Is Artistic Talent Innate? - Page 72

C2 Proficiency · Multiple Choice Cloze · Ready for C2 Proficiency Workbook, Macmillan

For questions 1–8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning.

rise

hold

come

fall

substantiate

ascertain

affirm

justify

gratification

indulgence

fruition

acquisition

proximity

collaboration

reciprocation

juxtaposition

speckles

blemishes

eyesores

spatters

flagrant

notorious

salient

intrusive

interminable

boundless

incessant

protracted

honing

kindling

piquing

whetting

It is often said that pretty much anyone can learn to draw or paint (0) ___ , given enough training and practice. However, there are some for whom such skills (1) ___ naturally from an early age. These children, known to researchers as precocious realists, have been the focus of much study to (2) ___ what they do differently from their peers. One striking difference is their focus on the tiniest of details in their art, even at the expense of the wider context. A typical child will sketch a complete object, such as an apple, and feel a sense of (3) ___ once it is broadly recognisable. For a precocious realist, however, it is the (4) ___ of light and shadow, for example, or the (5) ___ on the apple's skin that are most (6) ___ . Another key difference is the (7) ___ drive for perfection. Precocious realists are obsessed with the mastery of their skills – not just to capture a realistic likeness of an object, but to express their own emotions in the process. Thus they are motivated to spend every waking hour (8) ___ their skills.

Is artistic talent innate?

sufficiently

righteously

precisely

adeptly

Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.

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