Did music and human language originate separately or together?

Question

The two passages discuss recent scientific research on music. They are adapted from two different papers presented at a scholarly conference.

Passage A 
Did music and human language originate
separately or together? Both systems use intonation
and rhythm to communicate emotions. Both can be
produced vocally or with tools, and people can produce
 (5)  both music and language silently to themselves.
Brain imaging studies suggest that music and
language are part of one large, vastly complicated,
neurological system for processing sound. In fact,
fewer differences than similarities exist between the
 (10)  neurological processing of the two. One could think of
the two activities as different radio programs that can
be broadcast over the same hardware. One noteworthy
difference, though, is that, generally speaking, people
are better at language than music. In music, anyone
 (15)  can listen easily enough, but most people do not
perform well, and in many cultures composition is left
to specialists. In language, by contrast, nearly
everyone actively performs and composes.
Given their shared neurological basis, it appears
 (20)  that music and language evolved together as brain size
increased over the course of hominid evolution. But
the primacy of language over music that we can
observe today suggests that language, not music, was
the primary function natural selection operated on.
 (25)  Music, it would seem, had little adaptive value of its
own, and most likely developed on the coattails of
language.

Passage B 
Darwin claimed that since “neither the enjoyment
nor the capacity of producing musical notes are
 (30)  faculties of the least   use to man...they must
be ranked amongst the most mysterious with which he
is endowed.” I suggest that the enjoyment of and the
capacity to produce musical notes are faculties
of indispensable use to mothers and their infants and
 (35)  that it is in the emotional bonds created by the
interaction of mother and child that we can discover
the evolutionary origins of human music.
Even excluding lullabies, which parents sing to
infants, human mothers and infants under six months
 (40)  of age engage in ritualized, sequential behaviors,
involving vocal, facial, and bodily interactions. Using
face-to-face mother-infant interactions filmed at 24
frames per second, researchers have shown that
mothers and infants jointly construct mutually
 (45)  improvised interactions in which each partner tracks
the actions of the other. Such episodes last from
one-half second to three seconds and are composed of
musical elements—variations in pitch, rhythm, timbre,
volume, and tempo.

(50)  What evolutionary advantage would such
behavior have? In the course of hominid evolution,
brain size increased rapidly. Contemporaneously, the
increase in bipedality caused the birth canal to narrow.
This resulted in hominid infants being born ever-more
 (55)  prematurely, leaving them much more helpless at birth.
This helplessness necessitated longer, better maternal
care. Under such conditions, the emotional bonds
created in the premusical mother-infant interactions we
observe in Homo sapiens today—behavior whose
 (60)  neurological basis essentially constitutes the capacity
to make and enjoy music—would have conferred
considerable evolutionary advantage.  
 1 
 1. Both passages were written primarily in order to answer which one of the following questions?

(A) What evolutionary advantage did larger brain size confer on early hominids?
(B) Why do human mothers and infants engage in bonding behavior that is composed of musical elements?
(C) What are the evolutionary origins of the human ability to make music?
(D) Do the human abilities to make music and to use language depend on the same neurological systems?
(E) Why are most people more adept at using language than they are at making music?

2 
 2. Each of the two passages mentions the relation of music to

(A) bonding between humans
(B) human emotion
(C) neurological research
(D) the increasing helplessness of hominid infants
(E) the use of tools to produce sounds

3 
 3. It can be inferred that the authors of the two passages would be most likely to disagree over whether

(A) the increase in hominid brain size necessitated earlier births
(B) fewer differences than similarities exist between the neurological processing of music and human language
(C) brain size increased rapidly over the course of human evolution
(D) the capacity to produce music has great adaptive value to humans
(E) mother-infant bonding involves temporally patterned vocal interactions

4 
 4. The authors would be most likely to agree on the answer to which one of the following questions regarding musical capacity in humans?

(A) Does it manifest itself in some form in early infancy?
(B) Does it affect the strength of mother-infant bonds?
(C) Is it at least partly a result of evolutionary increases in brain size?
(D) Did its evolution spur the development of new neurological systems?
(E) Why does it vary so greatly among different individuals?

