12.Practice.Tests.for.the.SAT_2015-2016_1128p

442
Section 6
Practice Test Five
(80) they are actually "distortionists" rather than
musicians. But ifbeing able to string together a
couple of different chords is all that qualifies one
as a "musician," strictly speaking, any one of us
who has tinkered on the keys of a piano for a few
(85) minutes can assign themselves the distinction.
Without question there is a difference between
being a true artist as opposed to a dabbler, but to
the dabbler in question, what exactly is that difference?
Whether you are a drummer, a sculptor, or
(90) a writer, in the end, it is nice to be able to express
yourself in a manner that inspires others, but it is
much more important to inspire yourself-even
if you are just strumming the same two chords on
your guitar over and over again. However, with all
(95) that said, in my decade of traveling the globe as a
turntablist, I never considered myself a musician.
I see myself more as a progressive artist, working
on the fringe, but steadily moving closer to being
discovered by the kids who watch MTV.
(100) Though the criteria for what qualifies a musician
or an artist is extremely vague, the truth is,
one is no more culturally valid or important than
the other. There are certainly accomplished musicians
who are turntablists (some even press their
(105) own original material to spin), but to me, though
turntablism deals directly with the creation of
musical sounds, a turntablist is more like a painter
than a guitar player or pianist. Like a painter, a
turntablist needs a thorough understanding of the
(110) medium with which he or she is working, a good
ear (rather than a painter's eye), and dedication to
mastering the craft and the tools. The prerecorded
music I work with is like the paint-though I did
not physically create it, I can do with it whatever I
(115) want to achieve my desired effect. From those raw
materials I create something more; I morph it into
a beautiful piece distinctly my own. Am I a musician?
Depends on whom you ask. Am I an artist in
every sense of the word? No doubt.
13. The descriptions of the "thousands of people who
come to hear me" (lines 28-29) in Passage 1 and of
"my decade of traveling the globe as a turntablist"
(lines 95-96) in Passage 2 demonstrate that both
performers
(A) are exorbitantly wealthy individuals
(B) have worked with each other in the past
(C) are more than just hobbyists
(D) have biases against traditional musicians
(E) spin and scratch their own songs
14. Both turntablists would probably agree that
(A) using prerecorded material of your own creation
is better than using another artist's
(B) turntablism is an ephemeral art form that will
not stand the test of time
(C) the debate about whether or not DJs and
turntablists are musicians is personally
meaningless
(D) turntablism will eventually become more
accepted by the mainstream
(E) turntables are more difficult to master than
the guitar
15. In line 32 in Passage l, "woodshedding" most
closely means
(A) sawing
(B) theorizing
(C) improvising
(D) spurning
(E) practicing
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