The syllabi in most high schools have traditionally included

Question

The syllabi in most high schools have traditionally included considerable instruction on performing music; however, such instruction in writing poetry has been absent. Resultantly, in contrast to the situation for music, most adults are unable to recognize the artistic value of a work of poetry. In response, poets have suggested that high schoolers be taught how to write poetry.

Which of the following, if true, is the strongest basis for arguing that implementation of the suggestion will not lead to the desired result?

A. Few high schoolers are likely to write poems of literary significance.
B. The suggestion is based on the results of a controlled study conducted in five schools, all located in one city.
C. More people report that they enjoy music than report that they enjoy poetry.
D. Some poets received only a small amount of formal training in the writing of poetry.
E. Traditional education enables practical skills in performing music, but not the evaluation of the intrinsic artistic value of musical compositions.

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Mosaib · Answer

Let’s check options fast:

A. Few students will write great poems
→ Irrelevant. The goal is appreciation, not producing masterpieces.

B. Study limited to one city
→ Attacks evidence quality, but doesn’t show the plan itself won’t work.

C. People enjoy music more than poetry
→ Enjoyment ≠ ability to recognize artistic value.

D. Some poets had little training
→ Doesn’t show teaching writing won’t improve appreciation.

E. Music education teaches performance skills but NOT evaluation of artistic value
→ This is the killer.
The argument assumes:
“Because performance is taught → people appreciate music.”
But E says performance training doesn’t teach evaluation.
So teaching poetry writing (a performance skill) won’t necessarily improve appreciation.

✅ Correct answer: E

agrasan · Answer

The syllabi in most high schools have traditionally included considerable instruction on performing music; however, such instruction in writing poetry has been absent. Resultantly, in contrast to the situation for music, most adults are unable to recognize the artistic value of a work of poetry. In response, poets have suggested that high schoolers be taught how to write poetry.

Which of the following, if true, is the strongest basis for arguing that implementation of the suggestion will not lead to the desired result?

We want to increase our confidence in the relationship:
 High schoolers be taught how to write poetry --> most adults will be able to recognise the artistic value of a work of poetry

A. Few high schoolers are likely to write poems of literary significance.
 Incorrect , only talks about the plan but doesn't show how the plan will lead to the success.

B. The suggestion is based on the results of a controlled study conducted in five schools, all located in one city.
 Incorrect , only shows that the study is effective but doesn't show how the plan will lead to the success.

C. More people report that they enjoy music than report that they enjoy poetry.
 Incorrect , doesn't show how the plan will lead to the success.

D. Some poets received only a small amount of formal training in the writing of poetry.
 Incorrect , some can be very small in number or big, also, this option doesn't show how the plan will lead to the success.

E. Traditional education enables practical skills in performing music, but not the evaluation of the intrinsic artistic value of musical compositions.
 Correct , traditional education in music couldn't lead students to evaluate the intrinsic artistic value of musical compositions so it reduces the confidence in the relationship: High schoolers be taught how to write poetry --> most adults will be able to recognise the artistic value of a work of poetry. Looks a good weakener.

Dereno · Answer

Traditionally, the syllabus in most high schools have included considerable instructions in performing music, however, the instruction for writing poetry is absent.

The outcome: Most people are unable to understand the artistic value of poetry in contrast to their understanding of music.

So what can be done: Poets come up with a suggestion that high schoolers be taught how to write poetry, so that this lack of artistic value in poetry can be inculcated.

We need to find an option, which says this option is gonna fail.

A. Few high schoolers are likely to write poems of literary significance.

This is the exact replica and inference from the passage, and doesn’t make the suggestion weaken. Hence, wrong.

B. The suggestion is based on the results of a controlled study conducted in five schools, all located in one city.

The issue whether it’s confined to a geographic area or universal is entirely irrelevant to us. We need to find is the suggestion by poets yield positive results or not. Thus, wrong.

