Readings Test 39

 

 

            Accustomed though we are to speaking of the films made before 1927 as "silent,"

            the film has never been, in the full sense of the word, silent. From the very beginning,

            music was regarded as an indispensable accompaniment ; when the Lumiere films were

 Line     shown at the first public film exhibition in the Unites States in February 1896, they

 (5)       were accompanied by piano improvisations on popular tunes. At first, the music played

            bore no special relationship to the films ; an accompaniment of any kind was sufficient.

            Within a very short time, however, the incongruity of playing lively music to a solemn

            film became apparent, and film pianists began to take some care in matching their

            pieces to the mood of the film.

 (10)          As movie theaters grew in number and importance, a violinist, and perhaps a cellist,

            would be added to the pianist in certain cases, and in the larger movie theaters small

            orchestras were formed. For a number of years the selection of music for each film

            program rested entirely in the hands of the conductor or leader of the orchestra, and

            very often the principal qualification for holding such a position was not skill or taste

 (15)      so much as the ownership of a large personal library of musical pieces. Since the

            conductor seldom saw the films until the night before they were to be shown (if,

            indeed, the conductor was lucky enough to see them then), the musical arrangement

            was normally improvised in the greatest hurry.

                To help meet this difficulty, film distributing companies started the practice of

 (20)      publishing suggestions for musical accompaniments. In 1909, for example, the Edison

            Company began issuing with their films such indications of mood as "pleasant," "sad,"

            "lively." The suggestions became more explicit, and so emerged the musical cue sheet

            containing indications of mood, the titles of suitable pieces of music, and precise

            directions to show where one piece led into the next.

 (25)          Certain films had music especially composed for them. The most famous of these

            early special scores was that composed and arranged for D.W. Griffith's film Birth of

            a Nation, which was released in 1915.

 

 

Questions

 

 

            10. The passage mainly discusses music that was

              (A) performed before the showing of a film

              (B) played during silent films

              (C) specifically composed for certain movie theaters

              (D) recorded during film exhibitions

 

            11. What can be inferred from the passage about the majority of films

                made after 1927 ?

              (A) They were truly "silent."

              (B) They were accompanied by symphonic orchestras.

              (C) They incorporated the sound of the actors' voices.

              (D) They corresponded to specific musical compositions.

 

            12. The word "solemn" in line 7 is closest in meaning to

              (A) simple

              (B) serious

              (C) short

              (D) silent 

 

            13. It can be inferred that orchestra conductors who worked in movie

                theaters needed to

              (A) be able to play many instruments

              (B) have pleasant voices

              (C) be familiar with a wide variety of music

              (D) be able to compose original music

 

            14. The word "them" in line 17 refers to

              (A) years

              (B) hands

              (C) pieces

              (D) films

 

            15. According to the passage, what kind of business was the Edison Company?

              (A) It produced electricity.

              (B) It distributed films.

              (C) It published musical arrangements.

              (D) It made musical instruments.

 

            16. It may be inferred from the passage that the first musical cue sheets

                appeared around

              (A) 1896

              (B) 1909

              (C) 1915

              (D) 1927

 

            17. Which of the following notations is most likely to have been included on

                a musical cue sheet of the early 1900's?

              (A) "Calm, peaceful"

              (B) "Piano, violin"

              (C) "Key of C major"

              (D) "Directed by D.W. Griffith"

 

            18. The word " composed" in line 26 is closest in meaning to

              (A) selected

              (B) combined

              (C) played

              (D) created

 

            19. The word "scores" in line 26 is closest in meaning to

              (A) totals

              (B) successes

              (C) musical compositions

              (D) groups of musicians

 

            20. The passage probably continues with a discussion of

              (A) famous composers of the early twentieth century

              (B) other films directed by D.W. Griffith

              (C) silent films by other directors

              (D) the music in Birth of a Nation

 

 

 

Please tally your answer with the below provided answers and then comment here how much you got!

 

 

Answers

 

10. B   11. D    12. B      13. C      14. D     15. B     16. B     17. A    18. D    19. C     20 D