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

Victoria on June 15, 2020

Hi @Antonio,

Happy to help!

The passage tells us that certain music can have a relaxing effect on its listeners and that this music tends to be continuous and rhythmical.

The passage offers an explanation for why this might be the case: in a natural environment, a background of constant noise suggests peaceful conditions whereas sudden, unexpected sounds connote danger.

Answer choice (C) is correct because it provides an example of a constant, steady, and rhythmical noise that many people find to be unnerving as opposed to peaceful. This fact suggests that there is an alternate explanation for why people find certain music to be relaxing.

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

Anna20 on July 20, 2020

I eliminated C because the sound of the rocker seemed like an analogy to the sound of the dripping tap - and therefore could not be a relaxing effect to listeners? How is that therefore the correct answer?

Victoria on September 10, 2020

Hi @Anna2020,

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.

The sound of a rocking chair is a continuous and rhythmical noise. The key word which differentiates this noise from the sound of the dripping tap is "erratic." Therefore, one would expect that rocking chairs would be relaxing whereas the dripping tap would not be as the former are akin to natural background noise whereas the latter is closer in nature to the sound of danger.

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.

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