Question 15.

Based on the passage, which one of the following statements is a valid argument about the emergence of music/musicking?

A
Anyone who can perceive and experience music must be considered capable of musicking.
B
Although musicking is not language-like, it shares the quality of being a form of expression.
C
20,000 years ago, human musical capacities were not very different from what they are today.
D
All musical work is located in the overlap between linguistic capacity and music production.

Question Explanation

Text Explanation

Option A: This is incorrect because it overgeneralizes the ideas presented in the passage. The passage does not state that all humans are musicians or capable of musicking, only that making music is a universal aspect of the human experience and that the capacity for musicking is innate in humans.

Option B: The passage does state that musicking is a form of expression, but there is no discussion supporting the claim "musicking is not language-like." Thus, we can eliminate this choice.

Option C: The passage states - {"...if we look back 20,000 years, a small portion of this long period, we reach the lives of humans whose musical capacities were probably little different from our own..."} This suggests that the musical capacities of humans 20,000 years ago were not significantly different from those of humans today.

Option D: This is not supported by the passage. The passage does not state that all musical work is located in the overlap between linguistic capacity and music production. In fact, the passage states that "most of these capacities overlap with nonmusical ones, though a few may be distinct and dedicated to musical perception and production," suggesting that there are some capacities specifically dedicated to musical perception and production that do not overlap with nonmusical ones.

Hence, the correct answer is Option C. 

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