#26 - 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]

Is B the correct answer?

[Stephanie Oswalt]

Hi mahsa,

Yes, it is!

[tonyking]

Hello,
For this question, I thought B is a bit strong with the word "Only". I thought upper-class people may once a while want to dance in a park or something. But upon second look I see its not strictly to the lowest class which is Griot. It only talks about the lower class, so I guess it's not as restrictive as I once thought.
I end up chose D for this one. I chose it because it follows the logic process of the passage. The upper-class people during ancient times did like to magnify their social status. and if D actually mentioned in the passage I won't be surprised at all. However, I guess in the passage it does not mention it explicitly, so it cannot be right, period, no matter how great it may seem.
Upon that observation with answer choice D, I guess it won't be too crazy to go out a little bit of limp to say B is right. Because after all, D is way crazier then what B is saying.

Is this the right thought process? Maybe a little dramatic since everyone is in quarantine now and funny thoughts can appear. Thank you in advance and stay safe.

Tony

[Jeremy Press]

Hi Tony,

The problem with answer choice D is the use of the word "numerous." Passage B does give us one way the nobles preserved their social status: the griots' music "sway[ed] public opinion in favor of their patrons." But we don't have any other ways the nobles preserved their social status, so there's no way to support answer choice D's assertion of "numerous" (i.e., many) methods.

Although answer choice B uses the strong term "only," think about answer choice B a little more holistically. It says that those activities were "acceptable" only among the lower classes. "Acceptable" is a term denoting opinion--it doesn't mean the upper classes never did those things in the real world. It just means that, if they would do them, those things wouldn't be "accepted" (as, say, appropriate). People would frown on them! The passage gives us enough support for that opinion-oriented term, because it says "Raising one's voice in public was considered inappropriate (i.e., was unacceptable) for socially prominent people." That's good enough to get us to answer choice B!

I hope this helps!

Jeremy

[ashpine17]

Raising voices in public wasn't acceptable for "socially prominent people" aka people of higher class, but how was I supposed to infer that it was therefore acceptable for lower class people?

[Adam Tyson]

It was socially acceptable for griots, who were the lowest caste. That's pretty much the gist of the whole passage! It was their job to sing their patrons' praises, tell their stories, etc. Check the last sentence in particular to see that it must have been acceptable for them to behave this way:

Despite the griots' public loudness, these performances and the prestige they brought their patrons required griots to be sensitive to Wolof community values and conceptions of correct social conduct.

If that loud behavior was not acceptable in this context, how could it possibly bring prestige to the patrons? It's the context and tone that should tell us that this was their role in society, and therefore acceptable within that social context.