Self-study
Some critics argue that an opera's stage directions are never reflected in its music. ████ █████ ██████ ██ ████████ ███████ ████████ ████ ████ ██████ ███████ ████ █████ ████ ███ █████████ ██ ████████ ████████ ███████ ██████ ████████ ███ █████ ██ ████ ███ ██████ █████████ █████ █████ ██████████ ███ ███████ ████ ██████ █ ██████ ██ █████████████ ████ █████ ███ ████████ █████ ███████████████ ██ █████████ ██ ███ ██████ █████ █████ ████ █████ ████████ █████ ██████████ ███ ██ ██ █████
Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
The author argues that stage directions in operas can be reflected in their music. In support, we get an example: Mozart began some opera scenes with music that sounded like the squeaking of changing scenery. This establishes the sub-conclusion that Mozart intended the music to sound like the stage direction to change scenery, which leads to another sub-conclusion that at least one stage direction can be reflected in music. The author uses this to conclude that other stage directions can also be reflected.
Identify Argument Part
The statement about scenes in Mozart’s operas opening with music that sounds like the squeaking of changing scenery supports both of the sub-conclusions (Mozart’s intention and music reflecting a stage direction), and through them the main conclusion (music can reflect several stage directions).
1.
In the argument, the statement ████ ████ █████ ██████ ██ ████████ ██████ ████ ████ ██████ ███████ ████ █████ ████ ███ █████████ ██ ████████ ███████ ██ ███████ ██ ███████ ██ ███ █████ ████
a
a change of ███████ ██ ███ █████ █████████ ████ ██████████ █████████ ██ ██ ███████ █████
The statement about Mozart opening scenes with squeaky music does not support the claim that scenery changes are the most frequent stage direction, it’s unrelated. The latter claim isn’t supported by anything, it’s just stated as a fact.
b
an opera's stage ██████████ ███ █████ █████████ ██ ███ █████
Nothing in the argument supports the claim that stage directions are never reflected in opera music. That’s the claim the critics make, and the author’s goal is to prove them wrong.
c
an opera's music ███ ████ ██ ██████ ██ ███ ███████ █████ ██████████
The author never claims that an opera’s music can impact the stage directions. There’s no indication that the music can change what the stage directions are or how they’re carried out.
d
a variety of █████ ██████████ ███ ██ █████████ ██ ██ ███████ █████
This is the main conclusion, and it is supported by the claim statement about Mozart opening scenes with squeaky music. The support is offered through a chain of sub-conclusions.
e
the most frequent ████████ ███████ ██ ███████ █████ ███ ███ █████ ██████████ ██ ███ ██ ███████ █████████ ██ ███ ██████ ████ █████ ████ █ █████████ ██ ███████ ███
The author never claims that this is the most frequent relationship between music and stage directions. It’s offered as a single example, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t others.