C. More people report that they enjoy music than report that they enjoy poetry.

This might be the actual stats currently in hand, is this stat taken after implementing the suggestion? We don’t know about it. Hence, Wrong.

D. Some poets received only a small amount of formal training in the writing of poetry.

Whether the poets are trained or experienced is not the context of debate. The debate is centred around the school syllabi and poets suggestion to address a lacunae. Will that suggestion yield positive outcomes? . This is not mentioned, so wrong.

E. Traditional education enables practical skills in performing music, but not the evaluation of the intrinsic artistic value of musical compositions.

This clearly weakens the poets suggestion, a syllabi based poetry class may impart practical skills needed for performing music. But, does the syllabi help students gain insights to appreciate the intrinsic artistic value of musical compositions. Hence, Correct.

Option E

egmat · Answer

The Argument Breakdown:

The passage presents this chain of reasoning:
• Music education exists → People CAN appreciate music's artistic value
• Poetry education is absent → People CANNOT appreciate poetry's artistic value
•  Proposed Solution:  Add poetry writing instruction → People WILL appreciate poetry

The Hidden Assumption:

The argument assumes that learning to  CREATE/PERFORM  something automatically leads to the ability to  APPRECIATE  its artistic value.

Why E Destroys This Logic:

Choice E states that music education teaches  practical performance skills , but  NOT  the evaluation of artistic value.

This is devastating because:
• The argument uses music education as  proof  that education → appreciation
• But E reveals that music education  doesn't actually lead to appreciation 
• The entire logic collapses -  you cannot use a broken example to support your solution

Simple Analogy:

Imagine someone argues: "Cooking classes help people become food critics. Let's add cooking classes so everyone can critique food!"

Choice E responds: "Actually, cooking classes teach recipe-following, not evaluating artistic quality."

The solution fails because the original example itself doesn't work.

Why Other Choices Fail:

(A)  Few will write significant poems →  Irrelevant . The goal is appreciation, not creating masterpieces.

(B)  Study limited to one city → Weakens scope, but doesn't attack the  core logical mechanism .

(C)  More people enjoy music → Just states current preferences;  doesn't explain causation .

(D)  Some poets had little training →  Irrelevant . This is about poets, not about whether education leads to appreciation in the general public.

Answer: E

laborumplaceat · Answer

To weaken this, we need an option that breaks the link between "performing/writing" and "recognizing artistic value."

A.  Few high schoolers are likely to write poems of literary significance.

Eliminate . The goal isn't to turn students into world-class poets; the goal is to help them recognize artistic value. They don't need to produce masterpieces to learn how to appreciate them.

B.  The suggestion is based on the results of a controlled study conducted in five schools, all located in one city.

Eliminate . While this attacks the sampling of the study, it doesn't address the underlying logic of whether the instruction works. It’s a "weakening" attempt based on generalizability, but it's far less impactful than an option that attacks the core mechanism.

C.  More people report that they enjoy music than report that they enjoy poetry.

Eliminate . Popularity or "enjoyment" is not the same as the "ability to recognize artistic value." This is a common GMAT trap—switching the metric from competence to preference.

D.  Some poets received only a small amount of formal training in the writing of poetry.

Eliminate . This discusses the creators (poets), whereas the argument is about the audience (adults/students). Whether a poet is self-taught is irrelevant to whether a student can learn appreciation through writing.

E.  Traditional education enables practical skills in performing music, but not the evaluation of the intrinsic artistic value of musical compositions.

Correct . This option strikes at the heart of the analogy. The argument   assumes that because music instruction exists, people can appreciate music  . If music instruction actually doesn't help people evaluate artistic value (even if they can play the instruments), then copying that model for poetry will likely fail to produce the desired result of "recognizing artistic value."

Adit_ · Answer

This is actually a tough one. The key being which of the following will "NOT lead to desired result" A,B,C all seem like they support in favour of music and not vouching for the poets but does not discuss how its NOT going to lead to a desired result and hence E.

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Video explanation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S91FzShePZM

The syllabi in most high schools have traditionally included

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