ACT Reading Practice

Based on the passage, how did Berry's personality affect his career?

• His ambitious, competitive personality was off-putting to other musicians, who were reluctant to play with him.

• His genial personality endeared him to other musicians, but his career suffered when he spent more time socializing than practicing.

• His modest and easygoing personality kept him out of the spotlight and, consequently, he received less attention as a performer.

• His shy, introspective personality was misunderstood as snobbish arrogance, so he was offered few recording-session jobs.

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

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CCSS.RL.9-10.2

The author mentions Berry's solo in "Oh, Lady Be Good" primarily in order to:

• illustrate why most people haven't heard of Berry

• provide an example of Berry's musical excellence

• contrast Berry's later work with Berry's early work.

• establish that Berry's solo was better than Count Basie's

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.6

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The author points out that many serious Jazz enthusiasts know little about Berry primarily in order to:

• criticize scholarship that has provided an unbalanced history of jazz

• demonstrate that the author is more knowledgeable than most jazz scholars.

• illustrate the secrecy Berry demanded in order to preserve his family's privacy

• explain why it is likely readers would be unfamiliar with Berry.

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.6

CCSS.RI.11-12.6

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According to the author, Berry's solos as a recording session musician were often very short because he:

• wasn't a very good saxophone player until late in his career

• drew more attention playing ensemble passages

• worked within the recording constraints of the era.

• preferred playing many short solos to playing a few long ones.

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.6

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The author indicates that during Berry's time as a musician, swing music was primarily regarded as:

• an opportunity for soloists to show off their skills

• a genre to be most appreciated by young people

• musician's music that lacked a popular audience

• music for dance parties but not music for study.

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.6

CCSS.RI.11-12.6

CCSS.RI.8.9

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As it is used in line 35, the word "court" most nearly means to:

• seek to attract

• romantically pursue

• dangerously provoke

• pass judgement upon

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CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

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In the seventh paragraph (lines 57-75) the author compares sidemen to traveling salesmen in order to:

• make clear how often musicians had to travel

• indicate that musicians often had side jobs

• illustrate sidemen's supportive role in a band

• show haw hard sidemen worked to get hired

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CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

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The author describes Henderson's "Blues in C Sharp Minor" as:

• innovative, indulgent and colorful

• fast-moving, memorable, and eerie

• artful, sublime, and unexpectedly upbeat

• odd, haunting, and relaxing

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CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

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According to the author, what is unique about the June 1940 rendition of the song "A Ghost of a Chance"?

• It's the only recorded piece that features Berry from beginning to end

• Berry plays an alto saxophone instead of his usual tenor saxophone

• It was the only public performance Berry gave in 1940

• Berry showcases his unrivaled ability to play a solo that blends into the background

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The author uses the phrase "a cathedral of a solo" (line 85) most likely to create a sense that Berry's solo was:

• an intricate, awe-inspiring masterpiece

• a somber, mournful hymn

• a crumbling remnant of Berry's once-great skill

• a testament to Calloway's band leadership

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CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

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