#4 - Concept Reference, Must Be True

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (A).

Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice.

Answer choice (B):

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):

This explanation is still in progress. Please post any questions below!

[tanushreebansal]

Hi! May someone explain to me why A is correct? I don't see how the answer connects.

[Francis O'Rourke]

Let's try to sum up Ringer's arguments:

• Beethoven was forced to look outside of Austria for creative models
• Beethoven was inspired by pianists in London who were connected with Clementi
• The London Pianoforte school was circumscribed and relatively uniform
• The influence of this school was primarily around 1800

In order to undermine Ringer's argument as described in the passage, we're going to need to weaken one of these ideas. Going down the line:

Answer choice (A) tells us that there were creative composers in Austria during the pertinent time period. Ringer's argument relies on assuming that Beethoven had to look outside of Austria, but this statement gives us an alternative: he could have looked towards creative models in his own country. If this statement is true, then Ringer would have to defend the notion that Beethoven had to look all the way to London for inspiration, when he could have much more easily looked closer to home.

Answer choice (B) lines up the time frame of Clementi that Ringer needs and will thus strengthen the argument

Answer choice (C) tells us nothing of the influence of musicians in London, as "Continental musicians" describes musicians on the European mainland; i.e. not London. Ringer's argument does not allege that Beethoven was influenced solely by English musicians, so it is irrelevant to the argument.

Answer choice (D) strengthens Ringer's assumption that the school was relatively uniform

Answer choice (E) does not truly affect any part of Ringer's argument. We do not care why the musicians in this group came to London or if they were local Londoners or foreigners. This may strengthen the idea that the school was circumscribed, but even that is a stretch.

[PresidentLSAT]

Hi,

I have issues with A. I had prefaced before going to the choices; I was looking for something that will attribute a different reason young progressives left (besides expanding their creative prowess). A by a long short strengthens it; if they produced innovative music as soon as it became available, then it is plausible that they looked elsewhere because, at the time they needed it (expansion of creative models), it wasn't available. We're not given cues to infer the timing here.

RC is a nightmare

[Adam Tyson]

To undermine (weaken) Ringer's argument, we have to be clear on what that argument is, and it's best summed up here:

The notion of a school was first propounded by Alexander Ringer, who argued that laws of artistic survival forced the young, progressive Beethoven to turn outside Austria for creative models

The paragraph goes on to talk about how Beethoven and others on the Continent were probably influenced by those in London who were the first to compose on the Broadwood piano while it was still being developed.

Answer A weakens that argument by suggesting that those on the Continent were composing on it pretty quickly themselves, so Beethoven and others would not have had to look to London for inspiration and influences, but could instead have looked around within Austria and found plenty of creative models.

[olenka.ballena@macaulay.cuny.edu]

Hi Powerscore,

I chose C for this question, although I knew it didn't feel right, and I essentially just chose it because I had eliminated the other options.

I'm still having trouble understanding how A is correct, and actually what threw me off was it's specific mention of the Broadwood piano. The author only mentions the Broadwood piano in the last paragraph, and the author states that Beethoven responded to the advances of this piano, and the author states this after writing that Beethoven was forced to turn outside of Austria for creative models. If anything, this answer choice almost amplified the fact that Broadwood music wasn't available/ this level of creativity and innovation weren't available in Austria (until this instrument became more widely available), and Beethoven responded well AFTER turning outside of Austria. If they composed innovative music for the broadwood piano only after the instrument became available, then doesn't that mean that there was more creativity elsewhere - as London musicians were able to create this music while the advances were being made?

I understand, in retrospect, how answer choice A is I assume in general pointing out that there was always a level of creativity/innovation in Austria, but answer choice makes it clear that this happened when the instrument become available, and the passage makes it seem creativity and innovation in London was happening before, while, and after the changes to the instrument were being made.

Thanks!

[Adam Tyson]

Look to this part of Ringer's argument, Olenka:

After all, Beethoven did respond to the advances of the Broadwood piano—its reinforced frame, extended compass, triple stringing, and pedals, for example—and it is reasonable to suppose that London pianists who composed music for such an instrument during the critical phase of its development exercised no small degree of influence on Continental musicians.

In short, Ringer argues (and the author appears to agree) that Beethoven looked to London to find creative influences for composing pieces to be played on the Broadwood piano. Answer A weakens that by suggesting that he could have found sufficient inspiration closer to home.

Answer C is wrong because it is not specific enough to the issue of music composed for the Broadwood piano. Some of his music was influenced by Continental musicians, but was that music for this new piano, or was it for something else? Ringer never argued that Beethoven was ONLY influenced by the London school, but only that he was forced to look there for inspiration for SOME of his music.