Q13

[joseph.carroll.555]

I had no trouble eliminating A, B, and E, but I'm really stumped when it comes to determining how C and D are different? I've read over each plenty of times and I'm still not seeing it.

I'm also kind of surprised that nobody has asked a question about this question yet, is it really that easy?

[ohthatpatrick]

I don't think anything about this passage was easy. This is one of my least favorite RC passages+questions.

I think the choice between (C) and (D) is one of those battles we commonly face in Main Point questions, which is "These both seem accurate, so which one is a better encapsulation of the Main Point?"

Sometimes, after we take a 1st pass through the answers, we're left with a couple choices that seem legit.

At this point, I start asking myself, "Which answer choice wraps its arms around more of the passage?"

This is important because many wrong answers on Main Point are true, but too narrow. That's the biggest problem with (D).

(D) only discusses the cakewalk at the beginning of the 20th century vs. Walker's cakewalk. So (D) doesn't touch on the 1st or 2nd paragraph at all ... those paragraphs give us the background of the dance in West-African traditions and bring us up to the end of the 19th century.

(C), meanwhile, references the dance's original blend of satire and cultural preservation (2nd paragraph). It also says that Walker popularized the cakewalk (1st paragraph's big claim).

(D) does not say that Walker popularized the cakewalk. It refers to a version popularized by her, but that's a more limited claim.

Saying she popularized a version of the cakewalk isn't as impressive as saying she popularized the cakewalk, which is the main claim from the 1st paragraph.

===
Another filter I apply to Main Point questions is "which remaining choice sounds the most like the Most Valuable Sentence(s)?"

I tend to read RC passages for a Most Valuable Sentence (or two). So if I have identified a sentence or two as the "big ideas", then I also compare my remaining answers to that sentence.

For this passage, I would have said that the first sentence and lines 45-49 were the two big ideas.

-- Walker is noteworthy because she popularized the cakewalk
-- She did so by interpreting it in ways that would appeal to her differing audiences

(C) effectively combines those two thoughts.

==
Another filter I often apply to RC answers choices is "Are there are any extreme words that make me nervous?"

(D) contains the extreme word primarily. Can we justify that in the passage? The passage certainly discusses the layers of parody that went into the cakewalk, but just because that's primarily what the passage discusses, we can't necessarily say the dance was primarily parodic in nature.

This last complaint is a little nit-picky, but with all 3 filters, I see (C) winning, so I get a much more cumulative sense of confidence in picking it.

Hope this helps.

[joseph.carroll.555]

Thanks, that actually helps a lot. I think this was just one of those passages that for whatever reason wasn't clicking for me.

[dmt137]

I don't understand why B is wrong.

[joshgra92]

It took me a while to figure out why B) is wrong as well. I initially picked C), but I was still tempted by B).

The best explanation I can give is that B) focuses on one aspect of how Walker popularized the cakewalk to a diverse audience.
The last paragraph outlines 3 different groups and how Walker appealed to those groups.
1.) Middle-class African Americans by emphasizing fundamental grace.
2.) Middle- and upper class European Americans with the authentic cakewalk
3.) Rich industrialist and financiers by appealing to their social rank.

B) only covers group number 2 and is therefore too narrow.

C's use of "complex cultural mix" is more broad and encompasses all of the groups.

I hope this helps

[ohthatpatrick]

Great response!

Indeed, (B) is a classic, "true but too narrow" type of answer. Line 45-49 explains why "Walker was able to give the dance broad appeal", and (B) is only one specific example of what line 45-49 is talking about.

== other answers ==

(A) The main point of the passage was that "Walker was one of the most widely recognized African American performers of the early 20th century"?! That wording appears in lines 1-3, as part of an inessential clause surrounded by two commas.

(E) Extreme wording. It was THE FIRST popular art form to cross the racial divide? Where can we support that? Line 22 says it was "one of the first".

