Motown

Answer choices

1. A

   Too Strong11% picked this

   Gordy's own expertise in the technical aspects of record production ensured that Motown's recordings would be of

   The second scary phrase here, "highest possible", was actually said at the end of the 2nd paragraph: Gordy believed that maintaining the highest possible technical quality in Motown's recordings was an essential part of this appeal. But nothing in the passage said that Gordy had any technical expertise of his own or that it would ensure the highest possible quality.

   11%
2. B

   Unsupported2% picked this

   The great popularity of Motown recordings in the 1960s was largely due to the dearth of innovative popular music being produced by

   This answer says that the cause of Motown's popularity was the scarcity (dearth = shortage) of innovative popular music being produced by other companies. We can't find any line in the passage supporting that causal connection.

   2%
3. C

   Too Strong8% picked this

   The revolution in popular music brought about by the use of electric instruments would not have occurred if Motown musicians had

   We do hear in the final paragraph that the growing popularity of electronic instruments "played a noteworthy role in Motown's rise to prominence". So we could potentially have seen a Flip the Causal Difference-Maker answer that sounded like, "had electric instruments not been growing in popularity, Motown might not have risen as much to prominence". But this answer is making it sound like the passage said that, "Motown musicians' use of the electric bass caused the revolution in popular music brought about by the use of electric instruments". We were told that African American musicians' experimentation with the electric bass ultimately led to a revolution in pop music, but the passage isn't saying that this was only African American musicians who were Motown musicians. And it's too dramatic to say that the revolution in pop music would have never occurred if Motown musicians hadn't used the electric bass.

   8%
4. D

   Correct79% picked this

   Gordy's unconventional ideas would have been harder for him to implement if his company had been a subsidiary

   Why this is right

   This does a Flip the Causal Difference-Maker with the first sentence of the 2nd paragraph. We're told that, Motown's status as an indie company allowed Gordy considerable freedom to oppose recording industry convention. In other words, "the fact that his company wasn't a subsidiary of a major recording company allowed Gordy considerable freedom to enact his unconventional ideas." Thus, if we flip that causal statement, we get what this answer says, "If his company had been a subsidiary of a major recording company, then we would have had less freedom to implement his unconventional ideas."

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

   79%
5. E

   Too Strong0% picked this

   Motown songs would have been equally popular if they had been performed instead by established artists

   In order to support the idea that Motown songs would have been equally popular even if they had been performed by established artists from other record companies, we would need to find support text that says, "having unknown artists perform on the songs had nothing to do with the popularity of Motown songs". We don't have anything like that. To the contrary, the passage makes it sound like relying on the local Detroit musical talent was a big causal factor in Motown's success.

   0%