Passage Discussion

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

Here's Demetri's breakdown of the passage organization:

Passage A:

Paragraph 1 begins with some background information on the complexity of music. We are told that music should be complicated enough to excite the listener, but not so complicated that it overwhelms. We need something to unify the sound so we can understand it.

Paragraph 2 compares music to language and reiterates the need for a unifying theme in music.

Paragraph 3 provides a deeper analysis of music and emotions by discussing the reactions to different sounds. It tells us that relaxing sounds are continuous and rhythmical while disturbing sounds are discontinuous and erratic.

Passage B:

Paragraph 1 establishes the idea of "musical emotions," which are manipulated by building up and releasing tension in the audience (through creating and satisfying expectations).

Paragraph 2 further explains this idea; positive emotions come when the listener expects something and gets it while negative emotions come when the listener doesn’t get what they are expecting.

Paragraph 3 introduces two new ideas; the first is that familiarity is a factor in our enjoyment of music. We like music more and more as we hear it until we "know" it and then it decreases. Finally, trained listeners prefer more complex music because they can deal with the emotions it produces.

[RyanT361]

Hello, do comparative passages not have scales done, as they contain two passages in one?

Thank you,

Ryan

[JessicaS167]

Is there a scale in this passage?

[smiller]

When reading a comparative passage set it's helpful to notice if Passage A presents some type of scale. In this case, Passage A describes the balance between complexity and coherence in a piece of music. We could say that a need for complexity is on one side of the scale, and a need for coherence on the other.

When reading Passage B, it's useful to keep the scale or main idea of Passage A in mind. We want to notice how Passage B is similar to Passage A and how it's different. In this case, Passage B is also discussing music, the complexity of a musical piece, and how people respond emotionally to the complexity of the music. However, Passage B focuses more directly on a listener's expectations. It also mentions the effect that familiarity has on a listener, and discusses a difference between a trained listener and a novice.

In some cases there will be a significant difference between Passage A and Passage B which can allow you to put each passage on a different side of a scale. In this case there isn't that drastic of a difference. These passages are discussing very similar topics, but are exploring the topics in somewhat different ways. We would head into the questions expecting to be asked about specific similarities and differences.