LSAT 104 | Section 2 | Reading Comprehension: Q4

RC Question 4 Explanation

DISCUSSION: The author likes Miles Davis. In lines 1-3, they call him a genius, with an astonishingly productive career.

You can’t give much higher praise than that. The rest of the passage is spend describing (and implicitly praising) Davis’ innovations.

___________

1. “Ambivalence” means the author saw both good and bad in Davis. But there’s not a single word of criticism against Davis in the passage. And the author is confident, rather than uneasy.
2. The author calls Davis a “genius” (line 3). They do nothing but praise Davis. They’re not neutral or cautious.
3. This means the author praised Davis, with reservations. That didn’t happen. The author wholeheartedly praised Davis.
4. Lines 1-3 disprove this. It’s not moderate to call someone an astonishingly productive genius.
5. CORRECT. The author defends Davis from his critics. He shows his appreciation by admiringly listing all of Davis’ innovations.