Which one of the following most undermines the explanation provided in passage A for the relaxing effect that some mu...

Ntseltzer on February 17, 2020

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Victoria on September 10, 2020

Hi @heidiz and @Ntseltzer,

Happy to help!

To start, what is the explanation provided in Passage A for the relaxing effect that some music has on listeners?

The author of Passage A suggests that continuous and rhythmical music is relaxing because, in a natural environment, a background of constant noise suggests peaceful conditions whereas discontinuous sounds are less relaxing and demand more attention because danger tends to be accompanied by sudden and unexpected sounds.

Therefore, answer choice (C) is correct because it undermines the passage's explanation. The reason that some music has a relaxing effect must not be that it is continuous and rhythmical like natural background noise because many people find a similar noise (the sound of a rocking chair) to be unnerving.

Answer choice (A) is incorrect because it is irrelevant. The fact that different cultural musical traditions vary greatly in terms of rhythmical complexity does not impact the author's explanation for why some music is relaxing. The author is not talking about complexity of rhythm, but rather continuity.

Hope this helps! Please let us know if you have any further questions.