The Seventh Symphony (1812) was, at the time, Beethovens last

Question

The Seventh Symphony (1812) was, at the time, Beethoven’s last and vibrant word on the big style he had cultivated in the previous decade. In the Eighth Symphony (1814) he does something new by seeming to return to something old. He writes, that is, a symphony shorter than any since his First. It is almost as though he wanted to call his entire development throughout that decade into question. Indeed, over the remaining years of his life he would confidently explore in opposite directions, writing bigger pieces than before and ones more compressed, his most rhetorical music and his most inward, his most public and his most esoteric, compositions that plumb the inexhaustible possibilities of the sonata style and those that propose utterly new ways of organizing material, music reaching extremes of the centered and the bizarre.

If, however, we think of the Eight as a nostalgic return to the good old days, we misunderstand it. To say it is 1795 revisited from the vantage point of 1812 is not right either. What interests Beethoven is not so much brevity for its own sake — and certainly not something called “classicism” — as concentration. It is as though he were picking up where he had left off in the densely saturated first movement of the Fifth Symphony to produce another tour de force of tight packing. He had already done something like this two years earlier in one of his most uncompromising works, the F-minor String Quartet, Op. 95. But a symphony is not a “private” connoisseur’s music like a string quartet; by comparison, the Eighth Symphony is Opus 95’s friendly, open-featured cousin, even though its first and last movements bring us some of the most violent moments in Beethoven.   1 
 1. The author implies which of the following is a characteristic of "classicism"?

A. nostalgia
B. lack of focus
C. compromising
D. dense saturation
E. works on a smaller scale

2 
 2. Which of the following does the author imply about Beethoven's Eighth Symphony?

A. It is compromising, and not vibrant like a piece typical of classicism
B. In it, for the first time, Beethoven explored concentration as an organizing principle for an entire symphony
C. It was more inwardly focused, less rhetorical than the F-minor String Quartet, Op. 95
D. It rejected the sonata style used in the Seventh Symphony, exploring completely new ways to organize music.
E. Compared to his other symphonies, it is a particularly esoteric public work, having both friendly and violent tendencies.

3 
 3. The passage provides support for which of the following?

A. Beethoven's Eighth Symphony would not be appreciated by connoisseurs.
B. The Fifth Symphony is the shortest symphony between the First and the Eighth.
C. In 1795, Beethoven composed works that contained less development than the majority of pieces over the next 15 years.
D. The F-minor String Quartet, Op. 95 is one of Beethoven's most esoteric works.
E. Later in life, Beethoven developed significant misgivings about the big development characteristic of Symphonies of his middle period.

4 
 4. Which of the following is the purpose of the first sentence of the second paragraph?

A. To introduce the differences between the Eighth Symphony and earlier works of similar scale
B. To indicate how Beethoven felt that nostalgia had no place in symphonic compositions
C. To explain what is so rough and uncompromising about a work such as the Eighth Symphony.
D. To emphasize that the Eighth Symphony had almost nothing in common with Beethoven's previous works, except in the most superficial assessment
E. To demonstrate why the Eighth Symphony was considerably more optimistic than were Beethoven's early works.

5 
 5. The author most likely mentioned the F-minor String Quartet, Op. 95 in order to

A. show, by contrast, how friendly and approachable the Eighth Symphony is
B. expand the list of Beethoven's works that could be called a tour de force.
C. provide an example of a work that is concentrated but not violent
D. cite another work similar in formal organization to the Eighth Symphony
E. elucidate the channel by which the Fifth Symphony influenced the Eighth.

rencsee · Accepted Answer

I was sweating hard while reading this passage and even harder while solving the questions. What do you think of the below?

1) The author implies which of the following is a characteristic of "classicism"?

