Self-study
In an experiment, researchers played a series of musical intervals—two-note sequences—to a large, diverse group of six-month-old babies. ████ █████ ████ ███ ██████ ████ █████████████ ████ █████████ ████ ███ █████████ ████ ███████ ████████ ███████ ██ ███████ ████ ██████████ █████ █████████ ███ █████████ ██ ███ ███████ ███████ ██ ████ ████████ ██████ ███ ██████ █████ ██████ ████████ ████ █ ██████████ ██████████████ ██ ███ ████ █████████ ██ █████ █████████ ████ ██ ███████
Summarize Argument: Phenomenon-Hypothesis
The author hypothesizes that humans likely have a biological predisposition to certain musical intervals. This is based on a study where babies paid more attention to certain intervals than others. Furthermore, these intervals are prevalent in music around the world.
Notable Assumptions
In order for the study to signify a biological predisposition, the babies in the study can’t have any prior musical conditioning. Otherwise, we could conclude that the babies were simply more accustomed to those intervals and thus paid more attention.
The author must also assume that many cultures around the world weren’t influenced by some single or small group of musical systems. If they were, then the presence of certain intervals would signify cultural influence rather than biological predisposition.
19.
Which one of the following, ██ █████ ████ ███████████ ███ █████████
a
Several similar experiments █████ █████ ████████ ███ ██████ █████ ████ █████ █████████ ████ ███ █ ███████ ████████ ██ ███ ████ █████████ ██ ████████ ███████ ███ ███████ ████ ██ █████ ███████ ██████████
Older children and adults are even more likely to have been previously exposed to music with these intervals, so information about them doesn't help us to distinguish innate and learned preferences.
Irrelevant corroboration
Irrelevant corroboration
Answers that provide additional support for a claim that the argument doesn't need more support for.
b
None of the ██████ ██ ███ ██████████ ███ ████████ ████████ ██ █████ ████ ███ ████████
This eliminates an alternative explanation: if the babies had already been exposed to music, then their interest in certain intervals might come from that exposure. By eliminating that possibility, we strengthen the hypothesis.
Alternate explanation
Alternate explanation
Weaken: Introduce or support an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.
Strengthen: Helps to eliminate an alternate explanation for a phenomenon.
c
All of the ██████ ██ ███ ██████████ ███ ████ ███████ ██ █████ █████ ███████ ████ █ ████ ███████ ██ ████████ ██████ ███ ██████
This weakens the author’s argument. We know these intervals are prevalent in many cultures, so if the babies had already been exposed to diverse music, then they would have ample opportunity to learn to prefer these intervals.
Directionally wrong
Directionally wrong
Answers that, if they have any effect, do the opposite of what we want (weaken when we're trying to strengthen, or strengthen when we're trying to weaken).
d
In a second ███████████ █████ ████ ██████ ██████ ██ █████ ████████ ██ ██████ ███████ ██████ ████ ████ █████ ███████
Primary colors are totally irrelevant. Whether or not humans have a predisposition towards primary colors tells us nothing about their predisposition towards certain musical intervals.
e
Octaves, fifths, and ███████ ████ ██████ ████ ██████████ ██████ ███ ██████████ ████ █████ ███████ █████████ █████
If anything, this weakens the author’s argument. Perhaps the babies paid attention to these intervals because they were played frequently, rather than because of some biological predisposition towards these intervals.