Q18

[e.sterlingsmith]

But there is support for C:

Line 54: "Walker won over this audience by refining the cakewalk"
If she refined the cakewalk she changed the choreography.

Line 64: Many newly rich industrialists found admiration in the grand flourishes of HER version.
That means her version added grand flourishes (which means it has altered choreography).

This shows that she did choreograph alternate versions for different cultural groups.

I know this question has been argued for years... But this was my understanding of C. I understood Lines 45-48 specifically 48 ( "within her interpretation of it the varying") as her having her own various interpretations/ it varying when she interpreted it. Is there any further clarity that can be provided or is this one of those questions i'm bound to miss no matter what on test day?

[ohthatpatrick]

You're citing line 48, which says "within her interpretation of the cakewalk, she addressed the the varying and sometimes conflicting demands placed on the dance." as evidence that she has "multiple interpretations".

Line 48-49 is saying her (singular) interpretation was something that could play to many crowds.

When she cooked up her one, singular interpretation, she refined the cakewalks grace in order to appeal to middle-class AA's.

When she cooked up her one, singular interpretation, she made sure it would seem like the most authentic cakewalk, in order to appeal to middle/upper class European Americans.

When she cooked up her one, singular interpretation (64-65 say "her version of the cakewalk"), she put in grand flourishes at the end to appeal to newly rich people.

So her one, singular interpretation/version had grace, authenticity, and grand flourishes at the end.

None of those ingredients exclude the others, so it's possible for ONE version of the cakewalk to have all those things.

Hope this helps.

[DavidS899]

Hey Guys,

I'll weigh in here. I don't see the support for "various alternative interpretations". In fact, it's DIRECTLY contradicted by line 48, which describes "her interpretation of it". There is only ONE interpretation made by Walker, so (C) is totally wrong! What you seem to be missing is that her ONE version of the cakewalk was a version that appealed to lots of people--but there weren't multiple versions.

-t

It seems to me that in the real world a single artistic interpretation can manifest multiple variations. Especially in appealing to disparate groups across rigid racial boundaries.

I see as A and C both correct and that this is a flawed question.

Middle class AA group: We don't like disreputable cakewalks.
Walker: Okay here is a graceful cakewalk.

Middle and Upper Class EA: We don't like cultural fluxes.
Walker: Okay here is an authentic cakewalk.

Industrialists and financiers: We like cakewalks that celebrate our social rank.
Walker: Okay here is a cakewalk with grand flourishes.

The language in the passage is not strong enough to deny that these three aspects above could be parts of separate versions of her cakewalks. And I think most got tripped up on this because an assumption underlying this passage is that for something to appeal to most Americans at the time it had to resolve mutually opposing tensions by catering to different groups in different ways.

[snoopy]

Someone asked about B and why it was wrong. B said Walker made the cakewalk popular "because she accentuated the satiric dimension." Lines 53-4 said she won the audience over by "refining the cakewalk and emphasizing its...grace." Basically, the last paragraph of the passage talks about how Walker's success came from highlighting the regal elements of the cakewalk rather than emphasizing the satirical elements.

I initially selected B too because I confused the second and third paragraphs, which highlights the cakewalk's satirical nature, to be Walker's doing. But, the second and third paragraph talk about the history of the cakewalk. Did not involve Walker

[AasimY312]

For those of you who missed the distinction that makes (C) incorrect — "within her interpretation" (from the answer choice) vs. "creation of interpretations" (from the text) — there appears to be another flaw in (C). (C) claims that the interpretations were tailored to "different cultural groups". However, you will notice at the end of the passage the example provided is about rich industrialists and financiers. This is more of a socioeconomic group than a cultural one.