August 2023 ELA Regents Exam - Part 1, Passage C

According to lines 9 through 11, most non-musicians view their musical ability as

• limited

• comical

• admirable

• average

Lines 17 through 24 support a central idea by emphasizing the

• difference between virtuoso musical performers and ordinary people

• similarity of musical preferences between different cultures of people

• necessity of training for people to become musical experts

• way that people naturally learn about music through experience

Lines 25 through 29 demonstrate that the average person, with basic musical knowledge,

• will be amused by an alterations of a familiar scale

• will find discomfort in an incomplete familiar scale

• can adapt incomplete scales to make original music

• can recognize the scale patterns of other cultures

Acquiring a "kind of bi-musicality" (lines 34 and 35) is the result of

• studying the history of music composition

• experiencing multiple musical traditions

• developing an understanding of contemporary music

• participating in classical musical performances

Lines 43 through 46 convey the idea that music can affect a person by

• eliminating unpleasant memories

• evoking past emotions

• maintaining stable moods

• modifying negative attitudes

The phrase "gripped by a stubborn earworm" (line 63) most likely refers to music

• overplayed on the radio

• trending on social media

• connected to one's past

• repeating in one's head

The idea presented in lines 69 and 70 is best reflected by which phrase?

• "But when we think about musical expertise, we tend to imagine professionals" (lines 13 and 14)

• "there is a special connection between music and memory" (lines 38 and 39)

• "Music can also absorb elements of autobiographical memory" (line 43)

• "just by living and listening, we have all acquired deep musical knowledge" (lines 76 and 77)

The comparison in lines 72 through 75 highlights the notion that musicality

• depends upon language skills

• requires knowing the structure

• is as natural as speech

• is based on interaction with others

As used in line 77, the phrase "the special purview" most nearly means

• easily composed by

• readily recalled by

• only valued by

• only comprehended by

The author advances the argument through use of

• questions

• examples

• statistics

• imagery