Free Test Prep GRE-Verbal-Reasoning Exam Questions

The origin of the attempt to distinguish early from modern music and to establish the canons of performance practice for each lies in the eighteenth century. In the first half of that century, when Telemann and Bach ran the collegium musicum in Leipzig, Germany, they performed their own and other modern music. In the German universities of the early twentieth century, however, the reconstituted collegium musicum devoted itself to performing music from the centuries before the beginning of the "standard repertory," by which was understood music from before the time of Bach and Handel. Alongside this modern collegium musicum, German musicologists developed the historical sub-discipline known as "performance practice," which included the deciphering of obsolete musical notation and its transcription into modern notation, the study of obsolete instruments, and the re-establishment of lost oral traditions associated with those forgotten repertories. The cutoff date for this study was understood to be around 1750, the year of Bach’s death, since the music of Bach, Handel, Telemann and their contemporaries did call for obsolete instruments and voices and unannotated performing traditions—for instance, the spontaneous realization of vocal and instrumental melodic ornamentation. Furthermore, with a few exceptions, late baroque music had ceased to be performed for nearly a century, and the orally transmitted performing traditions associated with it were forgotten as a result. In contrast, the notation in the music of Haydn and IV|ozart from the second half of the eighteenth century was more complete than in the earlier styles, and the instruments seemed familiar, so no "speciaI" knowledge appeared necessary. Also, the music of Haydn and Mozart, having never ceased to be performed, had maintained some kind of oral tradition of performance practice. Beginning around 1960, however, early-music performers began to encroach upon the music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Why? Scholars studying performance practice had discovered that the lMng oral traditions associated with the Viennese classics frequently could not be traced to the eighteenth century and that there were nearly as many performance mysteries to solve for music after 1750 as for earlier repertories. Furthermore, more and more young singers and instrumentalists became attracted to early music, and as many of them graduated from student- amateur to professional status, the technical level of early-music performances took a giant leap forward. As professional early-music groups, building on these developments, expanded their repertories to include later music, the mainstream protested vehemently. The differences between the two camps extended beyond the question of which instruments to use to the more critical matter of style and delivery. At the heart of their disagreement is whether historical knowledge about performing traditions is a prerequisite for proper interpretation of music or whether it merely creates an obstacle to inspired musical tradition. It can be inferred from the passage that the "standard repertory" mentioned in line 15 might have included music that was written

The victory of the small Greek democracy of Athens over the mighty Persian empire in 490 B. C. is one of the most famous events in history. Darius, king of the Persian empire, was furious because Athens had interceded for the other Greek city-states in revolt against Persian domination. In anger the king sent an enormous army to defeat Athens. He thought it would take drastic steps to pacify the rebellious part of the empire. Persia was ruled by one man. In Athens, however, all citizens helped to rule. Ennobled by this participation, Athenians were prepared to die for their city-state. Perhaps this was the secret of the remarkable victory at Marathon, which freed them from Persian rule. On their way to Marathon, the Persians tried to fool some Greek city-states by claiming to have come in peace. The frightened citizens of Delos refused to believe this. Not wanting to abet the conquest of Greece, they filed from their city and did not return until the Persians had left. They were wise, for the Persians next conquered the city of Etria and captured its people. Tiny Athens stood alone against Persi deliverance. They asked their gods to expedite their victory. The Athenians refurbished their weapons and moved to the plain of Marathon, where their little band would meet the Persians. At the last moment, soldiers from Plataea reinforced the Athenian troops. The Athenian army attacked, and Greek citizens fought bravely. The power of the mighty Persians was offset by the love that the Athenians had for their city. Athenians defeated the Persians in archery and hand combat. Greek soldiers seized Persian ships and burned them, and the Persians filed in terror. Herodotus, a famous historian, reports that 6400 Persians died, compared with only 192 Athenians. The Athenians were _by some soldiers who arrived from Plataea.

