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 what this paragraph states, what would Sebastian likely think of the very overpowering musical movement "Mars" by Gustav Holst?
Answer(s): B
You do not have to have any knowledge regarding Gustav Holst's "Mars" to infer what Sebastian would think about it. The song is described as being "very overpowering." Thus, it is very intense. Given Sebastian's inability to listen to Wagner for very long, it is likely that he will not enjoy this piece by Holst.
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.In its context, what does "celestial" (underlined) mean?
Answer(s): C
The word "celestial" does mean "heavenly" or "pertaining to the heavens" (that is, to space). It has a metaphorical meaning that is being used here in this paragraph. Here, it has that sense of "heavenly" that we associate with being very beautiful or good. This is implied by the love that Sebastian had for Bach.
"Preparing for Standardized Tests: Two Approaches" by Matthew Minerd (2013)Generally speaking, there are two major camps regarding the appropriate manner by which one should approach a standardized test. On the one hand, there are those people and businesses that believe that you should learn the “tricks of the test.” This approach encourages the idea that the given exam relies on a set of “inside tricks” that will fool students who are not well-informed about the way such tricks are designed. It likewise focuses less on content then on strategies for answering questions. On the other hand, there is the camp that believes that the best way to approach an exam is to be a complete expert on the content that will be examined. While this approach focuses on teaching the subject matter that will be tested, it often focuses very little on the test-taking strategies that can aid students who are taking a given exam. Although there are numerous strong partisans regarding each approach, it must be admitted that both have their strengths and their weaknesses.What does the underlined word “camp” mean in its context?
The word "camp" can be used outside its standard context of tents and other such things that are used in the wild or in military campaigns. In an extended sense, the term can mean "a group supporting a particular doctrine or position." When we speak of "two camps," it is like there are two groups that are "camped out" on their respective positions – not physical positions but ideological ones.
"Preparing for Standardized Tests: Two Approaches" by Matthew Minerd (2013)Generally speaking, there are two major camps regarding the appropriate manner by which one should approach a standardized test. On the one hand, there are those people and businesses that believe that you should learn the “tricks of the test.” This approach encourages the idea that the given exam relies on a set of “inside tricks” that will fool students who are not well-informed about the way such tricks are designed. It likewise focuses less on content then on strategies for answering questions. On the other hand, there is the camp that believes that the best way to approach an exam is to be a complete expert on the content that will be examined. While this approach focuses on teaching the subject matter that will be tested, it often focuses very little on the test-taking strategies that can aid students who are taking a given exam. Although there are numerous strong partisans regarding each approach, it must be admitted that both have their strengths and their weaknesses.What is the main idea that this paragraph wishes to convey?
Answer(s): D
Primarily, the passage outlines the differences found in two approaches to preparing for standardized tests. However, note that at the end, it likewise does make a statement acknowledging that there are strengths and weaknesses to each approach. Both of these aspects are necessary in forming a general statement of the main idea of this passage.
"Preparing for Standardized Tests: Two Approaches" by Matthew Minerd (2013)Generally speaking, there are two major camps regarding the appropriate manner by which one should approach a standardized test. On the one hand, there are those people and businesses that believe that you should learn the “tricks of the test.” This approach encourages the idea that the given exam relies on a set of “inside tricks” that will fool students who are not well-informed about the way such tricks are designed. It likewise focuses less on content then on strategies for answering questions. On the other hand, there is the camp that believes that the best way to approach an exam is to be a complete expert on the content that will be examined. While this approach focuses on teaching the subject matter that will be tested, it often focuses very little on the test-taking strategies that can aid students who are taking a given exam. Although there are numerous strong partisans regarding each approach, it must be admitted that both have their strengths and their weaknesses.What does the underlined word “partisan” mean in its context?
The word "partisan" is indeed related to the word "part," but be careful what you infer from this. It means a person who could be said to "take the part" (or "side") of some cause. This selection is discussing two different approaches to teaching standardized tests. Those who support one or the other of these approaches could be called a "partisan" of that given approach.
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