5 
 5. Which one of the following principles underlies the arguments in both passages?

(A) Investigations of the evolutionary origins of human behaviors must take into account the behavior of nonhuman animals.
(B) All human capacities can be explained in terms of the evolutionary advantages they offer.
(C) The fact that a single neurological system underlies two different capacities is evidence that those capacities evolved concurrently.
(D) The discovery of the neurological basis of a human behavior constitutes the discovery of the essence of that behavior.
(E) The behavior of modern-day humans can provide legitimate evidence concerning the evolutionary origins of human abilities.

6 
 6. Which one of the following most accurately characterizes a relationship between the two passages?

(A) Passage A and passage B use different evidence to draw divergent conclusions.
(B) Passage A poses the question that passage B attempts to answer.
(C) Passage A proposes a hypothesis that passage B attempts to substantiate with new evidence.
(D) Passage A expresses a stronger commitment to its hypothesis than does passage B.
(E) Passage A and passage B use different evidence to support the same conclusion.

TanmayT · Answer

Hello!  Sajjad1994 ! I needed some help with this passage.

First off, Do passages like these, as in, passages presenting two viewpoints, come on the actual GMAT? This was the first time that I came across a passage like this, and hence I am curious. 
Second, Can you please indicate the individual difficult levels for all the questions for this passage? 
Third and lastly, can you please provide the OA for the 5th Question? I got all the other questions right but I missed this one completely.

Thank you!

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hello TanmayT

First off, Do passages like these, as in, passages presenting two viewpoints, come on the actual GMAT? This was the first time that I came across a passage like this, and hence I am curious.

Until date I came across approx. 100+ Official RCs and I am sure I haven't seen such a passage divided into two different parts, remember this passage belongs to LSAT. If you are looking a very close thing to the official GMAT and your test date is coming soon this RC might not be of your interest. There is no issue practicing such a passage IF you are just starting your RC preparations (But remember that in the start of your preparations the official GMAT material must be your top priority). You will find valid logics when practicing an official LSAT RCs unlike of some 3rd party GMAT material.

Second, Can you please indicate the individual difficult levels for all the questions for this passage?

Question #1: Easy to Medium
Question #2: Hard
Question #3: Medium
Question #4: Hard
Question #5: Hard to Very Hard
Question #6: Medium

Difficulty levels some time becomes a personal sort of thing, it varies according to one's level of preparation. A student in the start of his/her preparation might find a question hard or very hard and the same student might think the same question be a medium or easy level if the student has mastered the concepts. So the above difficulty levels are just for a generic purpose. It might be not same for everyone.

Third and lastly, can you please provide the OA for the 5th Question? I got all the other questions right but I missed this one completely.

According to the second passage: mention a study of mothers in  lines

(Using face-to-face mother-infant interactions filmed at 24 frames per second, researchers have shown that mothers and infants jointly construct mutually improvised interactions in which each partner tracks the actions of the other. Such episodes last from one-half second to three seconds and are composed of musical elements—variations in pitch, rhythm, timbre, volume, and tempo.)

And, passage A also mentions this, in  lines

(One noteworthy difference, though, is that, generally speaking, people are better at language than music. In music, anyone can listen easily enough, but most people do not perform well, and in many cultures composition is left to specialists. In language, by contrast, nearly everyone actively performs and composes.)

They use evidence from modern cultures to show that humans are not universally good at music. This indirectly supports the author’s later point that language, not music, was the dominant feature.

Answer: E

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

5. Which one of the following principles underlies the arguments in both passages?

Explanation

We’re looking for a general idea that underlies both passages. Principle questions are usually naturals for prediction, but it might be a little tough in this case. Still, we can rely on the fact that the principle must underlie both passages: that is, anything that is mentioned in only one of the passages is out, and the principle will probably deal with the relationship between the passages. Both passages come to conclusions about the evolutionary significance of music, and the likelihood that music conveyed evolutionary advantages. We might predict something like  “modern traits can be explained on the basis of the evolutionary advantages they might convey.” (E)  is the closest to that prediction, and has the additional advantage of referring to modern-day humans, another overlap between the passages.

