MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Question 87: Answer and Explanation

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Question: 87

1. Elsewhere, the author describes factors that led to the founding of American democracy. If his account is consistent with the information in the passage, such a discussion would most likely include which of the following?

  • A. Heroic descriptions of violent uprisings against the British such as the Boston Tea Party
  • B. Anecdotes concerning George Washington's idealistic motivations
  • C. Data suggesting vigorous support for democracy was widespread in America at the time
  • D. A suggestion that more peaceful forms of protest would have given way to a more effective democracy

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

B This is an Inference question.

Note: The author makes this statement in the context of discussing Stravinsky's faithfulness to his own artistic vision. The passage states that perfectionists "have worked out every detail of their conception painstakingly and are [often] unwilling to make further changes" or "cede any rights to others," and that "Stravinsky was no exception in this."

A: No. This choice may be tempting, but we have no basis for supposing compromise or acceptance of "imperfection" was required, as we're only told that they composed separately for later comparison.

B: Yes. It was from Diaghilev that Stravinsky is said to have learned "to compromise on, or mediate amongst, deeply held but differing artistic visions (paragraph 4). The quote cited in the question stem, in the context of paragraph 5, relates to an unwillingness to "cede any rights to others" or to diverge from the artist's own "original conceptualization."

C: No. Paragraph 2 indicates that Stravinsky had to engage in political battles in order to "realize [his] vision" and to manage his career. However, there is no indication that these battles involved compromising or going against his perfectionism about the work itself.

D: No. This answer is consistent with the statement in the question stem. This observation appears in paragraph 5, in the context of the author's description of Stravinsky's dedication to realizing his own goals.

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