2019新SAT考试官方指南阅读中心题型解析5

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P673——Section 3

乐坛情事

7. ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS

Explanation for Correct Answer D :

Choice (D) is correct. The passage focuses on Clayton, but presents him only as Virginia sees him. The narrator provides no independent or neutral information about Clayton.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer A :

Choice (A) is incorrect. The passage focuses entirely on the personal, on how Clayton as an individual appears to Virginia. Clayton is presented as interested almost entirely in music. Virginia—although also a musician—appears in the passage as interested almost entirely in Clayton. Nothing in the passage suggests that what the narrator says about Clayton and Virginia is supposed to be a general commentary on musicians of the period.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer B :

Choice (B) is incorrect. The introduction to the passage explains that both Clayton and Virginia are college students who are members of the college orchestra. But the passage has almost nothing to say about what being in the orchestra was like for them.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer C :

Choice (C) is incorrect. The passage does not present anyone as being an inspiration to others.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer E :

Choice (E) is incorrect. The passage describes the beginning of a relationship between Clayton and Virginia. But nothing is said that indicates whether their relationship will endure or whether it will become strained later on.

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8. ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS

Explanation for Correct Answer C :

Choice (C) is correct. The references to how Clayton looked in the practice room in different lights indicates that Virginia had observed him on many occasions and that she had paid close attention to how he looked.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer A :

Choice (A) is incorrect. Clayton is presented as taking Virginia very much in stride, at least as far as how he behaved is concerned. There is no indication that his outward manner changed when she was around. In fact, in the first paragraph, where the references to a different sort of light appear, there is no indication that Clayton is even aware of Virginia being nearby.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer B :

Choice (B) is incorrect. The references to different lights suggest that Clayton is not a simple, one-dimensional character. And they suggest that Virginia was interested enough in Clayton to observe him carefully and often. But before the events described in the last half of the passage, Virginia's observations of and about Clayton seem more restrained than passionate.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer D :

Choice (D) is incorrect. That Clayton was to be found in the practice room both in daylight and when the lights were on suggests that he practiced often, and probably regularly. But the passage provides no information about the rest of his day-to-day activities, and it does not imply that his daily routine was monotonous.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer E :

Choice (E) is incorrect. In the part of the passage in which the lights are referred to, the way Clayton looks is characterized as uncanny or mysterious rather than as beautiful. He is described as having an "irresistible beauty" at the end of the passage (lines 84-85), but this is said to be the "beauty of someone who has found his place," and such a beauty is the opposite of superficial.

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9. ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS

Explanation for Correct Answer A :

Choice (A) is correct. In lines 8-11 the narrator tells how Clayton's skin seemed to be different shades in different lights. To Virginia, Clayton seemed to have "an uncanny complexion, as if the shades swirled just under the surface" (lines 12-13). In this context, this image suggests that there is more to Clayton's complexion than any single appearance showed. And by extension, it suggests that Clayton himself is more complex than he appears.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer B :

Choice (B) is incorrect. There is no indication that Clayton acts or reacts in an "erratic," or unpredictable, way at any of the times Virginia peeks in on him in the practice room. What changes is the light and the shade of his skin. It is the changes in light that make Clayton look different, not anything he does.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer C :

Choice (C) is incorrect. People who are "complacent" are self-satisfied; they are very pleased with themselves. So an "unseemly complacency" would be an inappropriate self-satisfaction. Clayton is presented as being preoccupied with music in an unself-conscious way. Nothing in the passage suggests that Clayton is complacent. Moreover, the phrase "as if the shades swirled just under the surface" would most naturally be used to convey complexity, not self-satisfaction.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer D :

Choice (D) is incorrect. "Passionate loyalty" suggests a fixity of purpose and character that is quite at odds with the image of "the shades swirled just under the surface."

Explanation for Incorrect Answer E :

Choice (E) is incorrect. Clayton is never presented as having any tendency to argue. And although the image of shades swirling just under the surface suggests complexity and changeability, it does not naturally suggest argumentativeness.

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10. ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS

Explanation for Correct Answer A :

Choice (A) is correct. The first paragraph talks about Clayton in an almost impersonal way, as though at an uninvolved distance. There is nothing in the way he is described that suggests that Virginia has more than an abstract interest in him. The advice offered by Virginia's friends is an abrupt break with this mood. The language suddenly becomes almost vulgar. They gave her advice on "how to get him" (line 14) and suggested that they could "play hot duets together" (line 15).

