MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Question 117: Answer and Explanation
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Question: 117
4. The author most likely compares basketball to jazz primarily in order to:
- A. claim that because of the fast-paced and unpredictable nature of the sport, basketball players are among the most skilled athletes.
- B. suggest that, like jazz, basketball allows for flexibility and individual excellence within a set format.
- C. assert that basketball is a newer and more dynamic sport than football or baseball.
- D. indicate that basketball requires athletes to be fast.
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
B This is a Structure question.
A: No. This choice goes too far, since the author never tells us baseball and football are not challenging in their own way.
B: Yes. The author tells us that "basketball players must be improvisers. They have a score, a melody; each team has its own appropriate tempo, a style of game best suited to its talents; but within and around that general score, each individual is free to elaborate as the spirit moves him" (paragraph 4). This answer choice is the best paraphrase of this idea.
C: No. This option takes the metaphor too literally and is too judgmental in tone towards football and baseball. Furthermore, nothing in the passage suggests that basketball is a newer sport.
D: No. While the author does mention speed in paragraph 4, this is not the primary purpose of the metaphor, but only one of many aspects within it. The main theme of the comparison is how basketball, like jazz, relies on individual action and creativity within the context of a group or team endeavor.