Ragtime is a musical form that synthesizes folk melodies and musical

Question

Ragtime is a musical form that synthesizes folk melodies and musical techniques into a brief quadrille-like structure, designed to be played-exactly as Line written-on the piano. A strong analogy exists between European composers like Ralph Vaughan Williams, Edvard Grieg, and Anton Dvorak who combined folk tunes and their own original materials in larger compositions and the pioneer ragtime composers in the United States. Composers like Scott Joplin and James Scott were in a sense collectors or musicologists, collecting dance and folk music in Black communities and consciously shaping it into brief suites or anthologies called piano rags.

It has sometimes been charged that ragtime is mechanical. For instance, Wilfred Mellers comments, "rags 'were transferred to the pianola roll and, even if not played by a machine, should be played like a machine, with meticulous precision." However, there is no reason to assume that ragtime is inherently mechanical simply because commercial manufacturers applied a mechanical recording method to ragtime, the only way to record pianos at that date. Ragtime's is not a mechanical precision, and it is not precision limited to the style of performance. It arises from ragtime's following a well-defined form and obeying simple rules within that form. The classic formula for the piano rag disposes three to five themes in sixteen-bar strains, often organized with repeats. The rag opens with a bright, memorable strain or theme, followed by a similar theme, leading to a trio of marked lyrical character, with the structure concluded by a lyrical strain that parallels the rhythmic developments of the earlier themes. The aim of the structure is to rise from one theme to another in a stair-step manner, ending on a note of triumph or exhilaration.

Typically, each strain is divided into two 8-bar segments that are essentially alike, so the rhythmic-melodic unit of ragtime is only eight bars of 2/4 measure. Therefore, themes must be brief with clear, sharp melodic figures. Not concerned with development of musical themes, the ragtime composer instead sets a theme down intact, in finished form, and links it to various related themes. Tension in ragtime compositions arises from a polarity between two basic ingredients: a continuous bass - called by jazz musicians a boom-chick bass - in the pianist's left hand, and its melodic, syncopated counterpart in the right hand. Ragtime remains distinct from jazz both as an instrumental style and as a genre.

Ragtime style stresses a pattern of repeated rhythms, not the constant inventions and variations of jazz. As a genre, ragtime requires strict attention to structure, not inventiveness or virtuosity. It exists as a tradition, a set of conventions, a body of written scores, separate from the individual players associated with it. In this sense ragtime is more akin to folk music of the nineteenth century than to jazz.   1 
 C

1. Which of the following best describes the main purpose of the passage?

(A) To contrast ragtime music and jazz 
(B) To acknowledge and counter significant adverse criticisms of ragtime music 
(C) To define ragtime music as an art form and describe its structural characteristics 
(D) To review the history of ragtime music and analyze ragtime's effect on listeners 
(E) To explore the similarities between ragtime music and certain European musical compositions

2 
 D

2. According to the passage, each of the following is a characteristic of ragtime compositions that follow the classic ragtime formula EXCEPT

(A) syncopation 
(B) well-defined melodic figures 
(C) rising rhythmic-melodic intensity 
(D) full development of musical themes 
(E) a bass line distinct from the melodic line

3 
 B

3. According to the passage, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Anton Dvohik, and Scott Joplin are similar in that they all
 
(A) conducted research into musicological history 
(B) wrote original compositions based on folk tunes 
(C) collected and recorded abbreviated piano suites 
(D) created intricate sonata-like musical structures 
(E) explored the relations between Black music and continental folk music

4 
 C

4. The author rejects the argument that ragtime is a mechanical music because that argument

(A) overlooks the precision required of the ragtime player 
(B) does not accurately describe the sound of ragtime pianola music 
(C) confuses the means of recording and the essential character of the music 
(D) exaggerates the influence of the performance style of professional ragtime players on the reputation of the genre 
(E) improperly identifies commercial ragtime music with the subtler classic ragtime style

5 
 B

5. It can be inferred that the author of the passage believes that the most important feature of ragtime music is its

(A) commercial success 
(B) formal structure 
(C) emotional range 
(D) improvisational opportunities 
(E) role as a forerunner of jazz

6 
 A

6. It can be inferred from the passage that the essential nature of ragtime has been obscured by commentaries based on

(A) the way ragtime music was first recorded 
(B) interpretations of ragtime by jazz musicians 
(C) the dance fashions that were contemporary with ragtime 
(D) early reviewers' accounts of characteristic structure 
(E) the musical sources used by Scott Joplin and James Scott

7 
 D

7. Which of the following is most nearly analogous in source and artistic character to a ragtime composition as described in the passage?

