Question

Today, it is common to open the newspaper and see that a famous musician is being sued for stealing music from another famous musician. Sometimes, the issue is that a very small section of a song sounds like a song that had been written before. Sometimes, the issue is that a large part of a song sounds like a song that had been written before. It is against the law to make money off of other people’s music unless they agree to it. Usually, the two musicians come to an agreement to share the money that the new song makes.
In the past, this was not a major problem. Musicians then often made much less money. With less money at stake, there was not much to complain about. More importantly, using another person’s music could be seen as respectful. A musician could be proud that a younger musician looked up to him or her enough to use some of his or her music. This would more likely be considered borrowing someone’s music rather than stealing it. There was a sense of cooperation between musicians. Today, money is more important than cooperation.
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Which of these best describes the central idea of the passage?
A.
In the past, it was common for musicians to borrow the music of other musicians.
B.
One artist borrowing the music of another used to be common but is now considered stealing.
C.
There are often lawsuits between musicians because one stole the music of another.
D.
It is against the law for one musician to make money off of the music of another.
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Answer 1

B

The passage contrasts past and present: borrowing others' music was once seen as respectful and cooperative, but now, because of money and lawsuits, it's treated as stealing.