Let's start with the line mentioning classicism: Beethoven is not so much brevity for its own sake — and certainly not something called “classicism”
-> Beethoven's music is typically doesn't belong to classicism category.

nostalgia - 'If, however, we think of the Eight as a nostalgic return to the good old days, we misunderstand it" - the 8th symphony isn't a nostalgic return. it talks explicitly about 8th symphony and doesn't release to classicism

lack of focus - this is a misleading choice: 'What interests Beethoven is not so much brevity for its own sake — and certainly not something called “classicism” — as concentration' Beethoven is interested in concentration in his music, and not interested in classicism. It wouldn't be reasonable to conclude that the author implies lack of focus as a characteristic of classicism.

compromising - 'in one of his most uncompromising works, the F-minor String Quartet, Op. 95' - Fminor was an uncompromising work, but it doesn't mean classicism is compromising

dense saturation - describing 5th symphony specifically - "It is as though he were picking up where he had left off in the densely saturated first movement of the Fifth Symphony"

works on a smaller scale - "Indeed, over the remaining years of his life he would confidently explore in opposite directions, writing bigger pieces than before and ones more compressed, ...., compositions that plumb the inexhaustible possibilities of the sonata style." - he is writing bigger pieces following sonata style. This statement doesn't describe one of his work but his style and since the passage mentions later that his work is not something belonging to classicism, I guess we could conclude that the elements describing sonata style are not describing classicism

auradediligodo · Answer

Hi everyone,
very wordy passage with tough answer choices.

P1: 8th symphony and some context about Beethoven'works
P2: explanation of 8th symphony's brevity

MP: discuss reasons about 8th symphony's brevity

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1)  The author implies which of the following is a characteristic of "classicism"?

Pre-thinking
 Refer to this portion of the passage: " What interests Beethoven is not so much brevity for its own sake — and certainly not something called “classicism” — as concentration." The only inference we can make here is classicism=short

nostalgia 
 Nostalgia belongs to the previous sentence and it is completely unrelated. Hence incorrect

lack of focus 
 We are not given any information to state this. hence incorrect

compromising 
 We are not given any information to state this. hence incorrect

dense saturation 
 This is out of context and quite opposite since it is used in the following sentence to describe the aim of the 8th symphony. Hence incorrect

works on a smaller scale 
 The only possible remaining choice. Hence correct

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2)  Which of the following does the author imply about Beethoven's Eighth Symphony?

Pre-thinking
 We can infer that the 8th symphony represents something new, something that the author had left when he was composing the 5th symphony.
Plus refer to this portion of the passage:

"It is almost as though he wanted to   call his entire development   throughout that decade   into question  .

( The following part of the passage talks about the period i which Beethoven composed the 8th symphony )

Indeed, over the remaining years of his life he would confidently explore in  opposite directions , writing  bigger pieces   than before  ( Focus on this part)  and ones  more compressed , his  most rhetorical  music and his  most inward , his  most public  and his  most esoteric , compositions that plumb the inexhaustible possibilities of the sonata style and those that propose utterly new ways of organizing material, music reaching  extremes  of the centered and the bizarre."

So we can infer that he wrote the 8th symphony in a very intense, productive moment of his life. Plus pay attention to the wording and to the usage of  most . This means that we have a comparison here.

Hence we can infer that the period during which Beethoven composed the 8th symphony was more intense, more esoteric, more inward.... THAN his previous periods.

It is compromising, and not vibrant like a piece typical of classicism 
 I would say opposite. not compromising and very vibrant actually. Hence incorrect

In it, for the first time, Beethoven explored concentration as an organizing principle for an entire symphony 
 Refer to ones more compressed in the pre-thinking section. Hence correct

It was more inwardly focused, less rhetorical than the F-minor String Quartet, Op. 95 
 Actually if you look at the last sentences of the last paragraph the author refers to the 8th symphony as the open cousin of the F-minor String Quartet, Op. 95. Hence opposite and incorrect

It rejected the sonata style used in the Seventh Symphony, exploring completely new ways to organize music. 
 We are given that he experimented with it. refer to pre-thinking.

Hence this choice is incorrect

Compared to his other symphonies, it is a particularly esoteric public work, having both friendly and violent tendencies. 
 This is a very good choice but I think it is inconsistent because of the adjective  friendly .
The adjective friendly is used in the last paragraph :

"by comparison, the Eighth Symphony is Opus 95’s friendly, open-featured cousin, even though its first and last movements bring us some of the most violent moments in Beethoven."

