Violins and the Human Voice - Test 3

C1 Advanced · Multiple Choice Cloze · C1 Advanced Trainer 2, Cambridge University Press

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.

highly

widely

greatly

strongly

stand

rest

sit

lie

stems

flows

runs

grows

approach

comply

correspond

accord

specific

prevalent

eminent

accurate

deliver

generate

assist

contribute

sympathy

resemblance

coherence

sameness

suit

match

blend

mingle

The sixteenth-century instrument-maker Andrea Amati is (0) ___ with inventing the modern violin. Over a hundred years later, another Italian, Antonio Stradivari, introduced adjustments to Amati’s designs, creating violins that are now (1) ___ considered to be the finest ever made. But why do these violins sound so beautiful? Where does the secret to their brilliance (2) ___ ? Recent research suggests that it (3) ___ from the way their sounds (4) ___ to the human voice. Scientists recorded antique violins and compared them with the sounds of male and female vocalists. Their (5) ___ focus was on ‘formants’, harmonic tones characteristic of human voices, and they found that Amati violins produced ‘formants’ similar to those of bass and baritone singers, while those of Stradivari violins were similar to tenors and altos. ‘Stradivari violins clearly possess female singing qualities,’ said one researcher, ‘and this may well (6) ___ to their perceived sweetness.’ The (7) ___ between the violins and human voices is not accidental. ‘Early violins accompanied songs and dances,’ said the researcher. ‘It’s conceivable that Amati and Stradivari wanted instruments that could (8) ___ into the music by imitating human voices.’

Violins and the human voice

praised

honoured

credited

admired

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

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