Aptitude Questions
Written English (Basic):
(4/4)
This
is the Basic level of the Written English assessment. It is composed
of 25 questions divided into 4 sections used to evaluate your English
language communication skills. You will have 25 minutes to complete
this assessment. Please note that once you have completed a question
you will NOT be able to return to it in order to make changes. no
points will be deducted for wrong answers.
Assessment Breakdown
| Section | Time | Questions |
| Sentence Structure | 5 Minutes | 10 |
| Grammatical Usage | 5 Minutes | 5 |
| Written Expression | 7 Minutes | 5 |
| Reading Comprehension | 8 Minutes | 5 |
| Total | 25 Minutes | 25 Questions |
Reading
Comprehension Section
This
is the Reading Comprehension section. It is designed to test your
ability to understand the English language in its written form as
well as draw logical conclusions based on the information presented
in a general reading passage. This section has 1 reading passage and
5 questions pertaining to the passage that you must answer. You will
have 8 minutes to complete this section.
Please
carefully read the following:
Polyphony
Polyphony
is a type of music which features two or more independent melodic
voices. In the West, it is used to describe the music of the late
Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Polyphony during this time was
usually pitch-against-pitch, point-against-point, or sustained-pitch
in one part with melismas (changing the pitch or note of a single
syllable of the music’s text while it is being sung) in other
parts. The concept of the music was similar to Margaret Bent’s
description of dyadic counterpoint, with each part written against
another part and all parts modified at the end if needed.
In
Europe polyphony came from the melismatic organum, or early
harmonizing of the chant. The organum had been introduced centuries
before, but during the twelfth century it was developed with the
addition of a third or fourth voice to the then-homophonic chant.
Composers continued experimenting during the thirteenth century with
the polyphony, altering and hiding the sacred texts with secular
tunes. Sacred texts might be obscured by love poetry sung above it as
a trope, or the texts might be placed within a popular secular
melody.
The
rise of polyphony was concurrent with the Western Schism of the
Church. The seat of the antipopes in Avignon was a centre of secular
music-making, which heavily influenced sacred polyphony. Polyphony
itself was not offensive, but the merging of secular and sacred music
which intruded even into the papal court was offensive. The resulting
music for the church was far different, more jocular in the
performance, than the previously solemn service performances. Even
within the antipapal court at Avignon, the use and attitude towards
polyphony varied during the period of its use. Harmony was seen as
impious and lascivious, obscuring the listener from clearly hearing
the words. The dissonant clashing of notes fueled the argument that
polyphony was the devil”s music. Pope John XXII banished polyphony
from the Liturgy in 1322. However, in 1364 the first polyphonic
composition of the mass was created by the composer and priest
Guillaume de Mauchaut. His Les Messe de Notre Dame was the first
officially Church-sanctioned polyphony in sacred music.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphony
Question
Number 1
According
to the passage above, how was polyphony tied to the Western Schism of
the Church?
a. The
criticism of music in the Church, including polyphonic music,
resulted in the Western Schism of the Church
b. Polyphony
was tied to the Western Schism of the Church because the antipapal
seat, Avignon, was also a center of secular music composition, and
the two movements, religious and musical, met at Avignon
c. The
Popes at Avignon faced criticism because of their attitudes regarding
polyphony
d. Polyphony
was tied to the Western Schism of the Church when the services were
changed from solemn to the more jovial attitude created by the
polyphonic music; the arguments over polyphonic music spurred on the
Western Schism
Question
Number 2
According
to the passage above, what might the word trope (to change or alter)
mean in this context?
a. Trope
means an addition to pre-existing music
b. Trope
refers to putting a love poem to music
c. Trope
means to alter a song by adding so many layers of singers that the
original meaning and words are no longer clear to the listener
d. Trope
means to change the meaning of a song by removing from its setting
and placing it in a completely different context
Question
Number 3
According
to the passage above, why did some medieval listeners criticise
polyphony in the church?
a. Some
medieval listeners criticized polyphony because they thought that it
had been invented by the devil
b. Some
medieval listeners criticized polyphony because it was a combination
of secular and religious music which began in the secular world
c. Some
medieval listeners criticized polyphony because it disrupted the
previously solemn church services
d. Some
medieval listeners criticized polyphony because of the merger of
secular and sacred music, in which the words were not clearly heard
and the notes clashed, were seen as being the devil’s music
Question
Number 4
According
to the passage above, if polyphony means a music with two or more
independent voices, what type of music might monophony be?
a. Monophony
might be music with only one independent voice
b. Monophony
might be music with three independent voices
c. Monophony
is a melody with two or more simultaneous songs sung at once
d. Monophony
is a melody with another accompanying melody
Question
Number 5
According
to the passage above, what does “dyadic counterpoint” refer to?
a. “Dyadic
counterpoint” refers to a change in the pitch or note of a single
syllable of the music’s text while it is being sung
b. “Dyadic
counterpoint” is a term invented by Margaret Bent to describe
Guillame de Mauchat’s composition in 1364 of the mass in polyphonic
music
c. “Dyadic
counterpoint” refers to pitch-against-pitch singing with melismas
interwoven into the music
d. “Dyadic
counterpoint” refers to music in which each part is written against
another part and all the parts can be modified at the end