The purpose of this adjective is to state a similarity between two of Beethoven works: Opus 95 and the 8th symphony. 
Hence to state tat 8th symphony is friendly on a general basis is wrong.

Hence this option choice is incorrect

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3) The passage provides support for which of the following?

Pre-thinking
 We need to analyze each choice since we cannot pre-think

Beethoven's Eighth Symphony would not be appreciated by connoisseurs. 
 The word  connoisseur  is used here :

"But a symphony is not a “private” connoisseur’s music like a string quartet;"

The purpose is to state what the symphony is not. But from this information we cannot infer that this category of people will not like the symphony. Hence incorrect

The Fifth Symphony is the shortest symphony between the First and the Eighth. 
 At the beginning of the passage it is said that the 8th symphony is the shortest since the first. Plus this choice is a little vague since we are not given whether we should include the first and the eighth in our analysis. But, even if so, we don't have any information to infer this statement from the passage. Hence incorrect

In 1795, Beethoven composed works that contained less development than the majority of pieces over the next 15 years. 
 I think the answer lies in these lines: " To say it is 1795 revisited from the vantage point of 1812 is not right either. "
We can see thanks to the usage of the word  vantage point  that Beethoven acquired more experience and got better, otherwise he would not have such advantage point. 
Hence correct

The F-minor String Quartet, Op. 95 is one of Beethoven's most esoteric works. 
 It is hard to infer this from the passage. Plus we are given that Beethoven did the most esoteric compositions during the period of the 8th symphony while the F minor String Quartet is from 2 years earlier, the period that he calls into question. Hence incorrect

Later in life, Beethoven developed significant misgivings about the big development characteristic of Symphonies of his middle period. 
 We are given information about Beethoven picking up from where he left (the 5th symphony) but no information makes us believe that he had misgivings. 
Hence incorrect

neha283 ,  Businessconquerer ,  gmat1393  ,  sm86 ,  hongg7  ,  Sreyoshi007 ,  workout  I hope I answered your questions

It is a good day to be alive, cheers!

Gnpth · Answer

Here is the Official Explanation.

1. This is a detail question. Classicism is mentioned in the third sentence of the second paragraph. There, by means of an appositive phrase, it seems to equate "brevity for its own sake" with "classicism", so we need something that expresses an idea of brevity ---- of the five answers, only (E), "works of smaller scale", makes any reference to brevity. Choice (E) is the credited answer.

2. The credited answer is (B). The passage makes a big point of saying that, after the Seventh Symphony, Beethoven explored a new organizing principle. The First Symphony was short, but for a different reason. The first movement of the Fifth was concentrated, but in isolating the first movement of that work, the author implies that concentration is not the principle of the entire work. It is the principle of the entire Eighth Symphony, so this is the first time.

In Choice (A), the word "compromising" has a derogatory connotation, but the author clearly has a high opinion of the Eighth symphony. The passage says the Seventh Symphony was the "last and vibrant word on the big style ...", so the Seventh Symphony is vibrant, but we have no idea whether any piece typical of classicism would be, nor is it implied that the Eighth is not vibrant. Choice (A) is not correct.

The first paragraph mentions the contrast of "rhetorical" vs. "inward-focused", without explaining it, and it's unclear which the Eighth Symphony occupies. We know that the Quartet was called "private", and the Symphony wasn't "private" --- if it's not "private", that sounds like it would not be "inward-focused". Choice (C) is not correct.

The first paragraph mentions the contrast of "sonata style" vs. "new ways of organizing music", but we have no evidence on which side the Eighth Symphony (or the Seventh Symphony!!) would fall. Choice (D) is not correct.

The first paragraph mentions the word "esoteric", but we have no idea how "esoteric" the Eighth Symphony is, and no idea how "esoteric" any other symphony is. Choice (E) is not correct.

3. The passage implies that the short First Symphony and other pieces exemplifying "classicism" were written before 1795, but after that, he wrote pieces in the "big style", at least up until 1812. Therefore, most of the pieces from 1795-1810 would be bigger, and thus have more development, than pieces from before 1795. Choice (C) is the credited answer.

