RC

The immigration of Europeans and the importation of West African
slaves to America resulted in a convergence of cultures, traditions,
and art forms, including music. Jazz, first played in New Orleans in
the early 1900s, borrowed heavily from the European musical scale and
harmonic system. Jazz ensembles were built predominantly on European
instruments, such as the trumpet, trombone, saxophone, and piano. The
West African influence on jazz was manifested primarily in its
performance. Scatting, a technique used by jazz vocalists to mimic the
sounds of instruments, had its origin in West African vocal
traditions. The emphasis on improvisation in jazz music, in addition
to group participation, also came from West African music.

Some musicologists argue that jazz is a purely American form of music.
Others, however, contend that jazz is rooted in a history similar to
that of America itself, a history of confluence. Proponents of the
argument that jazz is purely American often point to its genesis in
New Orleans as evidence for this perspective. The irony, however, is
that the essence of America lies in the plurality of its roots. To
deny the rich and complex history of jazz, and the true origins of the
art form, is to deny the very aspects of the art form that make it
undeniably American.

P1: Converging cultures -> i.e. jazz (European musical scale &
harmonic system, West African influence in performance: scatting
(mimicking sounds of instruments) + improvisation)

P2: 2 arguments: 1. Jazz is purely american (originated in America) 2.
Jazz is rooted similar to America (history of confluence). <- Author

Q1:

Which of the following statements concerning jazz is most directly
suggested in the passage?

The plurality of jazz's roots has led multiple cultures to claim jazz
as their own.
If jazz musicians had not borrowed from the European musical scale,
they would have used the West African musical scale instead.
Only European and African cultures had an influence on the development of jazz
Jazz was played in West Africa prior to its introduction in New
Orleans in the early 1900s.
Instrumentation was not a primary component of the West African
influence on jazz.

Correct answers to "inference" questions will not be stated explicitly
in the passage; nevertheless, the information must be true according
to information given somewhere in the passage. Wrong answers will
often go "too far," asserting something that might be plausible in the
real world but is not directly supported by any specific information
given in the passage.

(A) While this might be true in the real world, the passage does not
provide any information about multiple cultures claiming jazz as their
own. Only the United States is discussed in this respect.

(B) While this is a possibility, the passage does not provide any
evidence to suggest that jazz musicians definitely would have used the
West African musical scale. They might have used some other scale.

(C) Though the passage does describe the various ways in which
European and African cultures affected jazz, it also tells us that the
form had its genesis in New Orleans, meaning American culture must
have had an effect as well.

(D) The passage tells us the opposite of this answer choice in the
second sentence of paragraph one, when it says that jazz was "first
played in New Orleans in the early 1900s."

(E) CORRECT. The fourth sentence of paragraph one states that the
"West African influence… was manifested primarily in its performance."
Further, the third sentence of paragraph one says that "jazz ensembles
were built predominately on European instruments." These two pieces of
evidence, taken together, indicate that instrumentation was a primary
component of the European influence on jazz, not the West African
influence.

Q2

Which of the following elements of jazz most likely has its origin in
West African musical traditions?

the emphasis on a tonal harmonic structure
the use of an instrument to mimic a vocalist's sound
the use of traditional African instruments
the use of many instruments in a jazz ensemble
an impromptu call-and-response between two instruments in the ensemble

This is a specific question. The passage discusses the elements of
jazz in the first paragraph, so that is where the justifying text
should be found. There, the author states that jazz "borrowed heavily
from the European musical scale and harmonic system," and that its
"emphasis on improvisation…in addition to group participation…came
from West African music." The question asks specifically about the
West African influence.

(A) The passage indicates that jazz "borrowed heavily from the
European…harmonic system," so an emphasis on a tonal harmonic
structure was more likely a European influence.

(B) The passage states that scatting, "used by jazz vocalists to mimic
the sounds of instruments" has a West African origin. This choice
describes the opposite phenomenon, in which an instrument is used to
mimic the sound of a voice.

(C) We are never told that American jazz makes use of traditional
African instruments, only that Jazz makes use of West African
performance techniques, such as scatting, improvisation, and group
participation.

(D) The passage indicates that jazz "ensembles were built
predominantly on European instruments," so the instrumentation of a
jazz ensemble most likely was influenced by European traditions.

(E) CORRECT. The passage indicates that the emphasis on "improvisation
in jazz music, in addition to group participation…came from West
African music." Thus, it is likely that an impromptu (or improvised)
event between two instruments, which represents group participation,
came from West African traditions.

Q3:

The author of the passage would most likely agree with which of the
following statements?

Although American football was derived from the English sports of
soccer and rugby, it should be called a purely American sport because
it was first played in America.
Because American football was derived from the English sports of
soccer and rugby, it should not be called an American sport.
Most sports scholars deny the English origins of American football.
What makes American football American is its derivation from the
English sports of soccer and rugby.
Because the essence of America lies in the plurality of its roots,
American football should not be called an American sport.

In order to determine with which statement the author would be most
likely to agree, we must understand the author's main point in writing
the passage. A breakdown of the purpose of each paragraph will help.
The first paragraph describes how jazz evolved in America as the
result of a convergence of West African and European musical cultures.
The second paragraph introduces a disagreement between musicologists
as to whether jazz should be considered purely American or whether it
should be considered the result of a "confluence" of other cultures.
The author expresses the view that the influence of other cultures on
the development of jazz in the United States is what makes jazz
"undeniably American" – that is, the mix of various non-American
influences that helped to create the United States is also what helped
to create jazz.

(A) The author believes that jazz is American because it resulted from
a convergence of European and West African music, and that those true
origins should not be denied Therefore, the fact that football was
first played in America is not the main reason it should be considered
an American sport. The main reason is that it resulted from a
convergence of English sports.

(B) The author believes that jazz should be called an American art
form because of its origins in Europe and West Africa. Therefore, it
is likely that the author would believe the same about American
football, that it is American because of its diverse origins. This
choice states the opposite.

(C) Most of the answer choices for this question revolve around the
notion of sports, but it's important to remember that we are never
actually told anything about sports in the passage. While we can draw
an assumption about what the author might conclude about sports based
on what he concludes about jazz, we know nothing specific about what
"sports scholars" do or do not believe.

(D) CORRECT. The author believes "that the essence of America lies in
the plurality of its roots" and provides as evidence the development
of jazz, a music form that evolved in the United States from European
and West African origins. Therefore, it is likely that the author
would believe that the diverse origins of American football make it
American as well.

(E) Because the author believes "that the essence of America lies in
the plurality of its roots," and because American football has diverse
origins, the author would be likely to believe that American football
should be called an American sport. This choice states the opposite.