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 Claire Horan
PowerScore Staff
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#73726
Complete Question Explanation

The correct answer choice is (C).


Author Perspective questions are hard to prephrase because the answer can be anything both authors expressed an opinion on, even if it wasn't their main point. For that reason, go straight to reading the answer choices, and sort them into contenders and losers. Then find a reference in each passage to support your final choice. If you can't find support for any of the contenders, check the choices you discarded as losers.

Answer choice (A): This answer choice can be discarded because Passage A does not address musical ability during infancy at all.

Answer choice (B): This answer choice can be discarded because Passage A does not address the impact of music on human bonding at all. Passage A mentions that music can communicate emotions, which might cause some test-takers to save this choice as a contender, but they will see that answer choice (C) is addressed much more directly.

Answer choice (C): This is the correct answer choice. First, note that it relates to the main purpose of both passages that we identified in Question #9, so it should definitely be one of our contenders. Then, we check each passage for references to increases in brain size leading to the development of music in humans. In Passage A, we see brain size discussed as enabling musical ability in Lines 19-21. In Passage B, we see brain size discussed in Line 52 and after, as leading to human babies relying more and more on their mothers and causing music, because it facilitated bonding, to confer an evolutionary advantage. Now that we've found the relevant line references in both passages, we know choice (C) is the right answer.

Answer choice (D): This answer choice is tricking because it includes the keywords and concepts that both passages are concerned with. However, neither is about music leading to new neurological systems. Both passages are concerned with what led to the evolution of music, not what the evolution of music led to.

Answer choice (E): Passage A discusses the fact that musical ability tends to differ greatly among individuals, although it doesn't really answer the question of why. Passage B does not address this question at all.

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