The primary purpose of the passage is to | GMAT Sprint

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RC · Reading Comprehension

sub-505

Short Passage - Science

Reading Passage

Scholars often fail to see that music played an important role in the preservation of African culture in the United States. They correctly note that slavery stripped some cultural elements from Black people—their political and economic systems—but they underestimate the significance of music in sustaining other African cultural values. African music, unlike the music of some other cultures, was based on a total vision of life in which music was not an isolated social domain. In African culture music was pervasive, serving not only religion, but all phases of life, including birth, death, work, and play. The methods that a community devises to perpetuate itself come into being to preserve aspects of the cultural legacy that that community perceives as essential. Music, like art in general, was so inextricably a part of African culture that it became a crucial means of preserving the culture during and after the dislocations of slavery.

The primary purpose of the passage is to

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Correct answer marked below

analyze the impact that slavery had on African political and economic systems

review the attempt of recent scholarship to study the influence of African music on other music

correct the failure of some scholars to appreciate the significance of music in African culture

Correct

survey the ways by which people attempt to preserve their culture against the effects of oppression

compare the relative importance of music with that of other art forms in culture

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What this question tests

What it tests

Your ability to understand a passage, its structure, and what the author is really saying. At the sub-505 level, accuracy and speed both matter.

Common trap

Answering from memory or outside knowledge instead of strictly from the passage.