Musician: Ethnomusicologists studying music from radically different cultural traditions should not attempt to transcribe that music using any system ...
GMAT Critical Reasoning : (CR) Questions
Musician: Ethnomusicologists studying music from radically different cultural traditions should not attempt to transcribe that music using any system of standardized notation. Any such transcription is likely to filter out subtleties that the culture producing the music may regard as essential but that do not conform to notational categories imported from another culture.
Which of the following principles, if accepted, would most help justify the conclusion of the musician's argument?
Passage Analysis:
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
| Ethnomusicologists studying music from radically different cultural traditions should not attempt to transcribe that music using any system of standardized notation. |
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| Any such transcription is likely to filter out subtleties that the culture producing the music may regard as essential but that do not conform to notational categories imported from another culture. |
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Argument Flow:
The musician starts with a direct recommendation (don't use standard notation for foreign music) and then backs it up with a reason explaining why this approach is harmful. The argument flows from conclusion to supporting evidence.
Main Conclusion:
Ethnomusicologists should not use standardized notation systems when transcribing music from different cultural traditions.
Logical Structure:
The argument uses a simple cause-and-effect structure: Standard notation systems → Filter out cultural subtleties → Therefore shouldn't be used. The premise about losing essential musical elements directly supports why the practice should be avoided.
Prethinking:
Question type:
Strengthen - We need to find a principle that, if accepted, would make the musician's conclusion more believable or logical.
Precision of Claims
The musician makes a definitive claim about what ethnomusicologists 'should not' do, based on the risk of losing cultural subtleties that are 'essential' to the originating culture.
Strategy
For strengthen questions, we need to identify principles that would make the musician's conclusion more convincing. The argument is: don't use standardized notation because it filters out essential cultural subtleties. So we need principles that either emphasize the importance of preserving cultural authenticity, the problems with standardized systems when dealing with diverse cultures, or the value of cultural subtleties that might be lost.
This suggests ethnomusicologists should consult with cultural practitioners when transcribing. While this might help avoid some problems, it doesn't directly justify the musician's conclusion that standardized notation should NOT be used. The musician isn't arguing for better consultation - they're arguing against using standardized notation entirely. This choice doesn't address the core issue about notation systems filtering out cultural subtleties.
This principle about not influencing other cultures' musical preferences is completely off-topic. The musician's argument isn't about influencing preferences - it's about accurately capturing music through appropriate transcription methods. This choice doesn't connect to the issue of notation systems and cultural subtleties at all.
This states that a culture's judgments about musical subtleties are more important than ethnomusicologists' judgments. While this emphasizes cultural authority, it doesn't directly justify avoiding standardized notation. The musician's argument isn't about whose judgment is more important - it's about whether notation systems can adequately capture cultural subtleties in the first place.
This principle states that transcription should ONLY happen in ways that capture culturally important subtleties. This directly justifies the musician's conclusion because if we accept this principle, then standardized notation (which the musician argues filters out essential cultural subtleties) should indeed be avoided. This creates the perfect logical bridge: standardized notation fails to capture cultural subtleties → transcription should only preserve cultural subtleties → therefore don't use standardized notation.
This suggests recognizing which subtleties are essential when transcribing. However, recognition alone doesn't justify avoiding standardized notation. The musician's point is that standardized notation inherently cannot capture these subtleties, regardless of whether we recognize their importance. Simply being aware of what's essential doesn't solve the fundamental problem with notation systems.