(A)  If this principle was embraced by our authors, how would we know? Well, they’d be talking about nonhuman animals as part of their data. That’s not happening, so we have no evidence that either believes this. Eliminate.

(B) “All human capacities”  should send up a red flag right at the outset; this is close to the principle that is ultimately correct, but is too extreme. Eliminate.

(C)  Neurological facilities are addressed in passage 1 only. Eliminate.

(D)  Again, passage 2 does not address the neurological basis. Eliminate.

Answer: E

This is not the Official explanation rather it belongs to Kaplan LSAT

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

2. Each of the two passages mentions the relation of music to

Explanation

(A)  Bonding between humans is mentioned only in passage B. Eliminate.

(B)  Correct—and it’s easy to overlook. Passage A doesn’t delve deeply into the emotional ramifications of music as Passage B does, and it’s easy to gloss right over the reference in the second sentence of the  first paragraph.

(C)  Only passage A provides neurological data. Eliminate.

(D)  Only passage B, which addresses the bonding value of music. Eliminate.

(E)  Passage A only; Eliminate.

Answer: B

Source: Kaplan LSAT

Prepstudent1 · Answer

Hello, could you please explain the answer for question 3? I had put B, but the answer key says D. Want to understand the reasoning. Thanks.

guddo · Answer

3. It can be inferred that the authors of the two passages would be most likely to disagree over whether

The clearest disagreement concerns the  adaptive value of music . Passage A argues that music had little adaptive value of its own and probably developed alongside language. Passage B argues that musical behavior helped strengthen mother-infant bonds and therefore provided a significant evolutionary advantage.

(A) the increase in hominid brain size necessitated earlier births

Incorrect. Passage B discusses this connection, but Passage A does not take a position on it.

(B) fewer differences than similarities exist between the neurological processing of music and human language

Incorrect. Passage A explicitly makes this claim. Passage B does not contradict it.

(C) brain size increased rapidly over the course of human evolution

Incorrect. Both passages accept that hominid brain size increased during evolution.

(D) the capacity to produce music has great adaptive value to humans

Correct.   Passage A says music had  little adaptive value of its own . Passage B argues that musical capacities were highly useful for mother-infant bonding and conferred considerable evolutionary advantage. The authors therefore clearly disagree on this point.

(E) mother-infant bonding involves temporally patterned vocal interactions

Incorrect. Passage B supports this claim, while Passage A does not discuss it. There is no disagreement.

Answer: (D)

egmat · Answer

Hi Prepstudent1,

Good question, and I can see exactly why (B) looked tempting. This is a  disagreement  question, so the test isn't "is this statement in a passage?" - it's "do the two authors take  opposite  positions on it?" That's the trap in (B).

Why (B) fails the disagreement test

Look at where (B) comes from. Only  Passage A  makes this claim:

"In fact, fewer differences than similarities exist between the neurological processing of the two." (lines  8 - 10 )

Now scan  Passage B  for any position on the neurological  processing  of music versus language. Passage B talks about the neurological  basis  of mother-infant bonding, but it never compares music and language neurologically and never disputes A's claim. For a disagreement, you need  both  authors on record - one saying yes, the other saying no. Here only one author speaks, so there's nothing to disagree about. That's why (B) is out.

Why (D) is the real clash

With (D), each author takes a clear and opposite stand on the  adaptive value of music :

-  Passage A:  "Music, it would seem, had  little adaptive value  of its own" (lines  25 - 26 ).
-  Passage B:  the capacity to produce music is of " indispensable use " and would have "conferred  considerable evolutionary advantage " (lines  33 - 34 ,  61 - 62 ).

That's a head-on contradiction - exactly what a disagreement question wants.

The one habit to build

Before you pick a disagreement answer, run a quick two-part check:

1.  Does  Author A  clearly take a side on this?
 2.  Does  Author B  clearly take the  opposite  side?

If either author is silent - as B is on neurological processing - the choice can't be the answer, no matter how prominently it appears in the other passage. Only (D) passes both checks.

Answer: D

Did music and human language originate separately or together?

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Did music and human language originate separately or together?

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