PrepTest 125 - Section 1 - Passage 3 - Question 15

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Aida Overton Walker (1880–1914), one of the most widely acclaimed African American performers of the early twentieth century, was known largely for popularizing a dance form known as the cakewalk through her choreographing, performance, and teaching of the dance. ███

Intro topic · How Walker popularized the cakewalk dance

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Details of cakewalk · Origins and key characteristics

Originated by African Americans before Civil War, based on West African dances

More details of cakewalk · European elements added which contrast with African elements

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Consequences of Euro influences · Originally parody of European dance, but ended up appealing to European Americans

Evolution of cakewalk · Parodied by European Americans

Started as African American parody of European American dancing; developed into European American parody of African American dancing

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Author's perspective · on cakewalk's success

Cakewalk's broad, cross-cultural appeal was important and necessary to its success, given the socioeconomic conditions of the time

Author's perspective · on Walker's role in cakewalk's success

Walker popularized cakewalk by meeting different audiences' expectations

Example · of how Walker appealed to one audience

Walker's version of the cakewalk was refined and graceful, appealing to middle-class African Americans

Another example · of how Walker appealed to a second audience

Walker's version of the cakewalk was considered authentic, appealing to middle- and upper-class European Americans

Final example · of how Walker appealed to a third audience

Walker's version of the cakewalk had certain elements ("grand flourishes") that appealed to newly rich audiences

Passage Style

Single position

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15.

Which one of the following ██ ████ █████████ ██ ███ ████████ ███████ ██ ███ ██████ █████████ ██ ███ ███ ████████ ████ ██ ██████ ██ ████████ ██████████

Question Type

Analogy (RC)

By the author’s account, a certain group (European Americans) were drawn to something (the cakewalk) because that thing included familiar elements (elements of European dance), even though those elements were actually meant to be a parody (the cakewalk was parodying European dance). A good analogy will feature the same general structure: a certain group is drawn to something because of familiar elements, even those it’s really a parody of those elements.

Satirical versions of ███████ █████ █████ ███ ██████████ ████ ███████ ████ ███ █████ ████ ███████

This describes a situation where parodies in general are more popular than the things they parody. But the author doesn’t say that the cakewalk (a parody of European dance) was altogether more popular than European dance itself. Rather, he says that by parodying European dance, which appealed to European Americans, the cakewalk likewise appealed to European Americans.

A style of ███████ █████ █████ ██ ██████████ █████ █████ █████████ ███████ ██ ████████ ███ ███████ ██████ ███████ ██ █████ ██████████

This describes a situation in which one group (older listeners) enjoy something, and a different group (young listeners) enjoy parodies of that thing. But the author’s account in P2 is about how a single group (European Americans) enjoyed something (European dance) and also enjoyed a parody of that thing (the cakewalk, which parodied European dance).

10%

A style of █████ ███████ ███████ █████ ███████ ███████ ████████ ██ ████ ███████ ██ ████████ ████ ████ ██████████ ██ █████ ██ ██████ ███████ ██████

This has the same structure as the author’s account of how European Americans came to enjoy the cakewalk. Something (the cakewalk) became admired among a certain group (European Americans) in part because of elements that were introduced in order to parody that thing (elements of European dance).

74%

A once popular █████ ██ █████ ████ ████ ███ ████████ ██ █████████████ ████████ ██ ███ █████ ██ █████ ████ ██ █████████ ████ ████████

This is analogous to European Americans liking the cakewalk, losing interest, then gaining interest again when the cakewalk works in elements of some more popular dance. But the author’s account in P2 doesn’t say that the cakewalk “won back” European Americans by incorporating elements of some “more popular” dance. Rather, European Americans were simply attracted to the cakewalk in the first place because of how the cakewalk parodied European dance.

After popular music ██████ ██ ███████████ ████████ ██ █ ███████████ █████ ██ ██████ ████████ ██ ████ ███████████ █████ ██████████

This is analogous to the cakewalk appropriating elements of European dance, followed by increased general interest in European dance. But the author’s account in P2 is about how after the cakewalk appropriated elements of European dance, interest in the cakewalk increased among one specific group: European Americans.

PrepTest 125 - Section 1 - Passage 3 - Question 15

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