The origin of the attempt to distinguish early from modern music and to establish the canons of performance practice for each lies in the eighteenth century. In the first half of that century, when Telemann and Bach ran the collegium musicum in Leipzig, Germany, they performed their own and other modern music. In the German universities of the early twentieth century, however, the reconstituted collegium musicum devoted itself to performing music from the centuries before the beginning of the "standard repertory," by which was understood music from before the time of Bach and Handel. Alongside this modern collegium musicum, German musicologists developed the historical sub-discipline known as "performance practice," which included the deciphering of obsolete musical notation and its transcription into modern notation, the study of obsolete instruments, and the re-establishment of lost oral traditions associated with those forgotten repertories. The cutoff date for this study was understood to be around 1750, the year of Bach’s death, since the music of Bach, Handel, Telemann and their contemporaries did call for obsolete instruments and voices and unannotated performing traditions—for instance, the spontaneous realization of vocal and instrumental melodic ornamentation. Furthermore, with a few exceptions, late baroque music had ceased to be performed for nearly a century, and the orally transmitted performing traditions associated with it were forgotten as a result. In contrast, the notation in the music of Haydn and Nlozart from the second half of the eighteenth century was more complete than in the earlier styles, and the instruments seemed familiar, so no "speciaI" knowledge appeared necessary. Also, the music of Haydn and Mozart, having never ceased to be performed, had maintained some kind of oral tradition of performance practice. Beginning around 1960, however, early-music performers began to encroach upon the music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Why? Scholars studying performance practice had discovered that the lMng oral traditions associated with the Viennese classics frequently could not be traced to the eighteenth century and that there were nearly as many performance mysteries to solve for music after 1750 as for earlier repertories. Furthermore, more and more young singers and instrumentalists became attracted to early music, and as many of them graduated from student- amateur to professional status, the technical level of early-music performances took a giant leap fonrvard. As professional early-music groups, building on these developments, expanded their repertories to include later music, the mainstream protested vehemently. The differences between the two camps extended beyond the question of which instruments to use to the more critical matter of style and delivery. At the heart of their disagreement is whether historical knowledge about performing traditions is a prerequisite for proper interpretation of music or whether it merely creates an obstacle to inspired musical tradition. Which of the following is the most appropriate title for the passage?

The victory of the small Greek democracy of Athens over the mighty Persian empire in 490 B. C. is one of the most famous events in history. Darius, king of the Persian empire, was furious because Athens had interceded for the other Greek city-states in revolt against Persian domination. In anger the king sent an enormous army to defeat Athens. He thought it would take drastic steps to pacify the rebellious part of the empire. Persia was ruled by one man. In Athens, however, all citizens helped to rule. Ennobled by this participation, Athenians were prepared to die for their city-state. Perhaps this was the secret of the remarkable victory at Marathon, which freed them from Persian rule. On their way to Marathon, the Persians tried to fool some Greek city-states by claiming to have come in peace. The frightened citizens of Delos refused to believe this. Not wanting to abet the conquest of Greece, they filed from their city and did not return until the Persians had left. They were wise, for the Persians next conquered the city of Etria and captured its people. Tiny Athens stood alone against Persi deliverance. They asked their gods to expedite their victory. The Athenians refurbished their weapons and moved to the plain of Marathon, where their little band would meet the Persians. At the last moment, soldiers from Plataea reinforced the Athenian troops. The Athenian army attacked, and Greek citizens fought bravely. The power of the mighty Persians was offset by the love that the Athenians had for their city. Athenians defeated the Persians in archery and hand combat. Greek soldiers seized Persian ships and burned them, and the Persians filed in terror. Herodotus, a famous historian, reports that 6400 Persians died, compared with only 192 Athenians. The Athenians were _by some soldiers who arrived from Plataea.

The Andean cordillera is made up of many inten/voven mountain ranges, which include high intermontane plateaus, basins, and valleys. The Northern Andes contain several broad ecosystems falling into four altitudinal belts. Its northern subregion is distinguished by higher humidity and by greater climatic symmetry between eastern and western flanks. The Central Andes are characterized by a succession of agricultural zones with varied climatic conditions along the mountains’ flanks and by large, highaltitude plateaus, variously called puna or altiplano, which do not occur in the Northern Andes. The soil fertility of the northern altiplano is generally good. The western Central Andean ranges are relatively arid with desert-like soils, whereas the eastern ranges are more humid and have more diverse soils. The eastern slopes of the Central Andes in many ways are similar to the wet forests of the Northern Andes. Unlike the Northern Andes, however, these slopes have a dry season. In regions of gentle topography, such as the Amazon basin, regional climatic variation can be determined from a few widely spaced measurements. Regional projections in the Andean cordillera are quite difficult by comparison. For example, while air temperature generally decreases with increasing altitude, variability of mountain topography can produce much lower than expected air temperatures. Nevertheless, some general climatic patterns are discernible. For example, with increasing distance south of the equator the seasonality of precipitation increases, whereas the total annual amount generally decreases. Humidity commonly increases with increasing altitude, but only to some intermediate altitude, above which it declines. The variability of mountain terrain also affects precipitation, such that conditions of extreme wetness and aridity may exist in close proximity. Related to this temperature gradient is a pattern of ater rainfall at the valley heads, and less rain at lower altitudes, resulting in part from mountain rainshadow effect. The weather patterns of the Andean cordillera and Amazon basin in general refilect movements of highand low-pressure cells associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a low-pressure trough that moves further north and south on a seasonal basis. Precipitation is high throughout the year in the highlands and on the coast in the Northern Andes. Coastal aridity increases south of central Ecuador, culminating in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. In the Central Andes, highland precipitation is seasonal, and amounts are approximately half those measured in the Northern Andes. The aridity of the Central Andean coastal zone is the result of the drying effect of the cold Pacific Humboldt current and the southern Pacific high-pressure cell. lV|uch of the southern portion of the Central Andes in BolMa is also arid. The dry season causes soil moisture deficits and diminished stream flow part of each year. According to the passage, the northern part of the high-altitude plateaus is characterized by which of the following?