Explanation for Incorrect Answer B :

Choice (B) is incorrect. The advice is accompanied by giggles. It introduces an element of cheerful vulgarity, rather than foreboding. There is no suggestion that anything bad is going to happen.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer C :

Choice (C) is incorrect. The advice Virginia's friends give is concerned with romance, but not with romantic music. They are giving her advice about how to have a romance with Clayton. When they talk about "hot duets," it is not to poke fun at romantic music.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer D :

Choice (D) is incorrect. The language of the advice is in sharp contrast with the mood of Virginia's reflections about Clayton. But both Virginia and her friends seem to have a generally positive opinion of Clayton.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer E :

Choice (E) is incorrect. Clayton's sense of humor is described as "ironic" and "quirky," but it is merely mentioned, not displayed. For Virginia's friends' advice to counter it, there would have to be an instance of it in order for it to be countered.

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11. ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS

Explanation for Correct Answer D :

Choice (D) is correct. "Sanctity" has to do with being holy or sacred. In lines 22-25 the cello room is described as a place where the cellos were "lined up like novitiates" and where Virginia "felt a strange reverence every time she stepped across the threshold into its cool serenity." The term "reverence" has to do with respect, veneration, and worship. "Novitiates" are people who have entered religious order but have not taken their final vows. "Serenity" has to do with repose, or quietude, and suggests an otherworldliness associated with religious matters.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer A :

Choice (A) is incorrect. None of the terms used to describe the atmosphere of the cello room have anything to do with creativity. Instead, they describe an atmosphere of repose and worship.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer B :

Choice (B) is incorrect. The atmosphere of the cello room is described as one of "cool serenity." "Serenity" suggests quiet and repose but not emptiness.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer C :

Choice (C) is incorrect. The "cool serenity" of the cello room suggests an atmosphere of acceptance and repose, the very opposite of urgency or striving.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer E :

Choice (E) is incorrect. For a place filled with cellos to have an atmosphere of accomplishment, there would at least have to be some sign that these instruments have been played by accomplished musicians. But in the passage the instruments in the cello room are associated with novitiates, people who are beginners, not people who are accomplished.

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12. ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS

Explanation for Correct Answer B :

Choice (B) is correct. In lines 42-43 Clayton is described as "moving deliberately, negotiating the crush . . . sailing above the mob." The previous paragraph made it clear that the "mob" is the crowd of orchestra members scrambling to get to the orchestra hall in time for orchestra practice. So the "crush" Clayton is negotiating (i.e., effectively dealing with) is this crowd of orchestra members.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer A :

Choice (A) is incorrect. "Crush" can be used to mean an act of forcing by pressure. The passage describes the orchestra members moving along in what the narrator refers to as "pandemonium" (i.e., a kind of wild uproar). But there is no indication that this involves any acts of actually forcing anyone by pressure.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer C :

Choice (C) is incorrect. As the passage presents the scene, there is a certain amount of confusion and uproar going on. But there is nothing to suggest that any "power," or active resistance, has built up that Clayton might have to deal with or even that he has to exert any power to make his way through.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer D :

Choice (D) is incorrect. One of the meanings of "crush" is infatuation. And a case might be made that Virginia is infatuated with Clayton. But in this context, it is clear that the crush Clayton has to make his way through is a physical one, not a psychological or emotional one.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer E :

Choice (E) is incorrect. Another meaning of "crush" is to alter or destroy. Therefore, someone who was crushed would likely be in a critical condition. But neither Clayton nor anyone else is being crushed, and the narrator says nothing that suggests that any other kind of critical condition exists in the area outside the orchestra hall.

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13. ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS

Explanation for Correct Answer E :

Choice (E) is correct. Clayton is described as being unaffected by the general rush to get to the orchestra hall for the practice session that is about to begin. That he "moved deliberately" (lines 41-42), not rushing even though a wild uproar—pandemonium—was breaking loose all around him, suggests that he is tuning out his immediate surroundings. This impression is strengthened by the reference to his humming, something people generally do only when they are caught up in their own thoughts.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer A :

Choice (A) is incorrect. The image the passage presents of Clayton humming "a tricky passage from Schumann" (lines 42-43) on his way to the orchestra practice is one of someone who is concentrating on the music to be played, not on the people around him. Moreover, there is clearly a lot of general rushing around going on. Under those circumstances, the issue of making conversation—as opposed to calling out to people, shouting, etc.—would not arise.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer B :

Choice (B) is incorrect. Clayton is presented as being largely unaware of the other musicians surrounding him.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer C :

Choice (C) is incorrect. It is true that Clayton seems to be caught up in the music he will be playing and to be largely ignoring the people around him. On the other hand, he is aware enough of them to be "negotiating the crush" (line 42) (i.e., dealing effectively with it), and the passage leaves open the possibility that he is at least somewhat aware of the effect he has on Virginia.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer D :

Choice (D) is incorrect. In the general rush to get to the orchestra practice on time, it is unlikely that anyone but Virginia would have noticed that Clayton was humming "a tricky passage from Schumann" (lines 42-43). So the overall impression is not of someone who is trying to show off.

