Piano Reading Answers

Nov 14, 2024

Piano Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Piano Reading Answers has a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. In the questions set,you have to choose the correct option from the given choices. In the next section you have to tell whether the statement is true or false.

The IELTS Reading section is a crucial component of the IELTS exam, designed to assess a candidate's ability to comprehend and analyze different types of passages. In this passage, you will engage with a series of IELTS reading practice questions that simulate real test scenarios. These questions are aimed at improving your skills in identifying key ideas, extracting specific information, and making inferences. Whether you are preparing for the Academic or General Training module, practicing these IELTS reading questions will help you become familiar with the format and boost your confidence for the actual test.

Section 1

PIANO

A. The piano of today is, unquestionably, the most perfect (till date), and consequently the most popular and beloved of all musical instruments. The untiring efforts of geniuses over centuries have succeeded in producing a musical instrument that falls little short of

perfection. Yet more inventions and improvements are sure to come, for we are never content with "good enough."

B. This instrument was known centuries before the Christian era. First effort to interpose a mechanical contrivance between the performer and the strings was made about four hundred years ago whereby it would only be necessary to strike the keys to produce tone from the strings, thereby decreasing the difficulty in finding the strings and picking them with the fingers, and greatly increasing the possibilities in musical rendition.

C. History gives credit to Italy for the first productions of this kind, about 1600 A.D., when the faculty of music was beginning to manifest itself more boldly. Scientists saw that wonderful developments were possible, and we have reason to believe that experiments were made in England, France, Germany and all civilised countries about this time, for the production of the instrument which we call, in this day, a Pianoforte.

D. In the first attempts at piano building, the difficulties to be overcome may be enumerated as follows: The frames were not strong enough to resist the tension of the strings; they were made almost entirely of wood which yields to the pull of the strings and is subject to climatic changes; the scale was very imperfect, that is, the length, tension and weight of the strings were not properly proportioned the result being a different quality of tone from different portions of the keyboard; the actions were either heavy and imperfect, or too light to produce sufficient vibration; the proper point upon the strings for the hammers to strike and for the dampers to bear had not yet been ascertained; the preparation and seasoning of the wood for different parts of the instrument had not received sufficient attention

E. Probably the most important and essential step in piano building is the production of a frame of such strength and stability that the enormous tension of the strings is completely resisted in all parts of the scale. In many of the cheaper pianos of this day, the lack of this essential step manifests itself in an annoying degree to the piano tuner. In tuning, the workman "brings up" his temperament in the middle of the instrument; in most cases, the temperament stands all right. He next tunes the treble, then the bass; after doing his work perfectly he will often find that the treble fell somewhat while he was bringing up the bass; or, in a few cases, he may find that the treble sharpened, thus showing that there was yielding of the frame. Of course, this defect might be overcome by using an extremely heavy metal plate and wooden frame; but the commercial side of the question, in this day, calls for lightness in the instrument as a check to mthe expense of production, and, consequently, pianos that are "made to sell" are often much too light to fulfil this requirement.

F. In the upright piano, the back frame of wood is first made; at the top of this is the pin-block, sometimes called the wrest-plank. This is composed of several layers of wood firmly glued together with the grain running in different directions to prevent splitting and warping Into this plank the tuning pins are driven. The sound-board is fitted firmly into this frame of wood below the pin-block. Next, the strong metal plate is secured to the frame by large bolts and screws. Openings are left in the plate for the bridges, which project from the sound-board beyond the metal plate; also for the tuning pins, action bracket bolts, etc. At the lower end of the plate, and just below the bridges, the hitch pins are driven firmly into holes drilled to receive them. Their purpose is to support the lower ends of the strings. The bass strings are separate, and each has a loop with which to fasten it to the hitch pin.

G. In the treble, one piece of wire forms two strings; the two ends are secured to the tuning pins above, and the string is simply brought around the hitch pin. The bridges communicating with the sound-board are at the lower end of the sound-board. Notice, there is a portion of the length of each string between the bridge and the hitch pin. At the upper end of the strings, a "bearing-bar," situated between the tuning pins and upper bridge, is attached to the pin-block by screws which draw it inward; its function is to hold the strings firmly in position. You will notice that the lengths of the strings, above the bearing-bar, vary considerably, even in the three strings comprising the unison. After that portion of the case is completed which forms the key-bed or action frame, we are ready to set in the action.

Questions 28 - 34

The text has seven sections. Choose the correct heading ix for each section.

28. Paragraph A

Answer: VIII

Supporting statement: “........Yet more inventions and improvements are sure to come, for we are never content with 'good enough. ......”

Keywords: Improvements, more

Keyword Location: para A, Line 4-5

Explanation: The paragraph highlights how the piano has reached a high level of perfection but suggests that ongoing improvements will continue. The emphasis is on the development and enhancement of the instrument over time.

