Summary
European music has had a strong influence throughout the world, and it is a sophisticated achievement.
One reason for this is that the original function of the music gradually became an aspect of its style, but didn’t define the music.
For example, dance music can stand independent of dance, and sacred music can stand independent of religion.
European music has so much internal coherence that it doesn’t depend on anything besides the music itself.
One reason for this is that the original function of the music gradually became an aspect of its style, but didn’t define the music.
For example, dance music can stand independent of dance, and sacred music can stand independent of religion.
European music has so much internal coherence that it doesn’t depend on anything besides the music itself.
Notable Valid Inferences
There’s no clear inference to draw here. I’d rely on process of elimination to identify what must be false.
A
African music has had a more powerful impact on the world than European music has had.
Could be true. We’re never told European music has had the most powerful impact on the world. So it could be true that another kind of music had a more powerful impact.
B
European military and economic expansionism partially explains the global influence of European music.
Could be true. We were told about one reason European music has been so influential. So there can be other reasons, too.
C
The original functions of many types of Chinese music are no longer their defining forces.
Could be true. Perhaps Chinese music is also influential and sophisticated because the original function of the music isn’t a defining force.
D
Music that is unintelligible when it is presented independently of its original function tends to be the most sophisticated music.
Incompatible. We were told that one of the reasons European music is sophisticated is that it can stand apart from its original function. So it doesn’t make sense for the music unable to stand apart from original function to tend to be the most sophisticated.
E
Some works of art lose their appeal when they are presented to serve a function other than their original one.
Could be true. Some works might lose their appeal when they’re presented to serve a function other than the original. European music, however, is different from these works.
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author claims that the current theory about earthquakes doesn’t fully explain the results we observe when earthquakes happen. This is supported by an example of the theory not matching reality. The theory predicts that earthquakes should generate a lot of heat, but in practice no earthquake-related temperature increases have been observed. That does sound mysterious.
Identify Conclusion
The author’s conclusion is that the current theory still leaves at least one aspect of earthquakes “mysterious” in that the theory’s predictions don’t quite match the actual data.
A
No increases in temperature have been detected following earthquakes.
The argument states this claim as a fact, and does not provide any support for it, which means it’s not a conclusion. Instead, this is used to support the conclusion that the current theory is incomplete.
B
The current theory does not fully explain earthquake data.
This is exactly what the author is trying to say. The conclusion that the theory leaves something “mysterious” just means that it doesn’t fully explain observed data. The discussion of temperature supports this with a concrete example.
C
No one will ever be sure what the true cause of earthquakes is.
This is not stated in the argument. The author never claims that earthquakes are impossible to understand, just that the current theory isn’t 100% perfectly complete.
D
Earthquakes produce enormous amounts of heat that have so far gone undetected.
This is not stated in the argument. The author only establishes that a mystery exists, but does not suggest any possible explanations for what might resolve the mystery.
E
Contrary to the current theory, earthquakes are not caused by adjoining plates of rock sliding past one another.
This is not stated in the argument. The author never claims that the current theory is fundamentally incorrect, just that it still needs improvement to explain every aspect of earthquake data.
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author hypothesizes that the main cause of the declining amphibian population is the depletion of the ozone layer. This is based on the following facts. First, the ozone layer has been continuously depleted over the last 50 years. Second, ozone blocks UV-B, to which amphibians are vulnerable due to their lack of hair/hide/feathres and because their eggs lack leathery/hard shells.
Notable Assumptions
The author assumes there’s no more significant causal factor for the declining amphibian population than the declining ozone layer.
A
Of the various types of radiation blocked by atmospheric ozone, UV-B is the only type that can damage genes.
This tells us that there are other types of radiation blocked by atmospheric ozone. But if these other types don’t damage genes, there’s no reason to think they play a role in damaging amphibians. So, there’s no clear impact.
B
Amphibian populations are declining far more rapidly than are the populations of nonamphibian species whose tissues and eggs have more natural protection from UV-B.
This provides evidence that the lack of protection to UV-B is helping to cause amphibian populations to decline.
C
Atmospheric ozone has been significantly depleted above all the areas of the world in which amphibian populations are declining.
This strengthens the connection betwen ozone depletion and declining amphibian populations.
D
The natural habitat of amphibians has not become smaller over the past century.
This strengthens by eliminating an alternate explanation for the declining amphibian population. If the natural habitat had been getting smaller, that could have been the main reason amphibians are dying off. (D) eliminates this possibility.
E
Amphibian populations have declined continuously for the last 50 years.
Since we’re told the ozone depletion has been occurring “continuously” over the past 50 years, (E) helps strengthen the connection between the declining amphibian population and the depleting ozone.