Musical composers have long debated whether emotional impact should guide technical choices in orchestral arrangements: some prioritize complex harmon...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Musical composers have long debated whether emotional impact should guide technical choices in orchestral arrangements: some prioritize complex harmonies and intricate counterpoint, while others emphasize simple melodies that directly convey feeling. Despite their apparent opposition, technical sophistication and emotional accessibility are not _____ in successful compositions.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
commonly found
interchangeable
mutually exclusive
independently created
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Musical composers have long debated whether emotional impact should guide technical choices in orchestral arrangements:" |
|
| "some prioritize complex harmonies and intricate counterpoint," |
|
| "while others emphasize simple melodies that directly convey feeling." |
|
| "Despite their apparent opposition," |
|
| "technical sophistication and emotional accessibility are not ______ in successful compositions." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Technical sophistication and emotional accessibility can coexist in successful musical compositions, despite appearing to be opposing approaches.
Argument Flow: The passage sets up a debate between technical complexity and emotional simplicity in music composition, presents both sides, then uses "despite their apparent opposition" to signal that this perceived conflict isn't actually true in successful compositions.
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 key logical relationship here is set up by "Despite their apparent opposition" - this tells us the sentence will contradict the idea that technical sophistication and emotional accessibility are opposed to each other
- So we need a word that means "incompatible" or "unable to coexist" - something that, when negated with "are not," tells us these two approaches can actually work together
commonly found
✗ Incorrect
- "Commonly found" would make the sentence say these elements are not commonly found together
- This doesn't address the logical relationship set up by "despite their apparent opposition"
interchangeable
✗ Incorrect
- "Interchangeable" means they can be swapped for one another
- The passage isn't saying they can't be substituted - it's saying they can coexist
mutually exclusive
✓ Correct
- "Mutually exclusive" means two things cannot both be true or exist at the same time
- Perfectly matches the logic: "Despite appearing opposed, they are NOT mutually exclusive"
- This creates the exact contrast the passage sets up
independently created
✗ Incorrect
- "Independently created" refers to how something is made, not whether two things can coexist
- Doesn't address the central debate about compatibility