Researchers in ethnomusicology, Sarah Williams and James Thompson, have recorded the conservation initiatives for customary folk melodies in mountaino...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Researchers in ethnomusicology, Sarah Williams and James Thompson, have recorded the conservation initiatives for customary folk melodies in mountainous Appalachian rural areas. The two scholars highlight the way elderly community members function as essential archives of musical tradition, preserving melodies through spoken transmission between generations. Their discoveries depend significantly on audio documentation in natural settings and conversations with established local inhabitants. Williams's archive features an audio session with Martha Hayes, age 89, who sang twelve folk ballads learned from her grandmother during the 1940s, including authentic melodies and local linguistic variations.
Which option most accurately characterizes the role of the highlighted sentence?
It clarifies Williams's rationale for concentrating her scholarly work mainly on ballads instead of alternative musical genres.
It contends that audio documentation surpasses conversations in importance for conserving customary music.
It offers a particular example of the musical conservation activities performed by ethnomusicology scholars.
It implies that melodies acquired during the 1940s possess greater authenticity than those from different eras.
Looking at this Text Structure and Purpose question, I need to analyze how the highlighted sentence functions within the passage's argument about ethnomusicology research.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Researchers in ethnomusicology, Sarah Williams and James Thompson, have recorded the conservation initiatives for customary folk melodies in mountainous Appalachian rural areas." |
|
| "The two scholars highlight the way elderly community members function as essential archives of musical tradition, preserving melodies through spoken transmission between generations." |
|
| "Their discoveries depend significantly on audio documentation in natural settings and conversations with established local inhabitants." |
|
| "Williams's archive features an audio session with Martha Hayes, age 89, who sang twelve folk ballads learned from her grandmother during the 1940s, including authentic melodies and local linguistic variations." |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Ethnomusicologists Williams and Thompson are documenting how elderly community members preserve Appalachian folk music traditions through oral transmission.
Argument Flow: The passage introduces the researchers and their focus area, explains their main insight about elderly people serving as musical archives, describes their research methodology, and then provides a specific example of this work in action with Martha Hayes.
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
- Looking at our analysis, the highlighted sentence about Martha Hayes comes after the passage has explained the researchers' work and methods
- This sentence gives us a concrete, specific case of exactly what they're doing - it shows us Williams actually recording an elderly person singing traditional folk songs learned from previous generations
- The right answer should recognize that this sentence provides a specific example or illustration of the broader research activities that were just described
- It demonstrates the research methods in action rather than introducing new concepts or making comparisons
It clarifies Williams's rationale for concentrating her scholarly work mainly on ballads instead of alternative musical genres.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims the sentence explains Williams's rationale for focusing on ballads specifically
- The sentence doesn't explain why she chose ballads over other music types
- It simply shows what she recorded, not her reasoning for genre selection
It contends that audio documentation surpasses conversations in importance for conserving customary music.
✗ Incorrect
- Says the sentence argues audio documentation is more important than conversations
- The sentence actually shows both methods working together (audio recording + conversation with Martha)
- No comparison or ranking of these methods appears in the sentence
It offers a particular example of the musical conservation activities performed by ethnomusicology scholars.
✓ Correct
- Recognizes the sentence provides a specific, concrete example
- Matches our analysis - this sentence demonstrates the conservation activities in action
- Shows the research methods being applied to a real case
- Fits perfectly with the sentence's role after the general methodology description
It implies that melodies acquired during the 1940s possess greater authenticity than those from different eras.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims the sentence suggests 1940s melodies are more authentic than other periods
- The sentence mentions "authentic melodies" but doesn't compare authenticity across different time periods