#27 - Concept Reference, Must Be True

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (B).

Answer choice (A):

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

Answer choice (C):

Answer choice (D):

Answer choice (E):


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

[mahsa13]

I chose A for this question. Can you please explain this question for me? Thank you

[James Finch]

Hi Mahsa,

This question is asking what the difference is in the way that the two passages talk about griots. Passage A only mentions them in the first paragraph, explaining their role in West African society in largely positive terms regarding their musical/artistic role in society; their social status is never mentioned. Passage B explains how their low social standing allowed them leeway to do things that other higher ranking people wouldn't be able to do, but within limits due to their reliance on their patrons (and maintaining their patrons' high standing in society). So the big difference here is that Passage A is only concerned with griots' musical role, while passage B cares more about their social status and how it influenced their music. (B) gets closest to this Prephrase, making it the correct answer choice.

Hope this helps!

[leahaddad]

Hi all,

I'm still quite confused on this one. Since the passage directly states "They took these traditions and transformed them into song, and as a result often enjoyed great status in their communities." I don't understand how the correct answer choice can say they aren't referred to by their social status!

Any clarifications would help!

Thanks so much!

[Jeremy Press]

Hi Lea,

You've fallen into a common problem we see all the time on the LSAT. You've read the correct answer choice differently than it's stated. It says passage B also uses the term to refer to a "social class" (not "social status"). A "social class" is not the same thing as "often enjoy[ing] great status" in a community. A social class refers to a particular division of a hierarchically-arranged society, and Passage B clearly asserts that a griot fit into such a division (the lowest subcaste of the society's low-status caste). By contrast one could enjoy great status in a community without necessarily falling into a particular social class. Mother Theresa arguably enjoyed great status in the community of the Catholic Church independent of whatever social class we might have been able to assign her. Further, when Passage A says griots "often" enjoyed great status, it acknowledges that they are not (as a group) a singular social class. Some may have enjoyed such status. Others may not have. A "social class" does not have that kind of fluidity.

I hope this helps!

Jeremy

[arjanlion@gmail.com]

Is E incorrect as passage A discusses the roles that griots have such as "historians of their communities" but these roles do not equal different occupations? Thanks!

[Luke Haqq]

Hi arjanlion!

Let's break apart answer choice (E): "passage B uses the term to refer only to musicians employed by nobles whereas passage A uses the term to refer to musicians who have a variety of employment arrangements." This is a must-be-true question, and one specifically asking about differences between the passages.

First, we can test the claim about passage B. Does it use the term griot "to refer only to musicians employed by nobles?" At first, this can seem plausible--one reason is because the passage mentions nobles in the first paragraph in referring to a "high-status noble sector (géer)" (line 40). Then in the second paragraph, the passage connects griots to patrons.

However, these two pieces of information alone don't allow one to infer that these patrons were nobles. The passage refers to "low-status caste groups (ñeeño). Wolof elites of the day ranked ñeeño in six subcastes, the lowest of which was griot" (lines 41-43). Based on this information, it's possible that griots might have patrons who are not members of the noble sector. Given this, answer choice (E) incorrectly describes passage B so would not be the correct answer for this reason alone.

Second, we can still look at the description of passage A: "passage A uses the term to refer to musicians who have a variety of employment arrangements." This description seems possible based on the passage, but not something that must be true. While passage A describes griots as "historians," it doesn't go on to unpack a variety of employment arrangements for their work as historians (such as patronage, public funding, etc.). We therefore also can't verify the information about passage A. This is an additional reason why (E) would be incorrect.

Since (E) doesn't accurately describe how the term is used in either of the passages, it can't correctly describe how the passages differ in using the term.