LSAT 150 | Section 4 | Reading Comprehension: Q6

RC Question 6 Explanation

DISCUSSION: Several of the wrong answers mention people that were never mentioned in the passage: new young artists with opinions of Marsalis, critics vs. musicians, etc.

None of them showed up. It’s very important when reading a passage to make note of any groups who give opinions. Where were they mentioned, and what do they think? That way, you can’t be tricked into imagining groups that weren’t mentioned.

___________

1. CORRECT. Lines 37-58 support this. There, the author shows that Marsalis encouraged the creation of new music, as long as it incorporated some tradition. Instead, it is the record labels (lines 45-58) who have decided that it is most profitable only to republish classic jazz records. 
2. This goes too far. Mainly, Marsalis encouraged people to pay attention to jazz’s past masters. Nowhere in the passage does it say that Marsalis greatly promoted young artists. This answer is probably based on a misread of lines 38-39, which say Marsalis “encouraged young artists to pay attention to the music’s traditions” (Emphasis mine).
    
   There’s a difference between giving someone advice and enthusiastically marketing that person.
3. I don’t think the passage mentions “fellow musicians”. We have no idea how they differ from music critics, if at all. (In the passage, I had assumed “critics” referred to people in general: music critics, musicians, concerned members of the public, etc.)
4. The passage doesn’t mention the opinions of any young artists!
5. This misreads paragraph 2. The “15 new records” was to show that Marsalis had once been highly creative, but now he is producing no new music. In fact, record labels are turning away from new jazz.