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#35534
Complete Question Explanation
(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=14304)

The correct answer choice is (E)

This Global Reference question has the potential of being time-consuming. Our job is to identify
a question that can be answered with the information contained in the passage. To do so, we
need to proceed by the method of elimination: any answer choice that cannot be answered with
the information contained in the passage will be incorrect. Awareness of passage organization is
incredibly important, as it helps locate potentially relevant information relatively quickly.

Answer choice (A): The only section that may contain an answer to this question is the first
paragraph of the passage, in which the author discusses African American tradition and music.
However, there is no mention of visual artists in this paragraph.

Answer choice (B): The author only discusses a single literary work by Toni Morrison. Any mention
of other works would have occurred in the first or the fourth paragraphs, and no such mention was
made.

Answer choice (C): The critical reception of Jazz is never discussed in the passage.

Answer choice (D): The only section potentially useful to answering this question is the third
paragraph of the passage, in which the author describes the music of Duke Ellington. How many
works by African American writers he was able to inspire is entirely unknown.

Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer choice. The first paragraph describes the work
of African American writers who frequently used musicians and music as theme and metaphor
for their writing (lines 10-12). Jazz also draws upon the musical genre, albeit in a different way.
The connection to music is therefore a characteristic of Jazz present in the work of other African
American writers.
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 sdb606
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#84345
I don't understand why D is wrong. The answer to the question posed by D is, "At least one. Jazz." Since I have answered the question to D, why is D still wrong?
 Adam Tyson
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#84361
Because "at least one" does not actually answer that question, sdb606! Answer D is not asking for a minimum, but an accurate count. If you asked me "how many questions did you get right on your last practice test," and I said "at least one," I doubt you would feel that I had answered the question!

And consider this: the passage never says that Duke Ellington's music inspired Toni Morrison! She was inspired by the KIND of music Duke played, but who says HIS music inspired her? Maybe she was inspired by Charlie Parker, or Billie Holiday, or John Coltrane, and never even heard a note Duke Ellington ever wrote or played? If we are going to get that literal, we need to accept that there is nothing in the passage linking Morrison to Ellington. So the answer to the question posed in answer choice D could actually be "zero." Tricky!

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