(A) Symphonic music derived from complex jazz motifs 
(B) An experimental novel based on well-known cartoon characters 
(C) A dramatic production in which actor~ invent scenes and improvise lines 
(D) A ballet whose disciplined choreography is based on folk-dance steps 
(E) A painting whose abstract shapes evoke familiar objects in a natural landscape

mimishyu · Answer

Summary
Para1
Introduction to a music form Ragtime and using lots of composer as an example to emphasize its relation to folk music

Para2
Debate about Ragtime’s structure, clarify that Ragtime isn’t mechanical and explain what Ragtime’s structure really is

Para3
Continue talking about Ragtime’s structure and style(theme), and compare it to jazz

Para4
Further emphasize and explain why the Ragtime distinct from jazz in proving that ragtime is more akin to folk music of the nineteenth century as the ending of the paragraph

1. Which of the following best describes the main purpose of the passage?

(A) To contrast ragtime music and jazz …only part of the passage mention about jazz, so contrasting ragtime to jazz isn’t its main purpose
(B) To acknowledge and counter significant adverse criticisms of ragtime music …out of scope
(C) To define ragtime music as an art form and describe its structural characteristics …correct
(D) To review the history of ragtime music and analyze ragtime's effect on listeners …out of scope
(E) To explore the similarities between ragtime music and certain European musical compositions …out of scope

Only in para1 mention about the European composer, and nowhere in the passage mention about European musical composition

A strong analogy exists between European composers like Ralph Vaughan Williams, Edvard Grieg, and Anton Dvorak who combined folk tunes and their own original materials in larger compositions and the pioneer ragtime composers in the United States.

2. According to the passage, each of the following is a characteristic of ragtime compositions that follow the classic ragtime formula EXCEPT

(A) syncopation 
Tension in ragtime compositions arises from a polarity between two basic ingredients: a continuous bass - called by jazz musicians a boom-chick bass - in the pianist's left hand, and its melodic, syncopated counterpart in the right hand.

(B) well-defined melodic figures 
It arises from ragtime's following a well-defined form and obeying simple rules within that form.

(C) rising rhythmic-melodic intensity 
The rag opens with a bright, memorable strain or theme, followed by a similar theme, leading to a trio of marked lyrical character, with the structure concluded by a lyrical strain that parallels the rhythmic developments of the earlier themes. The aim of the structure is to rise from one theme to another in a stair-step manner, ending on a note of triumph or exhilaration.

Typically, each strain is divided into two 8-bar segments that are essentially alike, so the rhythmic-melodic unit of ragtime is only eight bars of 2/4 measure. Therefore, themes must be brief with clear, sharp melodic figures.

(D) full development of musical themes …correct

Not concerned with development of musical themes, the ragtime composer instead sets a theme down intact, in finished form, and links it to various related themes.

(E) a bass line distinct from the melodic line
Tension in ragtime compositions arises from a polarity between two basic ingredients: a continuous bass - called by jazz musicians a boom-chick bass - in the pianist's left hand, and its melodic, syncopated counterpart in the right hand.

3. According to the passage, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Anton Dvohik, and Scott Joplin are similar in that they all

Ragtime is a musical form that synthesizes folk melodies and musical techniques into a brief quadrille-like structure, designed to be played-exactly as Line written-on the piano. A strong analogy exists between European composers like Ralph Vaughan Williams, Edvard Grieg, and Anton Dvorak who combined folk tunes and their own original materials in larger compositions and the pioneer ragtime composers in the United States. Composers like Scott Joplin and James Scott were in a sense collectors or musicologists, collecting dance and folk music in Black communities and consciously shaping it into brief suites or anthologies called piano rags.

(A) conducted research into musicological history 
(B) wrote original compositions based on folk tunes …correct
(C) collected and recorded abbreviated piano suites 
(D) created intricate sonata-like musical structures 
(E) explored the relations between Black music and continental folk music

4. The author rejects the argument that ragtime is a mechanical music because that argument

(A) overlooks the precision required of the ragtime player 
…incorrect
For instance, Wilfred Mellers, "rags 'were transferred to the pianola roll and, even if not played by a machine, should be played like a machine, with meticulous precision." However, there is no reason to assume that ragtime is inherently mechanical simply because commercial manufacturers applied a mechanical recording method to ragtime, the only way to record pianos at that date. Ragtime's is not a mechanical precision, and it is not precision limited to the style of performance.

-this question concerns about the argument to which the author rejects and that ragtime is a mechanical music, also the passage only mention about Ragtime isn’t a mechanical precision, not that the argument overlooks the precision

(B) does not accurately describe the sound of ragtime pianola music …out of scope

(C) confuses the means of recording and the essential character of the music …correct
However, there is no reason to assume that ragtime is inherently mechanical simply because commercial manufacturers applied a mechanical recording method to ragtime, the only way to record pianos at that date. Ragtime's is not a mechanical precision, and it is not precision limited to the style of performance.

(D) exaggerates the influence of the performance style of professional ragtime players on the reputation of the genre…out of scope
 
(E) improperly identifies commercial ragtime music with the subtler classic ragtime style…out of scope

5. It can be inferred that the author of the passage believes that the most important feature of ragtime music is its

(A) commercial success…out of scope,the passage doesn’t mention anything about this

(B) formal structure …correct
As a genre, ragtime requires strict attention to structure, not inventiveness or virtuosity. It exists as a tradition, a set of conventions, a body of written scores, separate from the individual players associated with it.