The author calls the Eighth Symphony a "tour de force", which is high praise. This seems to indicate that it would be appreciated by connoisseurs. Choice (A) is not correct.

We know the First Symphony was short, and we know the Eighth was the shortest since the First. We know the first movement of the Fifth is "tightly packed", which presumably means a little shorter, but we have no idea about the rest of that symphony. We know thing about the other five symphonies in that stretch, so we have no basis on which to drawn this conclusion. Choice (B) is not correct.

We know the Op. 95 Quartet is "uncompromising" and an example of "concentration" in organization, but we have no basis on which to decide whether it is "esoteric." Choice (D) is not correct.

Choice (E) is misleading. The passage uses the phrase: "It is almost as though   wanted to call his entire development throughout that decade into question." This is a metaphor. It does not say Beethoven actually thought anything bad about what he had previous done. It just emphasizes how radically different the new direction was. There is no evidence in the passage that Beethoven actually called any of his work into question. Choice (E) is not correct.

chesstitans · Answer

additional question:
Which of the following is the purpose of the first sentence of the second paragraph?

To introduce the differences between the Eighth Symphony and earlier works of similar scale
To indicate how Beethoven felt that nostalgia had no place in symphonic compositions
To explain what is so rough and uncompromising about a work such as the Eighth Symphony.
To emphasize that the Eighth Symphony had almost nothing in common with Beethoven's previous works, except in the most superficial assessment
To demonstrate why the Eighth Symphony was considerably more optimistic than were Beethoven's early works.

OA is A

The author most likely mentioned the F-minor String Quartet, Op. 95 in order to

A. show, by contrast, how friendly and approachable the Eighth Symphony is
B expand the list of Beethoven's works that could be called a tour de force.
C provide an example of a work that is concentrated but not violent
D. cite another work similar in formal organization to the Eighth Symphony
E. elucidate the channel by which the Fifth Symphony influenced the Eighth.

OA is D

HG0815 · Answer

1. The author implies which of the following is a characteristic of "classicism"?

A. nostalgia
 -> 1st sentence of 2nd paragraph said nostagia is wrong
B. lack of focus
 -> not mentioned
C. compromising
 -> 'He "had already done" something like this two years earlier in one of his most uncompromising work,
 the F-minor String Quartet,Op.95 
D. dense saturation
 -> It is as though he were picking up where he had left off in the densely saturated~
 it menas that classicism is not dense saturation. 
E. works on a smaller scale
 -> Correct
 1. 'much brevity for its own sake' 
 2. The passage aruges that 8th symphony's one of trait is bigger.
 classicism differs from 8th symphony so it is correct

2. Which of the following does the author imply about Beethoven's Eighth Symphony?

A. It is compromising, and not vibrant like a piece typical of classicism
 -> it is vibrant. 
B. In it, for the first time, Beethoven explored concentration as an organizing principle for an entire symphony
 -> Not entire symphony. The passage said 8th sympnoy is new.(2dn sentence of 1st paragraph)
C. It was more inwardly focused, less rhetorical than the F-minor String Quartet, Op. 95
 -> Correct
 Last sentence of 2nd paragraph said
 "by comparison, the Eight Sympony is Opus 95's friendly, open-featured cousin, (similar)
 even though its first and last movements bring us some of the most violent moments in Beethoven. (diff)"
D. It rejected the sonata style used in the Seventh Symphony, exploring completely new ways to organize music.
 -> completely new ways to organize music -> wrong
 not organize music, but organize material
E. Compared to his other symphonies, it is a particularly esoteric public work, having both friendly and violent tendencies.
 -> 'particularly' is not mentioned. Extreme expression.

3. The passage provides support for which of the following?

A. Beethoven's Eighth Symphony would not be appreciated by connoisseurs.
 -> not mentioned.
B. The Fifth Symphony is the shortest symphony between the First and the Eighth.
 -> not mentioned
C. In 1795, Beethoven composed works that contained less development than the majority of pieces over the next 15 years.
 -> Correct.
 'To say it is 1795 revisited from the vantage point of 1812 is not right either.
 What interests Beethoven is not so much brevity for its own sake-and certainly not
 something called "classicism" - as concentration."

