While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:In 1971, experimental musician Pauline Oliveros created Sonic Meditations.Sonic Med...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- In 1971, experimental musician Pauline Oliveros created Sonic Meditations.
- Sonic Meditations is not music but rather a series of sound-based exercises called meditations.
- Each meditation consists of instructions for participants to make, imagine, listen to, or remember sounds.
- The instructions for Meditation V state, 'walk so silently that the bottoms of your feet become ears.'
- Those for Meditation XVIII state, 'listen to a sound until you no longer recognize it.'
The student wants to provide an explanation and an example of Oliveros's Sonic Meditations. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Sonic Meditations is not music but rather a series of sound-based meditations that consist of instructions; Meditation XVIII, for instance, instructs participants to 'listen to a sound until you no longer recognize it.'
In 1971, Oliveros created Sonic Meditations, a series of meditations that consist of instructions for participants to make, imagine, listen to, or remember sounds.
'Walk so silently that the bottoms of your feet become ears' is one example of the instructions found in Oliveros's Sonic Meditations.
While both meditations consist of instructions, Meditation XVIII instructs participants to 'listen,' whereas Meditation V instructs participants to 'walk.'
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'In 1971, experimental musician Pauline Oliveros created Sonic Meditations.' |
|
| 'Sonic Meditations is not music but rather a series of sound-based exercises called meditations.' |
|
| 'Each meditation consists of instructions for participants to make, imagine, listen to, or remember sounds.' |
|
| 'The instructions for Meditation V state, 'walk so silently that the bottoms of your feet become ears.'' |
|
| 'Those for Meditation XVIII state, 'listen to a sound until you no longer recognize it.'' |
|
Provide Passage Architecture and Core Elements
Main Point: Sonic Meditations is Pauline Oliveros's 1971 work consisting of instructional sound exercises rather than traditional music.
Argument Flow: The notes establish the creator and date, then clarify what Sonic Meditations actually is (sound exercises, not music), explain how individual meditations work (through instructions for sound activities), and provide two concrete examples of specific meditation instructions.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
This is a fill-in-the-blank question asking us to choose the best logical connector. The answer must create the right relationship between what comes before and after the blank.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The correct choice must provide an explanation of what Sonic Meditations is - that it's a series of sound-based exercises/meditations consisting of instructions, not traditional music
- It should also include a specific example - quoting one of the actual meditation instructions (either Meditation V or XVIII)
- The answer should efficiently combine both elements to accomplish the student's dual goal
Sonic Meditations is not music but rather a series of sound-based meditations that consist of instructions; Meditation XVIII, for instance, instructs participants to 'listen to a sound until you no longer recognize it.'
✓ Correct
- Provides clear explanation: 'not music but rather a series of sound-based meditations that consist of instructions'
- Includes specific example: Meditation XVIII with exact quote
- Uses 'for instance' to clearly signal the example portion
- Efficiently accomplishes both parts of the student's goal
In 1971, Oliveros created Sonic Meditations, a series of meditations that consist of instructions for participants to make, imagine, listen to, or remember sounds.
✗ Incorrect
- Provides good explanation of what Sonic Meditations is and how it works
- Fails to include any specific example of a meditation
- Only accomplishes half of the student's stated goal
'Walk so silently that the bottoms of your feet become ears' is one example of the instructions found in Oliveros's Sonic Meditations.
✗ Incorrect
- Provides excellent specific example with exact quote from Meditation V
- Completely lacks explanation of what Sonic Meditations is overall
- Only accomplishes half of the student's stated goal
While both meditations consist of instructions, Meditation XVIII instructs participants to 'listen,' whereas Meditation V instructs participants to 'walk.'
✗ Incorrect
- Compares two different meditations but doesn't explain what Sonic Meditations is
- Focuses on contrasting rather than defining the overall concept
- Doesn't accomplish the primary goal of explanation