[CaitlinC257]

I actually thought B was a good answer. There were disparate influences that shaped the cakewalk (although I realize the answer did not use the terms literally laid out such as satire and humor- and now I am assuming the LSAT is looking for this, Yet in the correct answer, nowhere does it state that she actually capitalized on the dance's history and transformation (complex cultural mix that had developed from the dance's original blend of satire and cultural preservation..) Yes, it states that she was successful because of it, but capitalize is strong language imply that she knew what she was doing (which she probably did, but the text never states that). I just feel like this was an unfair question and that the LSAT is a test made by humans and so maybe there is just going to be a potential margin of error on this exam. I am sure there is an explanation, but it might not apply to another main idea question asked about another text which is where then the methodology starts to become ambiguous. If this is a multiple choice exam, everything should be clear cut.

[CaitlinC257]

I really don't see how B is narrower than C. C does bring in the background of what the dance is which does allow for the first two paragraphs to be included, but so does B with the words disparate influences, although I did just check the definition of disparate and did notice in the definition is included the idea that whatever is being compared as disparate is separate without overlap and the influences probably are not wholly separated from one another as they are competing influences within one culture. (yet these influences are defined as "conflicting" in paragraph 3.) At the same time, I could make the argument that capitalize is strong language (at least from the techniques I have been taught by Manhattan Prep- she becomes successful from the dance, but it doesn't state that she actually took advantage of her ability to synthesize or connect the conflicting demands of the dance. I just think this is a really unfair question, too ambiguous for a multiple choice test. Any further clarification would be incredibly helpful. I really want to believe that this test is conquerable based upon a direct and unambiguous understanding of what each question is asking of me.

Great response!

Indeed, (B) is a classic, "true but too narrow" type of answer. Line 45-49 explains why "Walker was able to give the dance broad appeal", and (B) is only one specific example of what line 45-49 is talking about.

== other answers ==

(A) The main point of the passage was that "Walker was one of the most widely recognized African American performers of the early 20th century"?! That wording appears in lines 1-3, as part of an inessential clause surrounded by two commas.

(E) Extreme wording. It was THE FIRST popular art form to cross the racial divide? Where can we support that? Line 22 says it was "one of the first".

[ohthatpatrick]

The main clause of (B) is essentially parroting the 2nd ingredient of a 3 part list.

BIGGER IDEA
Walker's version of the Cakewalk was able to balance the different things desired by different audiences.

SMALLER IDEAS SUPPORTING THAT BIGGER IDEA
1. Her version appealed to African Americans (turned off by the parodic versions) by containing refinement and grace.

2. Her version appealed to European Americans by being known as the most authentic version of the time.

3. Her version appealed to the newly-rich by containing enough bombastic flourishes that they got to show off.

It's not a good sign that the line reference that (B) maps to in the passage is FOLLOWED by something that says, "Finally ....".

That tells you, structurally, that the idea in 55-61 is part of a list of things. A main point could be the HEADING for that list of things, but it couldn't ever be just one item from the list.

(B) claims that "this was an era that valued authenticity highly" ... but that was only identified as something European Americans valued highly.

---------------------

I agree that there's not a great comp for 'capitalizing' in the passage, but I think you're probably interpreting the meaning of that word in its frequent negative connotations.

"The funeral home capitalized on our weakened, grieving state and charged us exorbitant fees for the funeral." (makes it sound like capitalize means 'to exploit')

But you can also say,
"Patrick capitalized on Regina Spektor being in town over Mother's Day weekend and bought his wife tickets to the show."

The real meaning is just "took advantage of / gained some benefit from"

If, as our thesis in 45-49 says, Walker's success rested on her ability to do X, then it's fair to say that she capitalized on X.

Walker gained benefit (her remarkable success) from the complex cultural mix of the cakewalk, since she was so adept at making the dance contain different things for different audiences.

Hope this helps.

We've all been here, and, for what it's worth, the test is ALMOST ENTIRELY coherent (but not perfect)
I really want to believe that this test is conquerable based upon a direct and unambiguous understanding of what each question is asking of me.