GMAT Reading Comprehension - The Immigration of Europeans and The Importation of West African Slaves to America

Reading Passage Question

The immigration of Europeans and the importation of West African slaves to America resulted in a convergence of cultures, traditions, and art forms, including music. Jazz, first played in New Orleans in the early 1900s, borrowed heavily from the European musical scale and harmonic system. Jazz ensembles were built predominantly on European instruments, such as the trumpet, trombone, saxophone, and piano. The West African influence on jazz was manifested primarily in its performance. Scatting, a technique used by jazz vocalists to mimic the sounds of instruments, had its origin in West African vocal traditions. The emphasis on improvisation in jazz music, in addition to group participation, also came from West African music.

Some musicologists argue that jazz is a purely American form of music. Others, however, contend that jazz is rooted in a history similar to that of America itself, a history of confluence. Proponents of the argument that jazz is purely American often point to its genesis in New Orleans as evidence for this perspective. The irony, however, is that the essence of America lies in the plurality of its roots. To deny the rich and complex history of jazz, and the true origins of the art form, is to deny the very aspects of the art form that make it undeniably American.

“The immigration of Europeans and the importation of West African slaves to America resulted in a convergence of cultures, traditions.”- is a comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 5 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

1. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would be less inclined to label jazz an American art form if which of the following were true?

(A) New Orleans was not the place where jazz music was first played.
(B) Jazz music was first created in New York when four avant-garde musicians from different cultural backgrounds came together to experiment with unprecedented musical concepts.
(C) With the influx of West Africans to the Americas came a very specific West African musical style which eventually came to be called “jazz” in New Orleans.
(D) Jazz music actually draws more of its character from South American and Native American traditions than from those of Europe or West Africa.
(E) The instruments used by jazz musicians were predominately of West African origin, not European origin.

2. Which of the following statements concerning jazz is most directly suggested in the passage?

(A) The plurality of jazz’s roots has led multiple cultures to claim jazz as their own.
(B) If jazz musicians had not borrowed from the European musical scale, they would have used the West African musical scale instead.
(C) Only European and African cultures had an influence on the development of jazz.
(D) Jazz was played in West Africa prior to its introduction in New Orleans in the early 1900s.
(E) Instrumentation was not a primary component of the West African influence on jazz.

3. Which of the following elements of jazz most likely has its origin in West African musical traditions?

(A) the emphasis on a tonal harmonic structure
(B) the use of an instrument to mimic a vocalist’s sound
(C) the use of traditional African instruments
(D) the use of many instruments in a jazz ensemble
(E) an impromptu call-and-response between two instruments in the ensemble

4. The author of the passage would most likely agree with which of the following statements?

(A) Although American football was derived from the English sports of soccer and rugby, it should be called a purely American sport because it was first played in America.
(B) Because American football was derived from the English sports of soccer and rugby, it should not be called an American sport.
(C) Most sports scholars deny the English origins of American football.
(D) What makes American football American is its derivation from the English sports of soccer and rugby.
(E) Because the essence of America lies in the plurality of its roots, American football should not be called an American sport.

5. The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) demonstrate how new art forms evolve
(B) describe a medium’s diverse cultural genesis and a relevant paradox
(C) argue that a new art form has its origins in the geographic location where it developed
(D) describe the impact of African culture on an American art form
(E) claim that one culture had a greater impact than another on the evolution of a new art form

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