#23 - Must Be True

[reop6780]

I have no idea what analogy I was supposed to draw between passage A and the answer.

The preference of passage A describes that music should not be too simple nor too complex. At the same time, it needs to have coherence....

How is it relevant with the correct answer B? (Not that I had any other answer choice that was more appealing)

[Robert Carroll]

reop,

For the gist of passage A's discussion, look at this sentence: "We prefer some sort of coherence, a principle that connects the various sounds and makes them comprehensible."

According to passage A, we need to be able to make sense of music. The patterns into which it is organized need to be just complex enough to arouse our interest, but not so complicated that we cannot comprehend the pattern, and certainly not chaotic or disorganized.

In answer choice (B), there is a preference for movies that are clear and easy to follow. In other words, there are easy to comprehend and to keep up with, being organized (so there there is not total chaos) but not so overly complicated that they overwhelm us. There is enough substance to keep us interested, but not so much that we get overwhelmed, and certainly nothing chaotic and confusing. This is the proper analogy with the first paragraph of passage A.

Robert Carroll

[mpoulson]

Hello,

I read the analysis above and find it sufficient for answer B. However, I don't see specifically why A is wrong. The passage says near the end that people enjoy "continuous sound, particularly one that judged to be safe relaxes the brain." Can this not be translated to the white noise of a continuous fan.

V/r,

Micah

[Claire Horan]

Hi Micah,

It's important to view passages as a whole, and then to analyze what each paragraph is doing. The passage is about how the complexity and coherence of music affects what types of music people enjoy. The first paragraph points out that people are unlikely to respond emotionally to "[a] single, pure tone" because it "is not that interesting to explore." The sentence you quote about continuous sound is about how people prefer a rhythmic melody over music with dissonant, jarring sounds. Takeaway Lesson: Understand sentences not in isolation but rather with regard to their context within the passage.