Musicologist: Ludwig van Beethoven began losing his hearing when he

Question

Musicologist: Ludwig van Beethoven began losing his hearing when he was 30. This loss continued gradually, but was not complete until late in his life. While it may seem that complete hearing loss would be a severe liability for a composer, in Beethoven's case it gave his later music a wonderfully introspective quality that his earlier music lacked.

Which one of the following statements is most strongly supported by the musicologist's claims?

(A) It was more difficult for Beethoven to compose his later works than his earlier ones.

(B) Had he not lost his hearing, Beethoven's later music would have been of poorer quality than it is.

(C) Had he not lost his hearing, Beethoven would have been less introspective than he was.

(D) Beethoven's music became gradually more introspective as he grew older.

(E) Had he not lost his hearing, Beethoven's later music would probably have been different than it is.

ankushsambare · Answer

Premises
Beethoven began losing his hearing at 30, and it became complete late in life.
His later music had a “wonderfully introspective quality” that earlier music lacked.
The musicologist implies hearing loss contributed to this change.
Conclusion
Hearing loss affected the nature of Beethoven’s later music, making it more introspective.
Prethinking
This is a causal claim. The safe inference is limited to: if the cause were removed, the effect (change in music) would not occur in the same way. Avoid extending claims to Beethoven’s personality or overall quality.
Eliminate options
(A) Not mentioned; talks about difficulty of composing.
(B) Unsupported; brings in overall music quality, which is not stated.
(C) Overreach; shifts from music to Beethoven’s personality.
(D) Incorrect cause; attributes change to age instead of hearing loss.
(E) Supported; without hearing loss, his later music would likely be different, which directly follows from the stated influence.

guddo · Answer

Musicologist: Ludwig van Beethoven began losing his hearing when he was 30. This loss continued gradually, but was not complete until late in his life. While it may seem that complete hearing loss would be a severe liability for a composer, in Beethoven's case it gave his later music a wonderfully introspective quality that his earlier music lacked.
 
 Which one of the following statements is most strongly supported by the musicologist's claims?

The musicologist says Beethoven’s hearing loss gave his later music an introspective quality that his earlier music did not have.  So the safest inference  is that without the hearing loss, his later music would probably have been  different .

(A) It was more difficult for Beethoven to compose his later works than his earlier ones.

Wrong. The passage says hearing loss may seem like a liability, but it does not say composing later works was harder.

(B) Had he not lost his hearing, Beethoven's later music would have been of poorer quality than it is.

Wrong. The passage says the later music had a different quality, not that it would have been worse without hearing loss.

(C) Had he not lost his hearing, Beethoven would have been less introspective than he was.

Wrong. The claim is about the introspective quality of his music, not necessarily about Beethoven’s personality.

(D) Beethoven's music became gradually more introspective as he grew older.

Wrong. His hearing loss was gradual, but the passage does not say the introspective quality of his music increased gradually.

(E) Had he not lost his hearing, Beethoven's later music would probably have been different than it is.

Correct. Since the passage says his hearing loss gave his later music a quality it otherwise lacked, it follows that without the hearing loss, his later music would probably have been different.

Answer: (E)

yc168 · Answer

OE for reference:

Overview:  
The musicologist claims that Beethoven began losing his hearing when he was 30, that the loss continued gradually, that the loss was complete late in his life, and that this hearing loss gave Beethoven's later music a wonderfully introspective quality that his earlier music lacked. You are asked to determine which statement is most strongly supported by the musicologist's claims.
Note that you are asked only what is supported by the musicologist's claims, not what is likely to be true in general.

The Correct Answer:

E  The musicologist claims that Beethoven's complete hearing loss gave his later music a wonderfully introspective quality that his earlier music lacked. The word "gave" indicates causality; the hearing loss caused Beethoven's later music to be different than his earlier music. Consequently, if Beethoven had not lost his hearing, this cause would have been absent and there is a good chance the effect would be absent as well. This means that Beethoven's music probably would have been different if he hadn't lost his hearing. (E) is therefore strongly supported by the passage.

The Incorrect Answer Choices:

A  It seems reasonable to expect that it would have been more difficult for Beethoven to compose after losing his hearing. However, none of the musicologist's claims directly concern how difficult it was for Beethoven to compose his works. Moreover, it remains possible, given the musicologist's claims, that some aspects of musical composition became easier for Beethoven as he gained experience. So the musicologist's claims do not support (A).

B  As indicated in the discussion of "The Correct Answer," the musicologist's claims support the view that, had Beethoven not lost his hearing, his music would have lacked the introspective quality that it had. However, the statement in (B) uses "quality" in a different sense of the word. The statement in (B) is about whether Beethoven's music attained a higher level of quality overall because Beethoven lost his hearing. The musicologist makes no claims about the overall quality of Beethoven's music in this sense and so (B) is not supported by the musicologist's claims.

C  While the musicologist's claims imply that Beethoven's  music  would not have had a certain introspective quality if he had not lost his hearing, the musicologist makes no claims about Beethoven himself. Beethoven may have been just as introspective overall. It's just that his music wouldn't have been introspective in the same way. So (C) is not supported by the musicologist's claims.

D  While the musicologist claims that Beethoven gradually lost his hearing and that the complete hearing loss gave his later music a wonderfully introspective quality, the musicologist makes no claims about how or when Beethoven's music changed. It's possible, given just the musicologist's claims, that Beethoven's hearing loss was complete before it had this effect on his music. The change in Beethoven's music could have been abrupt rather than gradual. So (D) is not supported by the musicologist's claims.

Musicologist: Ludwig van Beethoven began losing his hearing when he

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Musicologist: Ludwig van Beethoven began losing his hearing when he

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615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

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