The Griot Of West Africa

Answer choices

1. A

   Unsupported by Either Passage3% picked this

   to explain how a musical tradition can replace

   Neither passage talks about griots replacing an official institution. Passage A's first paragraph says that "the griot's song-filled many of the roles that these institutions serve in other societies." Normally when we use the verb 'to replace,' we mean supplanting something. X was there, but then Y replaced it. However, this passage is talking about "X was never there; instead, Y served that role." That's different. It's also an incredibly tiny part of the passage, so it doesn't make sense to say it's one of the principal purposes of Passage A. Much easier is the fact that Passage B doesn't have any language about the griot tradition replacing official institutions.

   3%
2. B

   No Support Passage A17% picked this

   to reveal the paradoxical nature of the relationship between a cultureʼs values and the artists who

   Passage A was just trying to say that "the blues tradition is importantly different from the griot tradition." Its two subsidiary purposes were (1) here is what the griot tradition is all about, and (2) here is what the blues tradition is all about. At no point is Passage A talking about a paradoxical relationship between a culture's values and griots/blues musicians.

   17%
3. C

   No Support Passage B6% picked this

   to compare two closely related musical

   Passage A would certainly not be cool with us calling the griot/blues traditions "closely related traditions," but Passage B doesn't even have a 2nd musical tradition in it, so let's use that as our primary way for killing this answer.

   6%
4. D

   Correct73% picked this

   to explore the relationship between the social standing of a group of musicians and the

   Why this is right

   This is certainly not language anyone would have chosen for themselves, but of all the answers, this seems to be the one we can best match to both passages. Passage A is saying that griots and blues musicians could hardly have "less in common from a sociological perspective," so it is definitely discussing the relationship between the musicians and society. Griots often enjoyed great status in their communities. Meanwhile, blues musicians made music often reflecting a lack of connection to the broader streams of society. Griots were respected keepers of culture. Blues musicians were marginalized people whose painful isolation infused their music. One of the primary ways that Passage A is contrasting griots and blues musicians is that the former had a privileged social standing and the latter were outcasts. Passage B begins right away with talking about the strata of a hierarchical society, so it delves into "social standing" right from the jump. Its treatment of the griot tradition highlights the unusual tension between the fact that griots were in the lowest caste and the fact that they were still a central, respected feature of public life.

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

   73%
5. E

   No Support Passage B1% picked this

   to criticize a characterization of a

   This answer would work well enough for Passage A, which criticizes the characterization of blues musicians as "an outgrowth of the griot tradition." But Passage B simply reports to us on what the griot tradition was like. It doesn't challenge anyone's characterization of anything.

   1%