Sufficient AssumptionDiff: Medium
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: Some musicians claim music is just a bunch of sounds with no deeper meaning, but then they go on stage and explain exactly what they were trying to do with those sounds so the audience likes it.
Conclusion: The music produced by contemporary musicians who view music as meaningless sound fails to actually conform to their own theory.
Reasoning: These musicians attempt to gain audience acceptance by explaining their intentions before a performance, which contradicts the idea that the music is just sound without meaning.
Analysis: This is a Sufficient Assumption question, so we are looking for a 'missing link' that guarantees the conclusion is true. The argument points out that musicians explain their 'intentions,' and then concludes that this makes the music 'meaningful' (or at least not 'bereft of meaning'). To make this logic bulletproof, we need an assumption that says if a musician has or explains intentions for a piece, that piece necessarily possesses meaning. Look for an answer that connects the act of having intentions to the presence of meaning.
Conclusion: The music produced by contemporary musicians who view music as meaningless sound fails to actually conform to their own theory.
Reasoning: These musicians attempt to gain audience acceptance by explaining their intentions before a performance, which contradicts the idea that the music is just sound without meaning.
Analysis: This is a Sufficient Assumption question, so we are looking for a 'missing link' that guarantees the conclusion is true. The argument points out that musicians explain their 'intentions,' and then concludes that this makes the music 'meaningful' (or at least not 'bereft of meaning'). To make this logic bulletproof, we need an assumption that says if a musician has or explains intentions for a piece, that piece necessarily possesses meaning. Look for an answer that connects the act of having intentions to the presence of meaning.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage20.Which one of the following, if assumed, enables the argument's conclusion to be properly drawn?
Correct Answer
E
E provides exactly the needed linkage: if music has no meaning, its musicians do not preface with explanations of intentions. Since these musicians do preface, it follows that their music is not meaningless and therefore fails to conform to their theory.
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