AP: Living With Music

1. The speaker in the passage can best be described as a person who 

• A. is committed to developing his skills as a writer
• B. is actually more interested in being a musician than in being a writer
• C. has talent as both a musician and a writer
• D. is motivated very differently from the jazz musicians that he describes

2. That the speaker “sympathized with” the drunk’s “obsession” (line 23) is ironic chiefly because the drunk

• B. was not “poetic” (line 4) and had no basis for his obsession
• C. actually disturbed the speaker less than did the singer
• D. had little “sensitivity” (line 8) and was undeserving of sympathy
• E. was a major source of the noise from which the speaker wished to escape 

3. It can be inferred that the speaker and the drunk were “fellow victims” (line 30) in that

• A. both had lost control of their passions
• B. neither received support from friends or relatives
• D. neither was any longer able to feel guilt or responsibility
• E. both were tormented by distracting disturbances

4. In context, the word “intimate” (line 33) is best interpreted to mean

• A. suggestive and lyrical
• B. tender and friendly
• C. inexorably penetrating
• E. strongly private

5. The speaker mentions Beethoven’s Fifth and Macbeth (lies 36-37) as examples of which of the following?

• A. Masterly creations flawed by insidious motifs and violent scenes
• C. Splendid artistic achievements often performed unsatisfactorily
• D. Artistic compositions with compelling and unforgettable elements
• E. Classic masterpieces with which everyone should be familiar

6. The description of the “delicate balance” (line 55) achieved at jazz jam sessions contributes to the unity of the passage in which of the following ways?

• A. As a contrast to the situation in the speaker’s neighborhood
• C. As a parallel to the drunk’s attitude toward the world
• D. As an indication of the essential similarity between art and life
• E. As a satirical comment on the speaker’s own shortcomings

7. According to the speaker, the jazz musicians that he knew as a boy attempted to do all of the following EXCEPT

• B. blend forms such as the slave song and the spiritual into carefully structured performances
• C. achieve individuality and virtuosity within the confines of their musical tradition
• D. communicate their beliefs and attitudes in a positive manner through their performances
• E. combine their talents with those of others in extemporaneous group performances

8. The speaker’s attitude toward the jazz musicians is best described as one of

• A. idolatrous devotion
• B. profound admiration
• C. feigned intimacy
• D. qualified enthusiasm

9. The speaker suggests that the jazz musicians to whom he refers accomplish which of the following by means of their art?

• A. They hold a mirror to nature.
• B. They prove that music is superior to other art forms.
• C. They provide an ironic view of the world.
• D. They create order from the disorder of life.

10. In the sentence beginning “There were times” (line 77), the speaker employs all of the following EXCEPT

• A. concrete diction
• B. parallel syntax
• D. understatement
• E. onomatopoeia