Writing Multiple-Choice Questions
<< return to the previous section | continue to the next section >>

Set 3: Paragraph Improvement
      (1) Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the world’s most famous composers, was born in Bonn in 1770. (2) Ludwig's father encouraged his son to play the piano, hoping that the boy would become a child prodigy. (3) Ludwig gave his first public performance when he was eight years old. (4) Employed as a musician in the Bonn court orchestra since 1787, Beethoven was granted a paid leave of absence in 1789 to travel to Vienna and study with Mozart. (5) He was compelled to return to Bonn so that he could look after his family after the death of his mother.

      (6) In 1792 he moved back to Vienna and took lessons from Haydn and Salieri. (7) By 1795 he had earned a name for himself as a pianist of great fantasy and verve, and he was especially renowned for his originality. (8) Beethoven was also very interested in the development of the piano. (9) He worked with piano-building firms in Austria and England and helped in the development of the modern concert piano.

      (10) Around 1798 Beethoven noticed that he was beginning to lose his hearing. (11) He withdrew from the public eye and limited his social contact to a few trusted friends. (12) People who understood his frustration and were patient with his disability. (13) The final years of his life were dominated by severe illness and by his responsibilities to his family. (14) He died in 1827, and some thirty thousand mourners and curious onlookers attended his funeral procession.

View passage
in new window
1.    In context, what would be the best subject for a sentence to be inserted between sentences 3 and 4?
(A) A list of Beethoven’s most famous compositions
(B) A description of Beethoven’s adolescent years
(C) A history of Beethoven’s family
(D) An analysis of Beethoven’s skill as a composer
(E) A question about Beethoven’s motivations for moving to Vienna
View passage
in new window
2.    In context, what would be the best word to insert at the beginning of sentence 5?
(A) Undoubtedly,
(B) Moreover,
(C) Unfortunately,
(D) Typically,
(E) Surprisingly,
View passage
in new window
3.    Which of the following is the best revision of sentence 7 (reproduced below)?
By 1795 he had earned a name for himself as a pianist of great fantasy and verve, and he was especially renowned for his originality.
(A) By 1795 he had earned a name for himself as a pianist of great fantasy, verve, and, most of all, originality.
(B) By 1795 he has earned a name for himself as a pianist of great fantasy and verve, and he is especially renowned for his originality.
(C) By 1795 he had earned a name for himself as a pianist of great fantasy and verve. And, he was especially renowned for his originality.
(D) By 1795 he had earned a name for himself as a pianist of great fantasy and verve; and was especially renowned for his originality.
(E) By 1795 he had earned a name for himself as, most, of all a pianist of great fantasy, verve, and originality.
View passage
in new window
4.    In context, what is the best way to deal with sentence 12?
(A) Insert “Such” before “people”.
(B) Place it before sentence 11.
(C) Connect it to sentence 11 with a semicolon.
(D) Connect it to sentence 11 with a comma.
(E) Leave it as it is now.
View passage
in new window
5.    What description best fits the passage as a whole?
(A) An analysis of German music
(B) A piece written in praise of Beethoven’s genius
(C) A study of the effects of illness on productivity
(D) A parody of Beethoven’s character
(E) A short biographical history


<< return to the previous section | continue to the next section >>
Help | Feedback | Make a request | Report an error | Send to a friend