artistic work.
(D) Show the increasing intricacy of Coltrane’s work after he abandoned bebop.
(E) Indicate disagreement with the way Coltrane modulated the motifs in his lengthy solos.

6 
 6. According to the passage, a major difference between Coltrane and other jazz musicians was the

(A) degree to which Coltrane’s music encompassed all of jazz
(B) repetition of motifs that Coltrane used in his solos
(C) number of his own compositions that Coltrane recorded
(D) indifference Coltrane maintained to musical technique
(E) importance Coltrane placed on rhythm in jazz

7 
 7. In terms of its tone and form, the passage can best be characterized as

(A) dogmatic explanation
(B) indignant denial
(C) enthusiastic praise
(D) speculative study
(E) lukewarm review

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hello everyone!

Admittedly this passage is very long compared to the Official GMAT passage, A GMAT passage shouldn't be lengthier than 350 words but this is nearly equal to 450 words, Nevertheless, this is still good for practice purposes. One cannot answer correctly to all questions by reading the passage just once, you have to go back to the passage for a few detailed questions.

Question number 2  is rather straight forward, it is talking about  My Favorite Things  which is given in  paragraph 4 , Just go and read the related text. Below is the support text in the passage for question #2:

" My Favorite Things  was another kind of watershed. Here Coltrane played the soprano saxophone, an instrument seldom used by jazz musicians. Musically, the results were astounding.  With the soprano’s piping sound , ideas that had sounded dark and brooding acquired  a feeling of giddy fantasy. "

Among the available options only  A  supports the above:

(A)  The tone of the recording would have been more somber.

and hence it is the answer.

Question #3  again is referring to  paragraph 4 , The three examples given in the paragraph are:

Kind of Blue 
 Giant Steps 
 My Favorite Things

At the start of the passage, the author said that:

Proponents of different jazz styles have always argued that their predecessors’ musical style did not include essential characteristics that define jazz as jazz.

And the author tries to prove his/her point with the explanation and these three examples.

Only answer option  A  stand correctly

(A)  A thesis referred to earlier in the passage is mentioned and illustrated with three specific examples.

and hence is the answer

4. According to the passage, John Coltrane did all of the following during his career EXCEPT:

(A) improvise on melodies from a number of different cultures 
Given in the  second paragraph

(B) perform as leader as well as soloist 
Given in the  second paragraph

(C) spend time improving his technical skills 
This one is probably the toughest to find and I came to know at the end that it is not explicitly mentioned rather it can be in parts in paragraphs 3 and 4 in the form of his working styles mentioned. For example in the third paragraph we can infer this option:

The first led Coltrane to “sheets of sound,” where he raced faster and faster, pile-driving notes into each other to suggest stacked harmonies.

In the  4th paragraph

Three recordings illustrate Coltrane’s energizing explorations.

(D) experiment with the sounds of various instruments 
This can be found in the 4th paragraph probably the answer to the second question:

"My Favorite Things was another kind of watershed. Here Coltrane played the soprano saxophone, an instrument seldom used by jazz musicians. Musically, the results were astounding. With the soprano’s piping sound, ideas that had sounded dark and brooding acquired a feeling of giddy fantasy."

(E) eliminate the influence of bebop on his own music 
This is the answer.

If you think it is mentioned in the  first paragraph  then you might need to read the paragraph and this option again.

Cheers

AbhishekGupta2k4 · Answer

Hey could someone please explain Q6 and Q7?

guddo · Answer

6. According to the passage, a major difference between Coltrane and other jazz musicians was the

The passage says jazz musicians often argued that earlier or different jazz styles lacked what made jazz “true” jazz. Coltrane was different because his own music drew from bebop, modal jazz, free jazz-like improvisation, Indian and African melodies, and even influenced rock.  His music crossed style boundaries  rather than fitting neatly into one camp.

(A) degree to which Coltrane’s music encompassed all of jazz

Correct. The passage says Coltrane complicated arguments among jazz-style proponents because he drew from all those styles, and his influence on all types of jazz was immeasurable. This is the broad difference the passage emphasizes.

(B) repetition of motifs that Coltrane used in his solos

Wrong. Repeated motifs are one feature of some Coltrane recordings, but this is too narrow. It does not capture his major difference from other jazz musicians generally.

(C) number of his own compositions that Coltrane recorded

Wrong. The passage mentions his own compositions on Giant Steps, but does not present the number of compositions as a major distinction.

(D) indifference Coltrane maintained to musical technique

Wrong. The passage says the opposite: Coltrane was a  prodigious technician  who practiced scales for hours.

(E) importance Coltrane placed on rhythm in jazz

Wrong. Rhythm was important in his style, but the passage’s main contrast is not that other jazz musicians ignored rhythm. The broader point is that Coltrane’s music crossed and absorbed many jazz styles.

Answer: (A)

guddo · Answer

7. In terms of its tone and form, the passage can best be characterized as

The passage is strongly admiring of Coltrane. It calls him a “titanic figure,” says his influence was “immeasurable,” and describes his musical results as “astounding.” The form is mainly an appreciative discussion of his style, recordings, and influence.  The tone is clearly positive , even  enthusiastic .

(A) dogmatic explanation

Wrong. The passage explains Coltrane’s music, but it is not rigid or dogmatic.

(B) indignant denial

Wrong. The passage is not angry or defensive.

(C) enthusiastic praise

Correct. The author praises Coltrane’s importance, creativity, technical skill, recordings, and influence.

(D) speculative study

Wrong. The passage includes interpretation, but it is not mainly speculative or uncertain.

(E) lukewarm review

Wrong. The praise is much stronger than lukewarm.

Answer: (C)

Proponents of different jazz styles have always argued that their

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Proponents of different jazz styles have always argued that their

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