Reading Comprehension

PT157 · S4 · P1 · Q2 Motown

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In 1959, Hitsville, USA—the company better known as Motown Records—was founded in Detroit, Michigan by Berry Gordy, Jr. Several factors contributed to Motown's rapidly becoming one of the most successful record companies in the United States.

Topic

Motown Records’ rapid rise to success and influence in American popular music.

Framework

Highlight Noteworthy

Main Point

Motown Records became a major force in popular music thanks to Berry Gordy’s innovative vision, Detroit’s deep pool of musically trained talent, and the early adoption of new musical technologies—factors that both defined and broadened the sound and appeal of Motown. (Most Valuable Sentence: Last sentence of the final paragraph, which sums up Motown's impact—)

P1: Introduction and Context

Motown Records was founded in Detroit in 1959 by Berry Gordy, Jr., whose leadership and Detroit’s rich musical community propelled the label to early success.

P2: Motown’s Independence and Strategy

Motown’s independent status let Gordy break with industry norms; he believed in reaching wide audiences directly with original performances, not relying on remakes by mainstream stars, and he prioritized technical quality.

P3: Importance of Detroit’s Musical Education

Detroit’s strong public school music programs, with roots in early 20th-century community leaders, produced many of the talented musicians, arrangers, and groups that formed Motown’s backbone.

2.

Which one of the following most accurately describes Gordy's attitude concerning the potential for Motown's recordings to have widespread appeal?

  1. uncertainty in light of past

    Contradicted

    He sounds totally certain it would appeal to a much wider market than just African Americans. Gordy insisted that the musical performances recorded by Motown artists would appeal not just to African American audiences, but to a much wider market.

    1% picked this

  2. willingness to accept anticipated popular

    Contradicted

    There's nothing in that sentence that suggests that his attitude is, "I expect people to not really care about these Motown recordings, and I'm fine with that." In fact it seems contradicted to say he anticipates the recordings will be met with popular indifference: Gordy insisted that the musical performances recorded by Motown artists would appeal not just to African American audiences, but to a much wider market.

    4% picked this

  3. courage in the face of

    Out of Scope

    There's nothing in that sentence that suggests he is looking at unpromising stats but being courageous. This is the sentence we need to match up with: Gordy insisted that the musical performances recorded by Motown artists would appeal not just to African American audiences, but to a much wider market.

    4% picked this

  4. Correct

    confidence rooted in firm personal

    Why this is right

    We definitely like the noun confidence, since we're matching up with this: Gordy insisted that the musical performances recorded by Motown artists would appeal not just to African American audiences, but to a much wider market. Is his insistent confidence based on 'firm personal conviction'? Sure. To a certain extent, we'll have to pick this as best available no matter what, because the only other feasible match is (E), and it's easier to say that Gordy firmly believed in himself than to say that Gordy was looking at changing economic conditions and gaining optimism from those trends. The first two sentences of the 2nd paragraph give us some support for the strong-headedness of Gordy. He resolved to stay independent so that he had the freedom to oppose recording industry convention. He rejected the practice of having established recording artists remake songs originally recorded by lesser known artists, insisting instead that the original recordings of Motown artists would have widespread appeal. Since he's rejecting an industry practice and pivoting into an insistence that Motown records will have widespread appeal, it sounds like he's basing that decision on a firm personal belief.

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

    87% picked this

  5. optimism based on changing economic

    Out of Scope

    Optimism definitely words as a match for the attitude in this sentence. Gordy insisted that the musical performances recorded by Motown artists would appeal not just to African American audiences, but to a much wider market. Was it based on 'changing economic conditions'? There isn't anything in the first or second paragraph that we could match up with "changing economic conditions".

    4% picked this

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