Musical Genius: Is It Talent or Is It Practice?
How does paragraph 8 help to develop the author's ideas?
A. It provides additional support for the claim that practice is essential for developing musical ability.
B. It helps explain how environment and upbringing affect musical ability.
C. It offers evidence about another factor that contributes to musical ability.
D. It negates the claim that talent is a determining factor in the development of musical ability.
Which piece of evidence from paragraph 8 best supports the answer in Part A?
A. "Practice is extremely important..."
B. "They measured the sight-reading ability of pianists..."
C. "They studied two pianists who had accumulated the same number of practice hours..."
D. "The pianist with the higher working memory capacity performed better..."
What is the central idea?
A. The central idea simply means the main idea conveyed by the author in the story.
B. It was discovered that it's important to have the intellectual ability as it aids individuals.
C. This was done as research was carried out.
D. They assessed pianists' sight-reading skills, which is the ability to play a piece of music that they have never seen before. They looked at two pianists who had the same amount of practice hours but had varied levels of working memory capacity. On the sight-reading task, the pianist with the higher working memory capacity did better.
Answer:
A. It offers evidence about another factor that contributes to musical ability.
B. The piece of evidence from paragraph 8 best supports the answer in Part A is that D. "The pianist with the higher working memory capacity performed better..."
The data presented discusses the ongoing debate about whether musical ability is innate talent or the result of practice and determination. The research by Dr. K. Anders Ericsson and his colleagues suggests that deliberate practice, setting specific goals, getting immediate feedback, and concentrating on technique are key components in becoming proficient in a skill like playing the piano. They argue that talent is not the sole determinant of expertise, but rather hard work and dedication through practice. In paragraph 8, psychologists David Hambrick and Elizabeth Meinz introduce the concept of "working memory capacity" as a factor that contributes to success in activities like playing a musical instrument. Their study on pianists showed that individuals with higher working memory capacity performed better on sight-reading tasks, even when they had accumulated the same amount of practice hours as others. This evidence supports the idea that there are multiple factors at play in developing musical ability, with practice being essential but intellectual abilities also playing a significant role. It highlights the importance of both practice and cognitive abilities in achieving expertise in a skill like playing the piano.