: It looks like brevity is wrong. But this passage wants to said that
 1795 includes brevity, but just it is not interest of Beethoven.
 It means that 1795 Beethoven composed works that contained less development 
D. The F-minor String Quartet, Op. 95 is one of Beethoven's most esoteric works.
 -> 8th symphony is the most esoteric works
E. Later in life, Beethoven developed significant misgivings about the big development characteristic of Symphonies of his middle period.
 -> 'misgiving' is wrong

chesstitans · Answer

additional questions
The author most likely mentioned the F-minor String Quartet, Op. 95 in order to

A show, by contrast, how friendly and approachable the Eighth Symphony is
B expand the list of Beethoven's works that could be called a tour de force.
C provide an example of a work that is concentrated but not violent
D cite another work similar in formal organization to the Eighth Symphony
E elucidate the channel by which the Fifth Symphony influenced the Eighth.

OA is D

aragonn · Answer

Official Explanation of Q5

This is a detail question. The F-minor String Quartet, Op. 95 is mentioned in the last two sentences of the entire passage. He cites this as another example of a another work organized by the principle of "concentration" or "tight-packing."

Choice (D) says exactly this --- both the Op. 95 Quartet and the Eighth Symphony share the "concentration" or "tight-packing" principle underlying their organization.

Choice (A) is misleading. The Eighth contains "violent" music, which doesn't necessarily sound "friendly and approachable". More importantly, the Op. 95 Quartet was cited primarily to demonstrate a similarity, not a different. Choice (A) is not correct.

The author happens to refer to both first movement of the Fifth and the entire Eighth as a "tour de force", but clearly, making a list of every Beethoven work that could be called a "tour de force" is not the author's concern. Choice (B) is not correct.

We know that the Op. 95 is an example of a concentrated work, but do we know whether that music would be described as violent? The passage calls it "uncompromising", which could be construed as "violent" --- certainly, we have no evidence that it is not "violent", so choice (C) is not correct.

The three works happen to be mentioned in that order --- Fifth, Op. 95 Quartet, Eighth --- but there is absolutely nothing suggesting there was a single chain linking those three works in particular. The idea of "concentration" seemed something that occupied Beethoven in his late years in general, and these are just three examples of this larger interest. Choice (E) is not correct.

aragonn · Answer

Official Explanation for Q4

In the first paragraph, the author mentions a superficial similarity between the First Symphony and the Eighth --- they are both on the short side. In the first sentence of the second paragraph, he dispels any notion that there is any more profound similarity between them, and proceeds to talk about the new organizing principle used in the Eighth. This exactly what choice (A), the credited answer, says.

The author uses idea of "nostalgia" as a metaphor for the wrong way to interpret the Eighth, but we have no idea what Beethoven actually thought about nostalgia or whether he ever used it in any symphony. Choice (B) is not correct.

First of all, we don't know that the Eighth Symphony is "rough and uncompromising", and even if it is, it's not clear that anything in the first sentence of the second paragraph even vaguely refers to this. Choice (C) is not correct.

Choice (D) is too extreme. The passage later talks about deep similarities with two previous works, the first movement of the Fifth Symphony and the Op. 95 String Quartet. These examples contradict choice (D), so choice (D) is not correct.

Was the Eighth Symphony "optimistic"? Neither this word or this idea is discussed anywhere in the passage, so we have absolutely no basis on which to evaluate this claim. Choice (E) is not correct.

aragonn · Answer

Official Explanation for Q3

A primary purpose question. The credited answer is (C). The whole passage is about the Eighth Symphony, and specifically, how it was a much more "compact" or "tightly packed" symphony that the previous "big style" symphonies. Thus, Beethoven had "new objectives" in composing the Eighth, as this answer says.

The passage mentions "inward" as examples of one extreme in Beethoven's late period. The Eighth Symphony is not "private," so it would seem it's not "inward." The passage also discusses the Op. 95 quartet as "uncompromising," and that piece is presented as a contrast to the Eighth Symphony, so it's unclear whether that term would apply. Choice (A) is not correct.

