Admission Test Section One : Verbal Sample Questions:

1. 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
1 750, 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 Mozart from the second half of the eighteenth century was more complete than in
the earlier styles, and the instruments seemed familiar, so no "special" 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 living 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

A) before the time of Handel
B) by the performance-practice composers
C) during the early twentieth century
D) to be played using obsolete instruments
E) before 1700

2. The striking consistencies among the folk tales of any region, especially the tale plots of independent
origins, like those among a region's languages, are owing to the fact that folklore, like language, is a
collective property-a socialized aspect of the culture subject to stricter and more uniform laws than fields
in which individual creation prevails. Folk tales do contain certain variable elements-for example, the
distribution of points of emphasis and the nomenclature (vocation) and attributes of the dramatic
personae-through which the teller's own personality and inclinations may find expression. Also, the
teller's choice among the repertory of the available genres (for example, fairy tales and anecdotes) and
among the known tales within each genre often reflect the teller's preferred manner of execution, while
the teller narrator typically assumes whichever character most closely resembles the teller. Nevertheless,
whereas in written literature a creative personality is free to shape entirely new roles, including that of
narrator, in storytelling all characters are predetermined by the tale. Attempts at biographical
interpretation almost invariably fail to convince; the tale must come before the teller
The passage as a whole can appropriately be viewed as

A) an argument that folk tales evolve over time as a result of both cultural shifts and individual creativity
B) an explanation as to why tellers of folk tales generally choose to conform to cultural expectations in
how they tell their tales
C) an examination of the ways in which story tellers imbue well-known folk tales with their own
personalities
D) a description of the extent of the consistencies generally observed among a region's folk tales
E) an investigation into certain parallels between language in general and folk tales in particular

3. Always read the meter dials from the right to the left. This procedure is much easier, especially if any of
the dial hands are near the zero mark. If the meter has two dials, and one is smaller than the other, it is
not imperative to read the smaller dial since it only registers a small amount. Read the dial at the right first.
As the dial turns clockwise, always record the figure the pointer has just passed. Read the next dial to the
left and record the figure it has just passed. Continue recording the figures on the dials from right to left.
When finished, mark off the number of units recorded. Dials on water and gas meters usually indicate the
amount each dial records.
When you have finished reading the meter, mark off-

A) all the zero marks
B) the figures on the small dial
C) the last reading of the month
D) the number of units recorded
E) the total figures

4. "Old woman," grumbled the burly white man who had just heard Sojourner Truth speak, "do you think your
talk about slavery does any good? I don't care any more for your talk than I do for the bite of a flea." The
tall, imposing black woman turned her piercing eyes on him. "Perhaps not," she answered, "but I'll keep
you scratching." The little incident of the 1840s sums up all that Sojourner Truth was: utterly dedicated to
spreading her message, afraid of no one, forceful and witty in speech. Yet forty years earlier, who could
have suspected that a spindly slave girl growing up in a damp cellar in upstate New York would become
one of the most remarkable women in American history? Her name then was Isabella (many slaves had
no last names), and by the time she was fourteen she had seen both parents die of cold and hunger. She
herself had been sold several times. By 1827, when New York freed its slaves, she had married and
borne five children. The first hint of Isabella's fighting spirit came soon afterwards, when her youngest son
was illegally seized and sold. She marched to the courthouse and badgered officials until her son was
returned to her. In 1843, inspired by religion, she changed her name to Sojourner (meaning "one who
stays briefly") Truth, and, with only pennies in her purse, set out to preach against slavery. From New
England to Minnesota she trekked, gaining a reputation for her plain but powerful and moving words.
Incredibly, despite being black and female (only white males were expected to be public speakers), she
drew thousands to town halls, tents, and churches to hear her powerful, deep-voiced pleas on equality for
blacks-and for women. Often she had to face threatening hoodlums. Once she stood before armed bullies
and sang a hymn to them. Awed by her courage and her commanding presence, they sheepishly
retreated. During the Civil War she cared for homeless ex-slaves in Washington. President Lincoln invited
her to the White House to bestow praise on her. Later, she petitioned Congress to help former slaves get
land in the West. Even in her old age, she forced the city of Washington to integrate its trolley cars so that
black and white could ride together. Shortly before her death at eighty-six, she was asked what kept her
going. "I think of the great things," replied Sojourner.
She forced the city of Washington to-

A) clean its trolleys
B) give land grants
C) integrate its trolleys
D) provide food for ex-slaves
E) care for ex-slaves

5. SHIP : ARMADA ::

A) atom : molecule
B) violin : viola
C) gun : cannon
D) sail : wind
E) chemical : reaction

Solutions: