#14 - Music professor: Because rap musicians can work alone

[Administrator]

Complete Question Explanation

Method of Reasoning. The correct answer choice is (B)

In this two-speaker stimulus, the music professor puts forth a fairly straightforward argument,
presenting two supporting premises followed by a conclusion about rap as a musical form. First, rap
musicians can work alone in a studio, without having to keep any other musicians happy. Second,
learning rap is a fairly informal process when compared to the process of learning an instrument.

Based on these two premises, the music professor concludes that rap is a non-traditional and very
individualistic form of music. The argument can be broken down simply as follows:

• Premise: Rap musicians can work alone in a studio, without the need to collaborate
  with other musicians.
  
  Premise: Learning to rap is a relatively informal process.
  
  Conclusion: Thus, rap is both individualistic and nontraditional.

The music critic’s response begins with the word “but,” and proceeds to take issue with both of
the music professor’s supporting premises. First, on the topic of whether rap is nontraditional: rap
samples small pieces of older songs, thus appealing to tradition, and regardless, rap has developed
its own musical tradition in terms of theme and style. Second, in response to the issue of rap as
an extremely individualistic musical form, the critic points out that if a rap musician wishes to be
successful, his or her style must conform to the preferences of the public to some extent. The critic’s
response can be broken down simply as follows:

• Refuting the professor’s first premise with a new premise: Rap does have its own tradition,
  and also appeals to tradition by sampling bits of older songs.
  
  Refuting the professor’s second premise with another new premise: Even though learning
  to rap might be an informal process, rappers are not completely idiosyncratic—rather,
  successful rappers must conform their styles to public preference.

By refuting both of the music professor’s supporting premises, the critic effectively undermines the
professor’s conclusion about rap being both non-traditional and extremely individualistic.

The dialogue in the stimulus is followed by a Method of Reasoning question, so the correct answer
choice will accurately describe the music critic’s response. As a possible prephrase of this answer,
we might note that the critic responds by providing two new premises in order to undermine the
professor’s conclusion about rap.

Answer choice (A): This might have been a tempting answer choice, especially placed first, but this
choice is not entirely accurate. The music critic challenges the professor’s argument by refuting both
of the professor’s premises with new considerations (as opposed to presenting evidence to disprove
one of the professor’s premises).

Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice, and the one which restates the answer
prephrased above. The critic’s response to the professor’s argument is to point to two new premises in order to refute the professor’s supporting premises and undermine the professor’s conclusion.

Answer choice (C): Both the professor and the critic discuss rap music in particular. The professor
does not generalize to a broader context, but rather confines his or her claims to the topic of rap as a
musical form.

Answer choice (D): The critic does not provide an alternative explanation of a given phenomenon.
Rather, the critic points to two new premises which conflict with the professor’s stated opinion.

Answer choice (E): The statements made by the music professor are not broad claims about tradition
and individuality in music—they deal with rap music specifically, in support of the professor’s
conclusion that rap is both extremely individualistic and nontraditional.

[hassan66]

Hi,

I was confused by the answer choices. I thought that the music critic confused the terms the professor used in the professor's conclusion. The professor concludes that rap is individualistic and a non traditional form of music. The professor does not say that the music does not borrow from traditional rap songs but that its form is non traditional. Also, the professor meant that they are individualistic in how they work with other musicians, not necessarily that their style is individualistic. It seems as if the music critic is not fully responding to the original intent of what the professor concludes and is instead responding to a different argument and taking a different meaning of the professor's conclusions. Does that make sense?

Thank you!

[altheaD]

Hi,
I'm actually confused between premise and conclusion... that the music professor claimed rap is nontraditional, and is individualistic -- that's a CONCLUSION rather than a premise, isn't it?
In the first post by Administrator I see that that claim is referenced as premise. Is that an error?
To me it doesn't make sense, because if indeed the critic attacked the professor's premises, then critic would challenge that rappers don't need to accommodate wishes of other musicians; and that it can be learned informally (or that it's not like learning an actual instrument which i presume is intended to mean "formal")

I actually skipped this question doing the section timed, and ran out of time before coming back to answer this

Thanks for any clarification...

[Brook Miscoski]

Althea,

The Administrator does state that the music professor's conclusion is that rap is individualistic and nontraditional. I believe that your confusion comes from how the Administrator explains the music critic's response. I will explain the critic's response somewhat differently.

The music critic shows that there are additional facts that the music professor failed to consider. Those facts are sampling (tradition), theme and style (tradition), and demands of the public (not purely individual).

Those additional facts cast doubt on the music professor's conclusion, not on the music professor's premises. The music critic does not take issue with either premise offered by the music professor; the music critic takes issue with over-reliance on those premises when there are other facts to consider.

That is why the correct response, (B), delivers the old LSAT standard, which can generally be expressed as "challenges conclusion by introducing additional facts."

[hrhyoo]

Hi Powerscore,

Understanding the stimulus was okay here but the answer choices confused me big time. Torn between B and E, I ended up selecting E without fully understanding it. What does it mean by each of a group of claims? Isn't there just a single claim for each tradition and individuality? Is that why E is incorrect?

[Jeremy Press]

Hi Hanna,

The "group of claims . . . that the music professor gives as evidence" are the premises of the music professor's argument (claims given as evidence are what we'd more simply call premises...if we had any say in writing the answer choices!). So the answer choice is referring to the premise about individuality, plus the premise about tradition, as together constituting the "group of claims" the professor is using as evidence.

In order for answer choice E to work, the music critic would have to challenge directly each of those two premises in the music professor's argument. But the music critic doesn't challenge directly the claim that rap musicians need not accommodate supporting musicians' wishes (because of the possibility of working alone in a studio). The music critic also doesn't challenge directly the claim that "learning to rap is not as formal a process as learning an instrument." Rather, the music critic challenges the conclusion that rap is extremely individualistic and nontraditional. Thus, answer choice E is an inaccurate description of the music critic's argument.

I hope this helps!

Jeremy

[tiffanystills]

Hi Powerscore,

I was in between answer choices B and E, but at the last minute changed to answer E. I didn't fully believe it was E because it didn't mention the critic attacking the conclusion but I interpreted the group of claims as his premises to which the critic offers alternative evidence. What made me think it was not B was that I didn't know whether or not the professor "took into account" that evidence. I think that reasoning is wrong because if it's not stated in the stimulus I'm not supposed to assume the author could've considered it, is that correct?

[Frank Peter]

Hi Tiffany,

I think for (E) to work as the correct answer, the music critic would have had to address the premises that the professor uses to support the conclusion that rap is individualistic and nontraditional. That argument would have to proceed along the lines of showing why working alone in a studio and not accommodating supporting musicians wishes doesn't necessarily mean that rap is individualistic, and just because learning to rap isn't a formal process doesn't mean it is nontraditional.

Instead, the critic introduces additional considerations to counter the professor's conclusion. This is why (B) is the better answer choice.

[mahmed19]

Hello!

I am having trouble understanding how answer choice (D) and (B) are different from each other and why (D) is incorrect.

Thank you!

Maliha

[Bob O'Halloran]

Hi Mahmed19,
Thank you for your question. For method of reasoning questions, the correct answer choice will refer to the methods made in the stimulus.
For answer choice (D) it states that "alternative explanation of phenomena", so we must find this in the stimulus. What would be the alternate explanation?
In contrast answer choice (B) states that "certain additional observations". We can point to these in the stimulus
"using bits of older songs"
"conform their work to the preferences of the public"
These are often difficult questions, but by making sure the method stated in the answer choice is actually in the stimulus you can get to the correct answer.
I hope this helps
Please let us know of any additional questions.
Bob