(C) emotional range (the extent to which a person’s emotions are sensitive to the individual’s environment)
…out of scope

(D) improvisational opportunities…incorrect
Ragtime style stresses a pattern of repeated rhythms, not the constant inventions and variations of jazz.

(E) role as a forerunner of jazz…incorrect
Ragtime remains distinct from jazz both as an instrumental style and as a genre.

6. It can be inferred from the passage that the essential nature of ragtime has been obscured by commentaries based on

For instance, Wilfred Mellers comments, "rags 'were transferred to the pianola roll and, even if not played by a machine, should be played like a machine, with meticulous precision." However, there is no reason to assume that ragtime is inherently mechanical simply because commercial manufacturers applied a mechanical recording method to ragtime, the only way to record pianos at that date.

(A) the way ragtime music was first recorded…correct, best fit to the meaning of the passage 
(B) interpretations of ragtime by jazz musicians 
(C) the dance fashions that were contemporary with ragtime 
(D) early reviewers' accounts of characteristic structure 
(E) the musical sources used by Scott Joplin and James Scott

7. Which of the following is most nearly analogous in source and artistic character to a ragtime composition as described in the passage?

Tension in ragtime compositions arises from a polarity between two basic ingredients: a continuous bass - called by jazz musicians a boom-chick bass - in the pianist's left hand, and its melodic, syncopated counterpart in the right hand.

(A) Symphonic music derived from complex jazz motifs 
(B) An experimental novel based on well-known cartoon characters 
(C) A dramatic production in which actor~ invent scenes and improvise lines 
(D) A ballet whose disciplined choreography is based on folk-dance steps...correct 
(E) A painting whose abstract shapes evoke familiar objects in a natural landscape

lehieu30794 · Answer

Can someone explain q3? I read the above explanation but it does not seem like the passage mentioned anything about James Scott wrote original compositions from this portion of the passage "Composers like Scott Joplin and James Scott were in a sense collectors or musicologists, collecting dance and folk music in Black communities and consciously shaping it into brief suites or anthologies called piano rags." I may miss something, correct me if I'm wrong

jcerdae · Answer

Time 11 min 30 sec to answer them all correct. I think the main problem I am facing is the slowness. Typically the 1st paragraph takes me 2 minutes to read + write summary

Fdambro294 · Answer

You may be like me.

I had the same problem (and still continue to do so). I find that writing too much takes me out of the passage and I lose focus

Try visualizing each sentence in your head. When they mention a person, think of someone you know and use that image. You’ll be amazed how much you can remember.

Also, try limiting writing only to after each paragraph. Ask yourself- why did the author even include this paragraph? What is the author trying to tell me? Also jot down a few notes that u might think are important but minimize.

For instance, for the paragraph that describes the structure of ragtime you might write the number of the paragraph and say “describes ragtime structure”. Then go back when you have a question.

I also take much longer to read than most ppl. Sometimes 4 minutes per passage. Then when I get to the questions, if I’ve kept my focus going. I can knock off MOST questions under a minute.

It’s a different approach but try it. It worked for me. I would write waaay too much and it would take my head out of the game.

Posted from my mobile device

Phdstanford73 · Answer

jcerdae 
I did in 8 minutes and got all right

jcerdae · Answer

Thank you Fdambro294 for your recommendations! I will try thinking in someone I know whenever the text mentions important person (I find this method a little funny, never thought about it. Hope it helps me to improve my reading) and to write the summary after each paragraph. Wish you the best

Fdambro294 · Answer

Good luck to both of us. Reading comp is my worst area as well.

All the best.

shuklaji · Answer

Expert please give POE for question 7

BLTN · Answer

Dear  shuklaji

Take into consideration last para:
Ragtime style  stresses a pattern of repeated rhythms , not the constant inventions and variations of jazz. As a genre,  ragtime requires strict attention to structure ,  not inventiveness or virtuosity

PoE:

7. Which of the following is most nearly analogous in source and artistic character to a  ragtime  composition  as described  in the passage?

(A) Symphonic music derived from complex jazz motifs  - derived = derivative, but we cannot change structure 
(B) An experimental novel based on well-known cartoon characters - "experimental "is the invention of something unique:  NOT inventiveness or virtuosity 
(C) A dramatic production in which actor~ invent scenes and improvise lines - alike B 
(D) A ballet whose  disciplined choreography  is based on folk-dance steps -  signifies stick to rules like   ragtime requires strict attention to structure  &  stresses a pattern of repeated rhythms 
(E) A painting whose abstract shapes evoke familiar objects in a natural landscape -  abstract shape is deviation from strict rule/structure.

VerbalBot · Answer

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Ragtime is a musical form that synthesizes folk melodies and musical

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Ragtime is a musical form that synthesizes folk melodies and musical

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