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14. ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS

Explanation for Correct Answer C :

Choice (C) is correct. Clayton is described from the first sentence of the passage as being obsessed with music. By the time Clayton says "I think I'll go practice" in line 46, however, it is becoming fairly clear that he is interested in Virginia. This impression is reinforced by his invitation to Virginia to stay and listen to him practice, as well as his offer to provide something for her to eat so that she could stay. In this context, then, his decision to practice his cello—rather than simply spending time with Virginia—strongly reinforces the earlier point about his commitment to music.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer A :

Choice (A) is incorrect. By the time Clayton says "I think I'll go practice" in line 46, it is too late for him to think about trying to make a first impression on Virginia.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer B :

Choice (B) is incorrect. From what was said early in the passage about Virginia frequently watching Clayton at practice, it appears that Clayton practices a lot. So it is likely that going to practice at that point is an indication of Clayton's unwillingness to disrupt his practice routine.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer D :

Choice (D) is incorrect. Nothing in the passage gives any indication of Clayton's feeling about competition. Since the issue does not arise, it cannot be emphasized.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer E :

Choice (E) is incorrect. After saying that he thinks he will go practice, Clayton invites Virginia to stay and listen to him while he practices. Since Virginia is also a cellist, this strongly suggests that Clayton is not particularly insecure around other musicians.

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15. ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS

Explanation for Correct Answer C :

Choice (C) is correct. The phrase "agonizing bliss" occurs in the following context: "The walk was twenty minutes of agonizing bliss, with the wind off the lake whipping her blue. . . . When they reached the house. . . she was nearly frozen through" (lines 52-57). The bliss for Virginia was being with Clayton. What was "agonizing" was how physically cold she was.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer A :

Choice (A) is incorrect. Clayton is described as "too involved in analyzing the orchestra's horn section to notice" (lines 54-55) how cold Virginia was. But being involved in what one is saying to someone is not the same as having a cold manner. In fact, the manner of someone involved in this way is more likely to be lively and warm.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer B :

Choice (B) is incorrect. There is no indication that Clayton was uneasy on the walk back to the fraternity house. He was talking about music, and the passage strongly suggests that whenever the subject was music, Clayton was very much at ease.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer D :

Choice (D) is incorrect. Virginia is presented as being conscious of being too cold. But this kind of discomfort is straightforwardly physical, not the complex psychological discomfort that the word "self-consciousness" suggests.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer E :

Choice (E) is incorrect. By using the phrase "agonizing bliss," the narrator suggests that Virginia's happiness at being with Clayton is combined with physical discomfort from the cold wind. The passage says that this episode of "agonizing bliss" went on for only twenty minutes. But neither "bliss" nor "agonizing" suggests anything about the length of the episode.

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16. ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS

Explanation for Correct Answer A :

Choice (A) is correct. Clayton has given Virginia soup and cheese and apologizes for its not being much. Virginia is so happy just to be there with him that she "felt sated before lifting the first spoonful" (lines 60-61). Someone who feels sated is fully satisfied. So Virginia's reaction to the meal suggests that she felt content even without the food.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer B :

Choice (B) is incorrect. Being amused by someone's attempts at hospitality on one's behalf involves an element of condescension. But by this point in the narrative, Virginia is completely entranced with Clayton, and being entranced is inconsistent with condescension.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer C :

Choice (C) is incorrect. The description of Virginia's reaction to the meal strongly suggests that, at that time, what really mattered to her was Clayton. The way the passage is written suggests that Virginia was aware of the chaos in the kitchen, but it also suggests that the state of the kitchen did not matter to her.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer D :

Choice (D) is incorrect. Clayton apologizes for the meagerness of the meal, but there is no indication that Virginia made him uneasy or that she believed that she did. Later he is described as fidgety and awkward. But that was because "music was the only landscape in which he seemed at ease" (line 81), not because Virginia was there.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer E :

Choice (E) is incorrect. Virginia is described as thinking “a loaf of bread, a jug of wine,” a reference to a love poem. This strongly suggests that she found the atmosphere highly suitable for romance.

