In 2020, rap artist and professor A.D. Carson published the first peer-reviewed rap album about his experiences with Black masculinity...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
In 2020, rap artist and professor A.D. Carson published the first peer-reviewed rap album about his experiences with Black masculinity called i used to love to dream. Typically in peer review, experts evaluate scholarly articles prior to publication. For Carson's album, dubbed a mixtap/e/ssay, peer review involved both scholars and rap artists. In combining elements of a mixtape album with scholarly essays that connect Carson's lyrics to historical and contemporary contexts for listeners both inside and outside academia, Carson's album helped redefine how scholarship is created and shared.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
To compare the relative public impact of scholarly articles and albums
To capture one scholar's opinion of a new rap album
To explain why a certain rap album is particularly innovative
To describe how each step of the peer review process unfolds
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'In 2020, rap artist and professor A.D. Carson published the first peer-reviewed rap album about his experiences with Black masculinity called 'i used to love to dream.'' |
|
| 'Typically in peer review, experts evaluate scholarly articles prior to publication.' |
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| 'For Carson's album, dubbed a 'mixtap/e/ssay,' peer review involved both scholars and rap artists.' |
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| 'In combining elements of a mixtape album with scholarly essays that connect Carson's lyrics to historical and contemporary contexts for listeners both inside and outside academia, Carson's album helped redefine how scholarship is created and shared.' |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: A.D. Carson's rap album was innovative because it combined musical and scholarly elements with a unique peer review process, ultimately helping to redefine how scholarship is created and shared.
Argument Flow: The text introduces Carson's unique rap album, provides context about traditional peer review, explains how his approach was different (involving both scholars and rap artists), and concludes by emphasizing how this innovation helped transform scholarly practices.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
- What's being asked? The main purpose of the entire text
- What type of answer do we need? The overall reason why this text was written - what it's trying to accomplish
- Any limiting keywords? 'main purpose' tells us we need the primary goal, not a secondary detail
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The right answer should focus on explaining what made Carson's album innovative or groundbreaking, rather than just describing it or comparing it to other things
- The text emphasizes the innovative elements and broader significance of Carson's work
To compare the relative public impact of scholarly articles and albums
- This choice suggests the text compares the impact of scholarly articles vs. albums generally
- The passage doesn't make broad comparisons between these formats - it focuses specifically on Carson's unique work
To capture one scholar's opinion of a new rap album
- This implies the text is presenting one person's opinion about Carson's album
- The passage presents factual information about Carson's work and its significance, not subjective opinions
To explain why a certain rap album is particularly innovative
- This perfectly captures what the text accomplishes - explaining what makes Carson's album particularly innovative
- The passage details the unique peer review process, the 'mixtap/e/ssay' format, and how it combines multiple elements
To describe how each step of the peer review process unfolds
- This suggests the text walks through each step of peer review in detail
- The passage only briefly mentions traditional peer review as context, then focuses on Carson's different approach