29. Paragraph B

Answer: VI

Supporting statement: “.....This instrument was known centuries before the Christian era... about four hundred years ago.........”

Keywords: before, four

Keyword Location: para B, Line 1-2

Explanation: The paragraph discusses the origins of the piano, tracing its existence back to centuries before the Christian era and mentioning early attempts to create mechanisms that simplify playing.

30. Paragraph C

Answer: II

Supporting statement: “........History gives credit to Italy for the first productions of this kind... experiments were made in England, France, Germany and all civilised countries......”

Keywords: England, France

Keyword Location: para C, Line 1-4

Explanation: This paragraph covers the international development of the piano, with mentions of Italy, England, France, and Germany as key countries in the early production and experimentation stages.

31. Paragraph D

Answer: V

Supporting statement: “.......In the first attempts at piano building, the difficulties to be overcome may be enumerated as follows.......”

Keywords: Difficulties, first

Keyword Location: para D, Line 1-2

Explanation: The paragraph outlines various early challenges in piano construction, including frame strength, imperfections in scale, and issues with hammer placement. This aligns with the heading that focuses on early problems.

32. Paragraph E

Answer: IX

Supporting statement: “.......Probably the most important and essential step in piano building is the production of a frame of such strength and stability.......”

Keywords: frame, tension

Keyword Location: para E, Line 1-2

Explanation: This paragraph emphasizes the importance of the frame in maintaining the piano’s tuning stability. It covers how frame strength is crucial to handle the tension from strings and avoid tuning issues

33. Paragraph F

Answer: X

Supporting statement: “.......In the upright piano, the back frame of wood is first made; at the top of this is the pin-block.......”

Keywords: piano, back

Keyword Location: para F, Line 1-2

Explanation: The paragraph describes the specific construction elements related to the upright piano, detailing the pin-block, frame, and soundboard, aligning with the heading about the upright piano's development.

34. Paragraph G

Answer: III

Supporting statement: “.......In the treble, one piece of wire forms two strings... The bridges communicating with the sound-board are at the lower end of the sound-board.......”

Keywords: Strings, secured

Keyword Location: para G, Line 1-3

Explanation: The paragraph focuses on the fastening of strings in the treble section, describing how the strings are attached and how the bridges interact with the soundboard, matching the heading.

LIST OF HEADINGS

i. Lowering the Bridge and the Hitch Pin

ii. Cross-national Forerunners

iii. Fastening the Strings ER ZONE

iv. Importance of Temperament

v. Early Hassles

vi. Ancient Origins

vii. The Purpose of Hitch Pin

viii. Improvement Bound to Con

IX. The Role of Frame for Tuning in

x. The Story of the Upright Piano

Questions 35 - 40

Choose TRUE if the statement agrees with the information given in the text,

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information,

NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

35. The provision of keys in a piano reduces the effort of picking the string at the right place.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “......decreasing the difficulty in finding the strings and picking them with the fingers........”

Keywords: difficulty, finding

Keyword Location: para B, Line 3-4

Explanation: The passage states that early mechanical contrivances simplified playing by reducing the challenge of manually picking strings, supporting the claim.

36. If the piano's frame is not well-built, it can create problems in tuning of the

piano.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “.......In many of the cheaper pianos of this day, the lack of this essential step manifests itself in an annoying degree to the piano tuner.......”

Keywords: step, piano

Keyword Location: para E, Line 4-5

Explanation: The paragraph discusses how a poorly constructed frame can cause tuning instability, validating the statement.

37. The piano frame should resist tension of the strings.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “........the enormous tension of the strings is completely resisted in all parts of the scale.......”

Keywords: strings, resisted

Keyword Location: para E, Line 2-3

Explanation: It emphasizes that a strong piano frame is crucial to withstand string tension, supporting the idea that the frame must resist it.

38. The tuning pin prevents splitting and warping.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: “.......to prevent splitting and warping... composed of several layers of wood.......”

Keywords: warping, layers

Keyword Location: para F, Line 2-3

Explanation: The passage specifies that the pin-block’s wood layers prevent splitting and warping, not the tuning pins. Therefore, the claim is incorrect.

39. The sound-board helps reduce the background noise.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: The text does not provide information on whether the sound-board reduces background noise, so the answer is "Not Given."

40. In the upright piano, the hitch pins are placed in the lower end of the plate.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “........At the lower end of the plate, and just below the bridges, the hitch pins are driven firmly into holes......”

Keywords: plate, hitch

Keyword Location: para F, Line 8-9

Explanation: It explicitly states that hitch pins are located at the lower end of the plate, confirming the statement as true.

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