Reading ComprehensionDifficulty: Easy

PT157 S4 P1 Q2 Explanation

Motown

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TopicsInferenceHumanities

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Passage

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. Gordy's entrepreneurial skills and his belief in economic independence played a great role in Motown's success, American community, Motown moved quickly into the vanguard of the popular music industry.

Motown's status as an independent company allowed Gordy considerable freedom to oppose recording industry convention. He rejected the practice that was common in the late 1950s and early 1960s of having established recording stars remake songs originally produced within and for limited markets. Gordy insisted that the musical performances recorded by Motown was an essential part of this appeal, and he devoted the necessary resources to this endeavor.

Another crucial factor in Motown's success was Detroit's well-developed public school music-education program, which provided the company with a deep and talented pool of artists and technicians. The roots of this program reached back to the turn of the century, when a trained soprano and Detroit native named E. Azalia Hackley adopted early groups—the Supremes, the Temptations, and the Miracles—came together and originally rehearsed at their high schools.

In addition to Gordy's business acumen and the talent produced by the local school system, the invention and growing popularity of electric instruments also played a noteworthy role in Motown's rise to prominence. African American musicians were among the first to use the electric bass, for example, crafting a distinctive sound that too, Motown Records helped to initiate, and simultaneously benefited from, landmark shifts in popular music culture.

What this question is testing

Inference

Anticipate

The passage basically says Gordy told the entire music industry, He "insisted" that Motown's own artists would have wide appeal, "rejected" the standard playbook, and bet his company on it. That is not uncertainty, not resignation, not data-driven optimism. That is pure, stubborn, personal conviction.

Goal

Find the answer that sounds like a man who believes in himself and his company so strongly that he bucks an entire industry's conventions. Eliminate anything suggesting doubt, external data, or grudging acceptance.

Reading along? Open the full official question in LawHub — we show a fragment here and keep the reasoning in our own words.

The question
2.

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

Answer choices

  1. Contradicted1% picked this

    uncertainty in light of past trends in the

    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.

  2. Contradicted4% picked this

    willingness to accept anticipated popular

    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.

  3. Out of Scope4% picked this

    courage in the face of unpromising

    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. Correct87% picked this

    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.

  5. Out of Scope4% picked this

    optimism based on changing economic

    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".

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