Why Music Passages Are Unique

Music-based humanities passages present distinct challenges because they often involve:

• Abstract concepts: Musical qualities like "tension," "resolution," "complexity," and "continuity" that lack concrete definitions
• Philosophical debates: Arguments about whether music communicates meaning, evokes emotions, or functions as a language
• Technical terminology: References to melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, improvisation, and compositional structure
• Comparative analysis: Contrasting views on musical aesthetics, listener experience, and the nature of musical understanding

1Read Each Passage Separately First

Before comparing passages, ensure you understand each author's individual argument. For the first music passage, identify:

• The author's central claim about music (usually in the first or final paragraph)
• The evidence or reasoning supporting this claim
• Any opposing views the author addresses or rejects

2Identify the Rhetorical Purpose

Beyond content, understand why the author wrote the passage. Music humanities passages typically serve these purposes:

• Advocate: Argue for a particular theory of musical meaning or experience
• Explain: Clarify how musical elements create specific effects
• Challenge: Question common assumptions about music and emotion
• Synthesize: Integrate multiple perspectives on musical aesthetics

3Map the Relationship Between Passages

After understanding each passage individually, determine their relationship:

• Agreement with different emphasis: Both passages support similar conclusions using different evidence
• Complementary perspectives: Passages address different aspects of the same phenomenon
• Contrasting views: Passages present opposing theories or interpretations
• Partial overlap: Passages agree on some points while disagreeing on others

4Eliminate Wrong Answer Choices Systematically

Main point answer choices fail for predictable reasons:

• Too specific: Focuses on a supporting detail rather than the central argument
• Too broad: Makes claims beyond what the passage actually argues
• Misrepresents tone: Suggests the author takes a stronger or weaker position than they actually do
• Confuses passages: Attributes Passage A's main point to Passage B or vice versa
• Distorts the relationship: Incorrectly characterizes how the passages relate to each other

What to Mark While Reading

1. Core concepts: Circle or underline key terms like "complexity," "tension," "continuity," "improvisation," "emotional response"
2. Value judgments: Note where authors express positive or negative views about musical qualities
3. Causal claims: Identify assertions about what causes particular musical effects or listener responses
4. Comparative statements: Mark passages comparing music to language, visual art, or other expressive forms
5. Qualifiers and hedging: Note phrases like "tends to," "generally," "in some cases" that indicate limited scope
6. Examples and evidence: Distinguish between the author's argument and the evidence supporting it

Question stem example: "Which one of the following concepts is linked to positive musical experiences in both passages?"

Strategy: Recognition questions test whether you can identify concepts, terms, or ideas that appear in one or both passages. For music passages:

• Create a mental inventory of key concepts from each passage
• When the question asks about both passages, eliminate choices that appear in only one passage
• Pay attention to whether the concept needs to be used in the same way in both passages or merely mentioned
• Watch for synonyms: "complexity" in Passage A might correspond to "intricacy" in Passage B

Question stem example: "Based on their statements in the passages, which one of the following is a musical experience that both authors would be likely to value?"

Strategy: These questions require you to extrapolate from explicit statements to reasonable inferences about authors' values or beliefs:

• Identify each author's priorities and values regarding musical experience
• Look for answer choices that align with principles each author endorses, even if not explicitly discussed
• Eliminate answers that contradict either author's stated views
• Be cautious of answers that go beyond what the passages support

Question stem example: "The relationship between musical training and aesthetic appreciation in Passage A is most analogous to which of the following relationships in Passage B?"

Strategy: Analogy questions test your ability to recognize parallel structures or relationships:

• Identify the type of relationship (cause-effect, necessary condition, enhancement, opposition)
• Abstract the relationship from its specific musical context
• Look for structurally similar relationships in the target passage
• Don't be distracted by surface similarities; focus on underlying logical structure

Question stem example: "Which one of the following, if true, would most strengthen the claim made in Passage B about the relationship between musical complexity and listener satisfaction?"

Strategy: These questions ask what evidence would support (strengthen) or challenge (weaken) claims in the passages:

• Isolate the specific claim being addressed (often indicated in the question stem)
• Identify what assumptions the claim depends on
• Strengthening answers provide evidence for those assumptions or directly support the claim
• Weakening answers undermine assumptions or provide counterexamples

Question stem example: "The primary purpose of each passage is to..."

Strategy: Primary purpose questions ask about the author's overall rhetorical goal:

• Distinguish between the topic (what the passage discusses) and the purpose (what the author aims to accomplish)
• Common purposes: argue for a position, challenge a view, explain a phenomenon, reconcile opposing perspectives
• The correct answer should encompass the entire passage, not just one section
• Watch for answer choices that describe methods rather than purposes

Pitfall 1: Conflating Similar But Distinct Concepts

Music passages frequently employ terminology with subtle distinctions. Authors might discuss "tension," "complexity," "dissonance," and "unpredictability"—related but not identical concepts.

Solution: Pay careful attention to how each author defines and uses key terms. Don't assume two authors mean the same thing by the same word.

Pitfall 2: Assuming Complete Opposition

Test-takers often approach paired passages expecting total disagreement. Music passages frequently present complementary rather than contradictory perspectives.

Solution: Read carefully to identify specific points of agreement and disagreement. Authors may agree on basic facts while disagreeing about interpretation or significance.

Pitfall 3: Bringing Outside Knowledge

If you have musical training or strong opinions about musical aesthetics, you might inadvertently import external ideas.

Solution: Rely exclusively on what the passages state or strongly imply. Your personal understanding of music is irrelevant to answering correctly.

Pitfall 4: Losing Track of Passage Attribution

Under time pressure, it's easy to forget which author made which argument.

Solution: Make brief marginal notes ("A: music ≠ language" / "B: music like language") to maintain clear attribution as you work through questions.

Phase 1: Untimed Deep Analysis (First 5-10 Practice Sets)

• Work through paired passages without time pressure
• After reading each passage, write a 2-3 sentence summary of its main point
• Before looking at questions, predict 3-4 questions that might be asked
• For each question, identify why wrong answers are wrong before selecting the right answer
• Review every question, even those you answered correctly, to understand the test-makers' reasoning

Phase 2: Semi-Timed Practice (Next 10-15 Practice Sets)

• Allow yourself 12-13 minutes per paired passage set (slightly longer than test conditions)
• Focus on building efficient reading habits: active annotation, tracking relationships, noting agreements/disagreements
• After completing each set, review questions and analyze your decision-making process
• Identify patterns: Which question types give you difficulty? Where do you lose time?

Phase 3: Full Timed Simulation (Ongoing)

• Complete paired passage sets under strict 8-9 minute time limits (test conditions)
• Develop triage skills: Identify which questions to answer immediately vs. which to flag for review
• Practice strategic guessing: When stuck, eliminate clearly wrong answers and move forward
• Maintain a practice log tracking accuracy rates and time expenditure by question type