Read the passage.

Music and the Brain

paragraph # 3 -
Recent brain research has shown some surprising benefits as a result of formal musical training. Learning to play a musical instrument appears to develop parts of the brain that can even influence academic results. The studies indicate that the earlier a child begins training, the more benefits there are. One such study showed that children who began musical studies before the age of seven had a more developed brain in the region where language production and auditory processing take place. Scientists believe there is mounting evidence to show that early musical training can improve brain function.

Paragraph 5

Neuroscientists have suggested that playing an instrument, especially at an early age, can improve how the brain interprets sensory information. Music (singing or playing an instrument) also positively affects memory. Apparently, music activates both the right and left sides of the brain simultaneously and this activity increases efficiency in processing information. In one study, researchers found the areas of the brain that affect language skill and “executive function” were more developed in musically trained students. The executive function is the planning center of your brain, where you figure out what must get done, and how to do it in the time that exists.

How does paragraph 5 refine the ideas about brain research in paragraph 3?

It builds an appreciation for the neuroscientist researchers who led the musical training studies.

It gives more precise examples of how musical training can change the brain.

It provides specific data about academic performance drawn from the brain research.

It uses logical reasoning to support the claim of brain benefits that arise from musical training.

Paragraph 5 refines the ideas about brain research in paragraph 3 by giving more precise examples of how musical training can change the brain. The correct answer is the second one.

Explanation:

The third paragraph explains with more general ideas how studying music can be beneficial for people, and adds that the younger you are, the more your brain can develop if you are trained in music. The fifth paragraph is a much more specific; it says that neuroscientists suggested that playing an instrument "can improve how the brain interprets sensory information". As we can see in this last line, the information about how can a brain improve its development by studying music is much more specific. Also, this paragraph says that: "music activates both the right and left sides of the brain simultaneously and this activity increases efficiency in processing information." The third paragraph functions as an introduction of the theme, despite not being the first paragraph, and the fifth one gives more precise information with examples and with professional evidence. That is why the second one is the correct answer.