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- Tue May 31, 2016 4:40 pm
#25817
Complete Question Explanation
Main Point—FIB, CE. The correct answer choice is (D)
In this stimulus, the author sets out to answer the question posed in the first sentence, why are Stradivarius violins from the early 1700s far superior to most other violins? After rejecting the view of some experts, that the difference is a secret varnish, the author lays out a different argument. The author’s argument begins after the word “however,” provides just one premise, and leaves the conclusion for us to fill in.
The question stem tells us that this is a Main Point—Fill in the Blank question. By focusing on the author’s argument, i.e., the last two lines of the stimulus, our prephrase becomes simple. The special acoustic properties of the wood used by Stradivarius, that resulted from the weather patterns in the 1600s and 1700s in the region of Italy where Stradivarius worked, has something to do with the superior sound of Stradivarius violins.
Although this prephrase may seem too simple, trust it. Because the author provided only one premise, the conclusion must result from that premise. Do not try to be more specific with your prephrase, because there are multiple ways in which the correct answer choice may phrase the conclusion. Just move on to the answer choices with this prephrase in mind.
Answer choice (A): This choice involves a number of assumptions that make it incorrect. For example, it assumes that there were other violin makers in Italy during the early 1700s, that these violin makers used wood from the same region in which Stradivarius worked, and that even if another violin maker had the same material, he would have had sufficient skill to take advantage of the wood’s special acoustic properties. Remember that the author gave us only one premise. The conclusion must follow from that premise.
Answer choice (B): This answer choice is improperly restrictive, because the question was why Stradivarius’ violins are superior to most other violins, not all other violins. Further, like in answer choice (A), this choice appears to make an unsupported assumption about the relationship between the wood and the skill of the violin maker.
Answer choice (C): This choice assumes no present day material has the same acoustic properties as the wood used by Stradivarius (let alone qualities superior to those), a fact not present in or inferable from the stimulus.
Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice, because it makes the proper connection between the acoustic properties of the wood and the superior sound of the Stradivarius violins without going beyond the strength of the evidence to infer the wood was solely responsible for the superiority.
Answer choice (E): This choice is made attractive by the statement in the stimulus that there is no evidence to support the theory that Stradivarius used secret varnishes to produce his superior violins. However, just because there is no evidence for his use of secret varnishes does not mean he did not, in fact, use them. Nor does that statement establish that Stradivarius did not use some other secret technique.
Main Point—FIB, CE. The correct answer choice is (D)
In this stimulus, the author sets out to answer the question posed in the first sentence, why are Stradivarius violins from the early 1700s far superior to most other violins? After rejecting the view of some experts, that the difference is a secret varnish, the author lays out a different argument. The author’s argument begins after the word “however,” provides just one premise, and leaves the conclusion for us to fill in.
The question stem tells us that this is a Main Point—Fill in the Blank question. By focusing on the author’s argument, i.e., the last two lines of the stimulus, our prephrase becomes simple. The special acoustic properties of the wood used by Stradivarius, that resulted from the weather patterns in the 1600s and 1700s in the region of Italy where Stradivarius worked, has something to do with the superior sound of Stradivarius violins.
Although this prephrase may seem too simple, trust it. Because the author provided only one premise, the conclusion must result from that premise. Do not try to be more specific with your prephrase, because there are multiple ways in which the correct answer choice may phrase the conclusion. Just move on to the answer choices with this prephrase in mind.
Answer choice (A): This choice involves a number of assumptions that make it incorrect. For example, it assumes that there were other violin makers in Italy during the early 1700s, that these violin makers used wood from the same region in which Stradivarius worked, and that even if another violin maker had the same material, he would have had sufficient skill to take advantage of the wood’s special acoustic properties. Remember that the author gave us only one premise. The conclusion must follow from that premise.
Answer choice (B): This answer choice is improperly restrictive, because the question was why Stradivarius’ violins are superior to most other violins, not all other violins. Further, like in answer choice (A), this choice appears to make an unsupported assumption about the relationship between the wood and the skill of the violin maker.
Answer choice (C): This choice assumes no present day material has the same acoustic properties as the wood used by Stradivarius (let alone qualities superior to those), a fact not present in or inferable from the stimulus.
Answer choice (D): This is the correct answer choice, because it makes the proper connection between the acoustic properties of the wood and the superior sound of the Stradivarius violins without going beyond the strength of the evidence to infer the wood was solely responsible for the superiority.
Answer choice (E): This choice is made attractive by the statement in the stimulus that there is no evidence to support the theory that Stradivarius used secret varnishes to produce his superior violins. However, just because there is no evidence for his use of secret varnishes does not mean he did not, in fact, use them. Nor does that statement establish that Stradivarius did not use some other secret technique.