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

Section 2
58 Practice Test One
Questions 14-25 are based on the following passage.
The fo llowing passage is from an essay that discusses criticisms
of lip-synching in popular music.
Very public examples of lip-synching-the act
of pretending to sing in synchronization with
recorded sound-can be traced as far back as
Line the Beatles, who faked many so-called live perfor-
( 5) mances on television. Lip-synching, however, will
forever be associated with the German pop duo
Milli Vanilli, who in 1991 admitted to mouthing
the words to songs sung by performers other than
themselves. While much of the popular music-
( JO) loving world was seemingly scandalized by this
revelation-to the point where a United States
court ruled that anyone who had bought the
Milli Vanilli album was entitled to a refund-this
episode was hardly as duplicitous as the medịa
( 15) portrayed it to be. Those who would categoncally
accuse Milli Vanilli of being guilty of dishonesty
do have a point, but these accusers are guilty
themselves of making the nai:ve assumption that
anything in pop music is the sole creation of the
(20) artist on the stage, television, or radio. They
simply do not comprehend the bigger, more complex
picture.
Everyday people are often taken aback when
they glimpse a striking supermodel from the pages
(25) of Vogue or Cosmopolitan walking around in real
life. Removed from the glossy realm of the magazine,
many of these models are often revealed to
be surprisingly plain. A model's transformation
into the alluring image on the cover page that
(30} helps to sell magazines begins with a photographer's
vision and requires numerous photo and
wardrobe assistants, makeup artists and hairdressers,
set dressers, stylists, expensive equipment, and
elaborate lighting. The finished product of this
(35) complex ensemble's collaboration is an illusion
that is decidedly more eye-catching and wholly
more appealing than anything one might find in
the frames of reality. All record company executives
understand this concept implicitly; they sim-
( 40) ply apply it to pop stars.
Back in 1981, the first music video MTV ever
aired was the fittingly titled "Video Killed the
Radio Star" by The Buggies. From that day forth,
popular culture would be forever altered-images
( 45) and songs would be eternally linked. After that
date, an artist's hairstyle, clothes, attitude, and
dance moves have been just as important as the
songs they have performed. Music has officially
become a product. And it is this idea that brings
(50) us to the heart of my argument. Let us consider
a hypothetical young pop star's rise to stardom.
A pretty girl with a great voice and exceptional
dance skills is handpicked by a record company
and given a recording contract. This singer is
(55) immediately sent to a stylist who changes her
entire image. She is given a strict regimen of oneon-one
vocal and dance lessons. When it is time
to record her album, talented writers are hired to
pen the songs, one of the most gifted producers
(60} in the industry is brought on board, and a group
of accomplished professional musicians serves to
create the instrumental support. In the recording
studio, the singer's vocals are layered with numerous
supporting tracks, distorted and softened by
(65) studio effects, to add depth and range that the
young woman does not naturally possess Take : .
after take of each song is meticulously edited until
the best possible version of the song is ready for
mass consumption. Then the video is produced,
(70) where everything right down to the nail polish is
laboriously styled to create the desired effecta
hit, which it is. But, halfway through the pop
star's first tour, it is revealed that she sometimes
lip-synchs on stage, the better to reproduce te
(75) distinct sound that her fans love. In the ensumg
media criticism, her true level of talent is brought
into question.
When an audience sees its pop idols perform hve,
it expects to see something similar to what is shown
(80) in the music video-stars ethereally beautiful, able
to pull off tightly choreographed dance moves on
the stage, all the while maintaining perfect vocal
pitch and not losing a breath while they perform
songs that took hours, if not days, to produce
(85) in a studio. An entire generation has grown into
adulthood accustomed to and desiring these illusions,
fueling the market to keep producing more
of them. The pop star is not to blame when these
illusions are broken; disappointment is the fault of
(90) those who believe in the illusion in the first place.
I GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE>
.