@EmilyMarieMenendez a quick glance at the answer choices shows us that we need to identify the nature of each transition between his three styles. Specifically, we need to know whether each transition was a "natural progression" or an "inexplicable departure." Since there are three styles, we know there will be two transitions (1 to 2, then 2 to 3). So let's pinpoint the part of the text where transition 1 and 2 occur:
Transition 1 (Late Romantic to nontonal): the author says Schoenberg considered atonal to be "the next inevitable step in the historical development of music". That clearly sounds more like a "natural progression" than an "inexplicable departure"
Transition 2 (nontonal to 12-tone technique): the author says Schoenberg created this technique to "as a means of bringing a new system of order to nontonal music and stabilizing it." Again, that sounds more like a "natural progression than an "inexplicable departure." Even if you didn't see it as a "natural progression," "inexplicable departure" is just too strong of language to work in that situation.
So it looks like both transitions were natural progressions, making (A) correct. I hope that helps!
EmilyMarieMenendezSeptember 1, 2018
Thank you!
ashleybakerSeptember 25, 2020
How is both transitions natural progression, the last sentence in the second to last paragraph says, "As his career progressed, his music became more
condensed, more violent in its contrasts, and therefore
(45)more difficult to follow" I can't see how this is natural progression
