Logical Reasoning

PT7 · S4 · Q16 Edwina: True appreciation of Mozart’s

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Edwina: True appreciation of Mozart’s music demands that you hear it exactly as he intended it to be heard; that is, exactly as he heard it.

Edwina's Conclusion (it follows)

We should hear Mozart's music on 18th century instruments.

Edwina's Evidence (since)

Mozart heard his music on 18th century instruments, and true appreciation of Mozart's music requires that we hear it as he intended it to be heard.

Alberto's Implied Conclusion

Maybe Mozart didn't intend for his music to be heard the same way he was hearing it played?

Alberto's Evidence (after all)

Mozart wrote at a time when the performer was expected not just to interpret but to modify the written score.

Evaluate

The classic answer choices for rebuttals on Method are: - highlights dubious assumption - suggests alternate explanation - shows faulty implications - raises an overlooked consideration

In this case, Alberto is raising the overlooked consideration that Mozart didn't intend to perform a piece of music the way it was in the written score.

His era expected performers to put their own spin on the piece (interpret it) and even to improvise/revise it a bit (modify the score).

Because of that, Alberto can highlight the dubious assumption that Mozart wants his music to be played just as he heard it (whether that be on 18th century instruments or as written on the score).

Goal

Let's look for any answer that matches.

16.

Alberto adopts which one of the following strategies in criticizing Edwina’s position?

  1. He appeals to an academic

    Out of Scope: academic authority

    Alberto doesn't cite any academic authority.

    1% picked this

  2. He attacks her judgment by

    Too Strong: attacks judgment Wrong Objection

    LSAT doesn't do harsh, combative discussions like "attacking someone's judgment". Alberto was suggesting that she doesn't recognize how much Mozart would have expected a performed piece of his music to vary from how he heard it while writing it.

    3% picked this

  3. He defends a competing view

    Out of Scope: authenticity

    Alberto doesn't discuss any view of what makes music authentic.

    4% picked this

  4. He attacks the logic of

    Out of Scope: attacking conclusion

    Edwina's conclusion was "Mozart's music should be heard on 18th century instruments". Alberto does not ever discuss whether Mozart's music should be heard on 18th century instruments. Even if Alberto rejects Edwina's reasons for that conclusion, he might have his own reasons for supporting that conclusion. He never gets into saying, "Even if he heard it on 18th century instruments, we shouldn't necessarily use 18th century instruments". Granted, any 2nd person who's questioning the 1st person's premise or assumption is making us feel like, "Oh ... I guess person 1's argument was a bad one. I guess the conclusion doesn't follow from the premises." But Alberto doesn't question the internal logic, which is actually pretty airtight: P1: we should hear Mozart's music exactly as he heard it P2: he heard it on 18th century instruments C: we should hear Mozart's music on 18th century instruments.

    23% picked this

  5. Correct

    He offers a reason to

    Why this is right

    Edwina says that "we should hear Mozart's music exactly as he intended it to be heard, that is, exactly as he heard it." Alberto attacks this idea that "how he heard it = how he intended it". Now, you and me might call that an assumption, not a premise. But this is test 7, and this answer is the best available. And if we want to be technical, we can say that assumptions are "unstated premises".

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

    69% picked this

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