Reading Comprehension

PT157 · S4 · P1 · Q7 Motown

A free, expert breakdown of this official LSAT Reading Comprehension question.

Save & drill this skill — build targeted practice sets from questions like this one
Video walkthroughs — watch every question solved step by step
81 official LSATs — as questions, timed sections & full-length tests

Start practicing free

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.

The author's discussion of E. Azalia Hackley serves primarily to illustrate

Correct
the existence of a long-standing
Why this is right
We were looking for something like, "to explain the origins of Detroit's dope public school music education program / explain the origins of why Detroit had a deep and talented pool of music industry specialists". What might give us pause about clinching our pick with this answer is the "long-standing tradition" part. Can we say there was a long-standing tradition? Sure, Motown's success is somewhere in the vicinity of 1959 and "the roots of this program reached back to the turn of the century (1900)". Is 60 years of high quality public school music education for African American youth in Detroit a "long-standing tradition"? Sure, it's over 3 generations worth of people. Any kid going through music education in 1959 had a parent and grandparent that also went through that same program (assuming they lived in Detroit).
Skill tested: Local Purpose · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.
72% picked this
the specific type of musical
Out of Scope
This answer is also tempting because it sounds like we brought up Hackley to talk about Detroit's awesome public school music education program. But does the 3rd paragraph delve into the specific type of musical ed? No. It says it was a 'vibrant musical atmosphere', and that the people that went through it "received musical training and exposure to diverse musical styles", but none of that is specific in any way. We don't even know any specific types of musical styles they were exposed to. We can also remind ourselves that the author isn't saying this music education program was important to Motown's success because of the specific type of music education it was. The author is just saying, "the mere fact that there was a robust music education program is why there was such a talented local pool of artists."
10% picked this
the extent to which many
Out of Scope
The paragraph is definitely telling us how many Motown performers were directly influenced by the musical education program of their youth, and Hackley was a big influence on that program, but that's not a direct influence. Hackley directly influenced the music program. The music program directly influenced the Motown performers. Hackley indirectly influenced the Motown performers. Trap answers on Local Purpose often use word-bait from within the detail we're being asked about. The fact that this answer is the only using the word Hackley should feel a little suspicious and "too easy to be right".
12% picked this
the way in which music
Opposite
This paragraph is more about a sameness that transcended many years than about anything changing. The author wants to establish that the way in which music instruction was taught was established by Hackley around 1900 and continued to be vibrant musical training all the way from 1900 to 1959. If we tried to interpret "change" as, "Yeah, Hackley changed it in 1900!" it still wouldn't make sense with the overall context. The author isn't trying to tell us how post-1900 music education was different from pre-1900 music education. The author is just telling us about the source (Hackley) of the robust public school music education program that gave Motown a rich pool of local musical talent.
2% picked this
the author's belief that music
Too Strong
The author definitely sounds complimentary of Hackley's efforts, but the author doesn't espouse some belief that without "ardent supporters" (who are we talking about besides Hackley) the music instruction would have languished.
4% picked this

Continue the review in LSAT Lab

Save this question, watch the video walkthrough, and drill similar questions in your LSAT Lab account.

Save and practice this skill

LSAT Lab

Turn this review into a targeted study plan.

Save this question, drill more like it, watch the video walkthrough, and track your progress in your LSAT Lab account.

Start practicing free