June 2007 LSAT, Reading Comprehension, Q12

RC Question 12 Explanation

DISCUSSION: You should remember that both passages largely disagree about music. So, in picking the answer, you look for something that wasn’t central to both passages. Some neutral fact they can agree on.

___________

1. Neither passage says when musical abilities arise.It’s true that passage B mentions infants listening to music, but that’s not the same as full musical capacity (singing, composition, etc)
2. Passage A would likely disagree with this, as they think music was evolutionarily irrelevant.
3. CORRECT. Passage A suggests this in lines 19-21 (brain size led to both language, and music). Passage B also mentions this in their final paragraph (lines 50-62): Increasing brain size left infants more helpless, and therefore gave an evolutionary advantage to singing, as it improved the mother-infant bond.
4. Neither passage makes a clear distinction between the evolution of brain neurology, and the evolution of musical capacity. It’s possible, for example, that the evolution of music changed brain neurology at the same time.
   This answer is talking something different: music evolves, and then the brain changes (again). Neither passage mentioned that happening.
5. Neither passage mentions why musical ability varies. In fact, passage B doesn’t even say whether it does vary.

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