The passage uses the phrase: "It is almost as though   wanted to call his entire development throughout that decade into question." This is a metaphor. It does not say Beethoven actually thought anything bad about what he had previously done. It just emphasizes how radically different the new direction was. There is no evidence in the passage that Beethoven actually called any of his work into question. Choice (B) is not correct.

The passage does discuss Beethoven's new objectives in composing the Eighth, but it really spends no time analyzing other works—it just mentions a few in passing. The phrase in the answer "all of his previous works" is far too extreme. Choice (D) is not correct.

The passage is primarily descriptive, telling what Beethoven was trying to accomplish. The passage does call the Eighth a "tour de force," which is high praise, but other than that, really says nothing evaluative. What little is said is positive, but "call into question" sounds negative, so this doesn't fit. Choice (E) is not correct.

PhantomAY · Answer

Unbelievably challenging passage, I encourage all who want 750+ to try this out! I got 2 out of 5 wrong and took almost 12 mins. If I encounter this passage in later sessions during the real exam, I probably will just guess it through. Here's my analysis A. nostalgia if you select this one, you obviously misunderstand it as the 1st sentence of 2nd paragraph predicted

B. lack of focus C. compromising this might be tempting for some people - later on the author did mention "He had already done something like this two years earlier in one of his most uncompromising works..." however it basically highlights the style of the music to be "uncompromising" not necessarily "what interests Beethoven" D. dense saturation refer to "It is as though he were picking up where he had left off in the densely saturated" - "as though" indicates he didn't E. works on a smaller scale nowhere to find the reference for this answer out Ok, so this is a typical inference question, I need to refer back the passage: "What interests Beethoven is not so much brevity for its own sake — and certainly not something called “classicism” — as concentration", which clearly said that the motivation behind 8th symphony is not much about brevity, certainly not classicism but concentration. So we know classicism <> concentration, B is the correct answer. In terms of why other questions are wrong, refer to my comments in RED above A. It is compromising, and not vibrant like a piece typical of classicism the author mentioned 8th symphony to be uncompromising, refer to "He had already done something like this two years earlier in one of his most uncompromising works" B. In it, for the first time, Beethoven explored concentration as an organizing principle for an entire symphony very tricky one, you have to piece several indirect references together to confirm B (or if you can rule all other 4 incorrect answers out with confidence) - the first several sentences in 2nd paragraph indicate 8th is not like any other ones before, and concentration is its highlight. And then the passage goes on and confirm the 1st movement of 5th symphony has concentration too ("densely saturated") but not the entire symphony. So it's the first time of concentration for the entire symphony. Some might argue that "He had already done something like this two years earlier in one of his most uncompromising works, the F-minor String Quartet, Op. 95" indicates it's not first time Beethoven did that. Well, symphony is not string quartet as indicated by "But a symphony is not a “private” connoisseur’s music like a string quartet", so it's still the first time for the "entire symphony" C. It was more inwardly focused, less rhetorical than the F-minor String Quartet, Op. 95 the first part of this answer is correct, however we don't know the 2nd part "less rhetorical than Op. 95", which is not mentioned D. It rejected the sonata style used in the Seventh Symphony, exploring completely new ways to organize music. author mentioned Beethoven could try to create "his most public and his most esoteric...compositions that plumb the inexhaustible possibilities of the sonata style" after 7th symphony, but instead he explored something new. But it didn't mean 8th symphony rejected the sonata style, the wording is too extreme E. Compared to his other symphonies, it is a particularly esoteric public work, having both friendly and violent tendencies. same reference with D, the author did imply Beethoven explored something other than the most esoteric, but it didn't imply anything about how "particularly esoteric" 8th is. The 2nd part of this choice sounds legitimate though A. Beethoven's Eighth Symphony would not be appreciated by connoisseurs. "a symphony is not a “private” connoisseur’s music" didn't mean connoisseurs would not appreciate it B. The Fifth Symphony is the shortest symphony between the First and the Eighth. "He writes, that is, a symphony shorter than any since his First" indicate 8th is the shortest. Also when reading the passage, take note when encountering extreme wording C. In 1795, Beethoven composed works that contained less development than the majority of pieces over the next 15 years. correct answer, refer to "To say it is 1795 revisited from the vantage point of 1812 is not right either. What interests Beethoven is not so much brevity for its own sake — and certainly not something called “classicism” — as concentration." author implies brevity is the theme for work in 1795 and then "big style" was mentioned in the early 1820s D. The F-minor String Quartet, Op. 95 is one of Beethoven's most esoteric works. nowhere justify OP. 95 is the "most esoteric work" E. Later in life, Beethoven developed significant misgivings about the big development characteristic of Symphonies of his middle period. "developed significant misgivings" (extreme wording, ring the bell) is not justified, even though "It is almost as though he wanted to call his entire development throughout that decade into question." contains "call...into question", but "as though" (something did not happen) removes the threat A. To introduce the differences between the Eighth Symphony and earlier works of similar scale correct answer B. To indicate how Beethoven felt that nostalgia had no place in symphonic compositions 8th is not nostalgia doesn't mean Beethoven didn't like it C. To explain what is so rough and uncompromising about a work such as the Eighth Symphony. this is not discussed until later in the 2nd paragraph, plus "rough" is not mentioned D. To emphasize that the Eighth Symphony had almost nothing in common with Beethoven's previous works, except in the most superficial assessment "Nothing in common" and "most superficial assessment" (extreme wording) are not justified, at least the 1st movement of 5th is similar to it E. To demonstrate why the Eighth Symphony was considerably more optimistic than were Beethoven's early works. "optimistic" is not mentioned A. show, by contrast, how friendly and approachable the Eighth Symphony is similarity is the key here, the comparison is not mentioned until later on B. expand the list of Beethoven's works that could be called a tour de force. analogy is used to highlight the similarities, not just to expand the list C. provide an example of a work that is concentrated but not violent maybe, but the function is to provide an analogy D. cite another work similar in formal organization to the Eighth Symphony correct, "He had already done something like" indicate Op 95 is used as an analogy E. elucidate the channel by which the Fifth Symphony influenced the Eighth. similar <> influencing, this is not confirmed