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17. ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS

Explanation for Correct Answer D :

Choice (D) is correct. In lines 70-72 Clayton is described as Virginia sees him: "He was the same golden brown as the instrument, and his mustache followed the lines of the cello's scroll." This description makes it clear how strongly Virginia associates Clayton with his cello.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer A :

Choice (A) is incorrect. In the first paragraph the way Clayton wears his hair is compared to a famous jazz musician, Cab Calloway. But the description in lines 70-72 emphasizes Clayton's resemblances to his own cello, rather than to any other musician.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer B :

Choice (B) is incorrect. The description focuses on the color of Clayton's skin and the shape of his mustache. It has nothing to say about how he behaves in social situations.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer C :

Choice (C) is incorrect. The description emphasizes how much Virginia is affected by Clayton and by his connection with his instrument. But all it tells about Clayton is how he looked, not about what effect music has on him.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer E :

Choice (E) is incorrect. The description shows how strongly Virginia identifies Clayton with his instrument. But it does not suggest that she identifies with his situation.

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18. ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS

Explanation for Correct Answer D :

Choice (D) is correct. Clayton says that his response to people who say that he is too tall to play the cello is "remember the bumblebee" (lines 74-75). The point about the bumblebee, he explains, is that, according to scientific principles, it is too big to fly. But it flies anyway. Clayton's body, like the bumblebee's, is not well suited to what he does. However, like the bumblebee, Clayton does it anyway. So he cites the bumblebee to show his steady determination to play, despite the odds.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer A :

Choice (A) is incorrect. The story of the bumblebee might be taken to show that Clayton is not particularly impressed with scientific pronouncements. But Clayton's response was to ignore what "everyone" (line 68) said and go on doing what he is determined to do. There is no indication that Clayton relies on any kind of magic or that his response is superstitious in any other way.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer B :

Choice (B) is incorrect. The bumblebee in Clayton's story is not cunning or clever. The bumblebee does not even know that it should not be able to fly. It just flies.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer C :

Choice (C) is incorrect. Clayton seems to have a certain amount of quiet, low-keyed pride, but this pride seems quite solid, not "frail" or easily shattered. The point of the bumblebee, though, is not to convey this pride. It is to convey that, to Clayton, playing the cello comes as naturally as flying does to the bumblebee.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer E :

Choice (E) is incorrect. The bumblebee is presented as just getting on with it, not as being especially explosive or temperamental. Clayton is presented throughout as determined and constant in his dedication to music. And Clayton refers to the bumblebee solely to explain something about how he approaches music.

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19. ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS

Explanation for Correct Answer E :

Choice (E) is correct. Clayton in the kitchen is described as "fidgety, even a little awkward" (line 83). But behind his instrument, he is described as having "the irresistible beauty of someone who has found his place" (lines 84-85). In the kitchen, Clayton appears somewhat clumsy, as lacking grace. But behind his cello, he appears the very opposite.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer A :

Choice (A) is incorrect. The kitchen itself is described as fairly chaotic, a thorough mess. But Clayton himself does not seem particularly chaotic in the kitchen; he heats the soup and finds the cheese without any apparent difficulty. And to say of someone that he has "found his place" is to say that he is in a position that suits him, that shows him as he really is. It does not suggest anything about Clayton's organizational skills.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer B :

Choice (B) is incorrect. As it is used in describing Clayton in the kitchen, "awkward" means lacking ease or grace. "Mediocrity," however, suggests the application of performance standards to commonplace actions (like heating up a can of soup, or plunking cheese down on a table) where judgments about excellence or mediocrity do not naturally apply. And while Clayton is presented as looking just right behind his instrument, this does not imply that Clayton excels in any way.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer C :

Choice (C) is incorrect. There is a sense that Clayton's genuineness comes out when he is behind his instrument. But Clayton is never presented as "pretentious." Pretentious people act as though they were more important or worthy than they are. Clayton is not described as acting that way in the kitchen. In fact, Clayton modestly says of the food he has provided for Virginia, "It's not much" (line 59).

Explanation for Incorrect Answer D :

Choice (D) is incorrect. Clayton is described as dedicated throughout the passage. But being fidgety and a little awkward is not the same as being lazy. Nothing in the passage suggests that Clayton is at all lazy.

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