Q3

[sona.m.mcat]

Choice D states "extent to which spirituals were adapted" - This past threw me off as I thought the passage didn't really discuss the extent of adaptation. The passage mentions that some of the traditional folk writings were adapted, including Hughes which according to the author is a good thing as it increases acceptance.

The author seemed to place some emphasis on the fact that Burleigh published earlier - "But in 1916, ten years before...." - Why would the author mention this if it didn't have any relevance to Hughes The Weary Blues? This part made me think that choice B would be better. I know that the author doesn't outright make a connection between the two publications, the use "but" and stating the exact timeline seems like he was suggestive.

[ohthatpatrick]

Very good questions.

Question type: Most Likely to Agree + Keywords

We would start by reacquainting ourselves with the "Proof Window" for what was said about Jubilee.

The thought-thread that Jubilee is part of begins at line 14. The broad idea is that
"even deeply Black art (such as sorrow songs) was getting pressured to Europeanize"

Lines 19-32 unpacks this idea.
- when White people first heard the sorrow songs, the songs were enchantingly different from what they knew
- by 1916, a famous Black religious musician was adapting the sorrow songs so that they sounded like more familiar pop songs
- The last line is saying, "10 years before Hughes arrives, we've got a culture in which you see authentic Black culture being accepted more by the mainstream as long as it loses its edge and blends in a bit more with mainstream culture."

This is supposed to make us more impressed or emboldened by Hughes "rebelling against this restrictive tradition" (line 33-34).

ANSWER CHOICES

(A) This goes AGAINST the passage. The author is citing Jubilee as "diluted, co-opted Black art", not "intrinsic Black art".

(B) The author is highlighting a contrast between Jubilee and Hughes, ultimately. Jubilee lost some of its authenticity to better fit into mainstream culture. Hughes tried to retain the authentically Black culture in his writing. So we can't say that the "blend into mainstream" work paved the way for the raw, unadulterated art.

(C) Same as (B). Opposite point. Sanitized version, not authentic.

(D) This looks good. It is saying "Jubilee was an example of an adapted form, not the original form." It reinforces 29-32 ... the author draws THIS conclusion about his discussion of Jubilee.

(E) Author is showing a contrast, not a similarity, between Jubilee and Hughes.