Music: The Ancient Basis of Education

According to the passage, what quality did Pythagoras believe astronomy shared with music?

• its gigantic scale
• its orderly beauty
• its mysterious charm
• its extreme difficulty 

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

Why does the author most likely discuss the views toward music from several societies?

• to encourage students to learn how to appreciate music from different places
  
• to suggest that listening to music promotes understanding and communication
• to show that studying music is a good way to learn about how people live around the world
  
• to introduce the idea that music education has been widely supported throughout history
  

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.9

CCSS.RI.8.6

CCSS.RI.8.9

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

Read this sentence from Paragraph 4.
In the last century, many famous scientists and philosophers have been music enthusiasts.
What does the word enthusiasts mean in the sentence?

• people who give performances
  
• people who are unusually talented
• people who teach many subjects
• people who enjoy something greatly
  

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

Read this sentence from Paragraph 3.
A thousand years later, courtiers in medieval Europe studied music as one of the arts of chivalry.
What does the word chivalry refer to in the sentence?

• a traditional code of behavior
• a skill that is difficult to master
• a time period in the distant past
  
• a dignified and honorable person

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.5.4

In Paragraph 3, why does the author most likely describe Xunzi’s ideas about music?

• to argue that people who enjoy music have superior moral values
  
• to demonstrate that music education has the support of the community
• to give a specific example of one way music was believed to benefit people
  
• to suggest that many problems in modern schools are due to a lack of music
  

Read these sentences from Paragraph 5.
The study of music is as important as the study of math or science. If we want our children to reach such heights of thinking in science, we must educate them in music.
What is the main purpose of these sentences?

• to suggest that young people consider becoming professional musicians
  
• to show how the history of the study of music relates to education today
  
• to argue that educators should make school more challenging for students
  
• to prove that children have become more intelligent over thousands of years

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Which best describes how Paragraph 4 contributes to the author’s ideas?

• It offers the opinions of experts on the debate over music education.
• It describes the effects music has had on various other fields of study.
• It lists examples of respected thinkers who have supported music education.
  
• It compares the careers of musicians to the careers of other kinds of scholars.
  

Which best describes how the author organizes the information in Paragraph 3?

• by providing a timeline of important events in the history of music education
• by offering specific examples of students who have been influenced by music
  
• by comparing people who respect music to people who view it as unimportant
  
• by explaining how people have appreciated music in different places and times
  

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

What is most likely the author’s purpose for writing the passage?

• to explain how music has changed since ancient times
  
• to support modern music education with historical evidence
• to praise successful musicians for their talent and intelligence
  
• to encourage students and teachers to listen to music more often
  

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.9

CCSS.RI.7.6

CCSS.RI.8.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

With which statement would the author most likely agree?

• People would be happier if they listened to music more often.
  
• A remarkable song is more moving than a beautiful work of art.
• Most students would benefit from learning how to play an instrument.
• Modern educators fail to understand the importance of teaching music.