LSAT 110, Section 1, RC Passage 2, The Blues

RC Passage 2 Explanation

This is an explanation for passage 2 of LSAT preptest 34, the June 2001 LSAT. This passage is about the blues.  It discusses the origin of blues music and how it relates to West African religious rites.

This section has paragraph summaries and an analysis of the passage, links to the explanations for the questions are below.

Paragraph Summaries

1. Contrary to popular belief, the blues aren’t just songs of sadness. They share much with African-American “spirituals”.
2. The blues and spirituals can both be linked to West African religious practices. These aimed to turn sadness into elation.
3. Likewise, the blues attempts to transform sad experiences into something positive and artistic.

Analysis

This is a hard passage. It delves deep into the origins and purpose of the blues. They aren’t just sad songs, despite what people might believe. They have a lot in common with African-American religious music (spirituals). Both the blues and spirituals seem to have descended from West African religious rites.

The purpose of all of these practices is to turn negative experiences into something positive.