The Corrido

Answer choices

1. A

   Out of Scope3% picked this

   In at least some cases, the dependence of corridos on ready-made lines hindered the efforts of corrido makers

   Out of Scope: hindered metaphors Word Salad This starts off sounding appealingly soft (in at least some cases), but it asks us to sign off on a causal connection between "ready-made lines", beginning of 3rd paragraph, and "the effective use of metaphor", beginning of 2nd paragraph. The fact that this answer is connecting language from two very different parts of the passage should give us a Word Salad trap vibe. It also doesn't make sense to say that anything hindered the effective use of metaphor, when we're told that metaphors are generally rare in corridos. It sounds from the beginning of the 2nd sentence like the singers of corridos want to tell a swift simple story without embellishment, and wanting that simple concision is why they don't use metaphor (not because ready-made lines hinder them).

   3%
2. B

   Too Strong: unique42% picked this

   The corrido is unique among ballad forms because it uses language that is familiar mainly

   Can we really support that corridos are the only ballad form that uses language familiar mainly to local audiences? Let's research what we were told about ballad forms -- it should be near the top of the first paragraph. We hear "corridos are part of a long-standing ballad tradition that has roots in 18th century Spain". The third sentence does make it sound like "dealing with subject matter specific to the Border region" is a possibly unique quality of corridos. But we don't have anywhere near the textual support to say that "no other ballad form uses language that mainly intended for local audiences".

   42%
3. C

   No Support: same imagery5% picked this

   Much of the imagery used in corridos can also be identified in

   We just read the two sentences we have about the origins of corridos in the Spanish ballad tradition (the 2nd and 3rd sentences of the passage). There was nothing in there about corridos using much of the same imagery. It says that corridos use formal features of several different types of folk songs, but it doesn't say they share any imagery with Spanish ballads. It's very unlikely that they would share much imagery, since the corridos are famous for using local imagery (the 2nd paragraph is the only time we speak of imagery and its all local cowboy in Kansas stuff, which probably didn't show up in too many ballads from Spain).

   5%
4. D

   Out of Scope: freedom from rhyme9% picked this

   The reportorial capability of corridos was probably enhanced by their freedom from the constraints of

   This is mildly worded, but we never talk about the constraints of rhymed ballad forms. Is a corrido a rhymed ballad form? The fact that you can't answer that question should tell you this answer has no support. If anything, the second to last sentence of the passage, which talks about how the 2nd line of the despedida is chosen so that it rhymes with the 4th line of the despedida, implies that corridos were rhymed forms. Thus it wouldn't make any sense to say that they were "free from the constraints of rhymed ballad forms".

   9%
5. E

   Correct42% picked this

   A corrido without a surviving despedida would probably still be identifiable

   Why this is right

   This is a tough correct answer for most of us, because it's counterintuitive. The author actually singled out the despedida as "perhaps the clearest marker of the corrido's uniqueness and genre". It sounded like "hearing the despedida would be a clear giveaway that this is a corrido", so why would the author say that a corrido without a despedida would probably still be identifiable? Well, there are a few moments we can cobble together: - that last sentence says that the despedida is "perhaps" the clearest marker of the corrido's uniqueness, not definitely. That means the author is thinking, "hmm, maybe there are other markers of corridos' uniqueness that are even clearer than the despedida". If the author thinks that something else might be the clearest marker of the corrido's uniqueness, then it makes sense that even without a despedida we could probably still tell it's a corrido. - the first two sentences of the last paragraph talk about ready-made lines that travel from one ballad to another, and then the says that the despedida is where that's most evident. But this statement also allows for negative space, where ready-made lines traveling from one corrido to another are still somewhat evident elsewhere, outside of the despedida. - the last sentence of the 2nd paragraph -- "such imagery ... readily recognizable to corrido listeners" - the last sentence of the 1st paragraph -- "heavy reliance on familiar linguistic and thematic conventions."

   Skill tested: Author Opinion · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.

   42%