Cyprian, the brilliant cathedral organist in Boulder, decided that it was time to add several extra-low-pitched pipe sets to the organ. After discussing the matter with the bishop and the finance council, he began the arduous process of fundraising, which he greatly disliked. Not having many options, he decided to call on a number of the regular patrons from the city symphony's donor list. To his frustration, these donors, who had given much money to support the symphony's performances and physical needs, found little justification for the update.The organ already had a set of sixty-four-foot pipes, which were so low in pitch that they could be felt more than heard. The idea of strictly purchasing several ranks of pipes that were double this length seemed ludicrous not only from the perspective of size but likewise from the perspective of potential damage that would be caused by the rumbling that they would produce. The donors could not justify this kind of large fundraising effort only to purchase something that would likely damage the cathedral and add little to no value to the experience of organ concerts offered at the cathedral. After such a disappointing response, Cyprian was not certain that he would be able to expend the additional efforts necessary to convince any other potential donors of the importance of purchasing the new pipes.What does the underlined word “arduous” mean in context?
Answer(s): C
Do not be completely tricked by the context of the word "arduous." Although Cyprian is said to greatly dislike fundraising, the meaning of "arduous" is not "unlikeable" or anything like that. Instead, it means "difficult," often implying a type of difficult task that is tiring and requiring much energy.
Cyprian, the brilliant cathedral organist in Boulder, decided that it was time to add several extra-low-pitched pipe sets to the organ. After discussing the matter with the bishop and the finance council, he began the arduous process of fundraising, which he greatly disliked. Not having many options, he decided to call on a number of the regular patrons from the city symphony's donor list. To his frustration, these donors, who had given much money to support the symphony's performances and physical needs, found little justification for the update.The organ already had a set of sixty-four-foot pipes, which were so low in pitch that they could be felt more than heard. The idea of purchasing several ranks of pipes that were double this length seemed ludicrous not only from the perspective of size but likewise from the perspective of considering potential damage that could be caused by the rumbling that they would produce. The donors could not justify this kind of large fundraising effort only to purchase something that would likely damage the cathedral and add little to no value to the experience of organ concerts offered at the cathedral. After such a disappointing response, Cyprian was not certain that he would be able to expend the additional efforts necessary to convince any other potential donors of the importance of purchasing the new pipes.In addition to the potential damage that might be caused by the new pipes, what was the other reason that the donors did not agree with the proposed purchase?
Answer(s): E
The key sentence is, "The organ already had a set of sixty-four-foot pipes, which were so low in pitch that they could be felt more than heard." Even if you do not know anything about the harmonics of a wind instrument or an organ, you can infer from this that the sixty-four-foot pipes were already so low in pitch that they could barely be heard. Later in the paragraph, it is stated that the longer pipes being proposed would "add little to no value to the experience of organ concerts offered at the cathedral." Since this is mentioned along with the possible physical damage, the inference can be made that the pipes will probably be almost impossible to hear. This is the best option among those provided.
Cyprian, the brilliant cathedral organist in Boulder, decided that it was time to add several extra-low-pitched pipe sets to the organ. After discussing the matter with the bishop and the finance council, he began the arduous process of fundraising, which he greatly disliked. Not having many options, he decided to call on a number of the regular patrons from the city symphony's donor list. To his frustration, these donors, who had given much money to support the symphony's performances and physical needs, found little justification for the update.The organ already had a set of sixty-four-foot pipes, which were so low in pitch that they could be felt more than heard. The idea of purchasing several ranks of pipes that were double this length seemed ludicrous not only from the perspective of size but likewise from the perspective of considering potential damage that could be caused by the rumbling that they would produce. The donors could not justify this kind of large fundraising effort only to purchase something that would likely damage the cathedral and add little to no value to the experience of organ concerts offered at the cathedral. After such a disappointing response, Cyprian was not certain that he would be able to expend the additional efforts necessary to convince any other potential donors of the importance of purchasing the new pipes.What can be inferred that Cyprian will likely do after getting this response from the donors?
Answer(s): D
There are two key sentences to bear in mind: (1) "Not having many options, he decided to call on a number of the regular patrons from the city symphony's donor list." This sentence tells us that Cyprian had few options regarding donors. Therefore, we can infer that calling on the regular patrons might indeed be his only option. (2) "After such a disappointing response, Cyprian was not certain that he would be able to expend the additional efforts necessary to convince any other potential donors of the importance of purchasing the new pipes." This sentence implies that he might not expend the effort to look for any more donors. While we cannot be certain whether or not he will give up, this is the only acceptable option among those provided. It is less likely that he will keep fundraising "to the last pipe," and the other options are not implied at all.
Cyprian, the brilliant cathedral organist in Boulder, decided that it was time to add several extra-low-pitched pipe sets to the organ. After discussing the matter with the bishop and the finance council, he began the arduous process of fundraising, which he greatly disliked. Not having many options, he decided to call on a number of the regular patrons from the city symphony's donor list. To his frustration, these donors, who had given much money to support the symphony's performances and physical needs, found little justification for the update.The organ already had a set of sixty-four-foot pipes, which were so low in pitch that they could be felt more than heard. The idea of purchasing several ranks of pipes that were double this length seemed ludicrous not only from the perspective of size but likewise from the perspective of considering potential damage that could be caused by the rumbling that they would produce. The donors could not justify this kind of large fundraising effort only to purchase something that would likely damage the cathedral and add little to no value to the experience of organ concerts offered at the cathedral. After such a disappointing response, Cyprian was not certain that he would be able to expend the additional efforts necessary to convince any other potential donors of the importance of purchasing the new pipes.Based on what the passage states, how long are the new pipes supposed to be?
Answer(s): A
The key sentence is, "The organ already had a set of sixty-four-foot pipes, which were so low in pitch that they could be felt more than heard. The idea of purchasing several ranks of pipes that were double this length seemed..." This indicates that the pipes will definitely be longer then the existing sixty-four-foot pipes. Now, organ ranks do include a variety of pipe sizes, so even a sixty-four-foot rank has smaller pipes in it as well. However, there is nothing to justify the remark, "They will be a mixture of sizes, from tiny flutes to large horns." Doubling sixty-four yields one hundred and twenty-eight. Even if you did not know this, you should know that it is more than two times fifty, which means that the new ranks will contain at least some pipes that are over one hundred feet in length. Even without any knowledge of organ building, you should be able to infer this based on the information above.
My dear old friend Sebastian used to tell me that he had something of a sliding scale regarding the musicians to which he could listen. For him, Bach was the most celestial of musicians, and he could listen to him for an eternity without ever being wearied. Mozart was likewise favorably judged, though Sebastian said that he could only endure his music for approximately three to five hours at a time. When it came to Richard Wagner, however, my dear friend was quite unable to bear the intensity of the composer’s works. In stark contrast to his great patience and love for the music of Bach, he could spend little more than five minutes listening to compositions by Wagner.Based on its context in the selection above, what does the expression "sliding scale" (underlined) mean?
The use of the expression "sliding scale" is metaphorical here. The idea being expressed is that Sebastian has a spectrum or range of preferences that he applies to musicians. The word "spectrum" is used to describe things that have positions between two extremes. For instance, the "visible spectrum" is the set of colors in the rainbow that span from the highest to the lowest visible wavelengths of colors. Since Sebastian has a spectrum of judgments regarding Bach, Mozart, and Wagner, this best describes the metaphorical use of "sliding scale."
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