kartickdey · Answer

corresponding to Q2, I could not understand your explanation. I could not understand how to infer that concentration was an organizing principle for the entire eighth symphony whereas it was not for the fifth symphony. Please explain it.

guddo · Answer

2. Which of the following does the author imply about Beethoven's Eighth Symphony?

A. It is compromising, and not vibrant like a piece typical of classicism
B. In it, for the first time, Beethoven explored concentration as an organizing principle for an entire symphony
C. It was more inwardly focused, less rhetorical than the F-minor String Quartet, Op. 95
D. It rejected the sonata style used in the Seventh Symphony, exploring completely new ways to organize music.
E. Compared to his other symphonies, it is a particularly esoteric public work, having both friendly and violent tendencies.

Best answer: B

The author’s main point is that the Eighth is not a “return to classicism” or nostalgia, but an experiment in concentration, a tour de force of tightly packed material. He then contrasts it with Op. 95 by saying the Eighth is its friendly, open featured cousin, even though it still has violent moments.

Why the others do not fit
A: The passage calls the Eighth a tour de force, not “compromising,” and it rejects the “classicism” framing.
C: The Eighth is described as more public and open featured than Op. 95, not more inward.
D: The passage explicitly talks about Beethoven exploring the sonata style, not rejecting it.
E: It correctly notes “friendly” plus “violent,” but adds “particularly esoteric,” which clashes with the author’s point that it is the more open, public cousin of Op. 95.

guddo · Answer

He calls the Fifth “concentrated” only in its first movement. By specifying “first movement,” he signals it is not the organizing principle for the whole Fifth. In the Eighth paragraph, “concentration” is described as what Beethoven is doing in that symphony overall, so it is treated as the guiding principle there.

herxheys12 · Answer

I got 2 out of 5 in this one. It took me 6 minutes and I got under time pressure. Should I have spent more time on this? How do you decide how much time can you spend on one question?

The Seventh Symphony (1812) was, at the time, Beethovens last

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