Question

How does beginning paragraph 5 with the phrase "Neuroscientists have suggested" contribute to the meaning of the passage?

A. It demonstrates that the author believes that the theory about music appreciation has been proven incorrect.

B. It confirms that the experiment conducted by the experts was flawed in ways that invalidated its results.

C. It indicates that experts have interpreted the test data about the impact of playing music.

D. It shows how the advice or input of scientists can shape the way in which data is understood or applied.

Answer 1

Read the passage.

Music and the Brain

From the beginning of recorded history, music has been created and enjoyed by people. Even early man carved flutes from bones. Thomas Jefferson was known to play his violin to help him formulate the most effective word choices as he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Albert Einstein, considered one of the most intelligent men who ever lived, also played the violin. He was said to have figured out his most challenging mathematical formulas by playing his violin. Today scientists are discovering that the study of music, playing an instrument, or participating through singing can actually help develop our brains. No wonder Einstein and Jefferson, among many, found music helpful in problem solving.

There was a time in America’s history when music was a centerpiece of family life. There were no televisions, radios, or other forms of electronic entertainment. Social life often involved someone playing the piano or another instrument while guests sang along or listened for enjoyment. Therefore, if parents could afford the opportunity, their children were encouraged to learn how to play an instrument. Taking music lessons did not mean a child was expected to become a professional musician. However, it usually meant the kids learned the daily discipline of practice.

Recent brain research has shown some surprising benefits as a result of formal musical training. Learning to play a musical instrument appears to develop parts of the brain that can even influence academic results. The studies indicate that the earlier a child begins training, the more benefits there are. One such study showed that children who began musical studies before the age of seven had a more developed brain in the region where language production and auditory processing take place. Scientists believe there is mounting evidence to show that early musical training can improve brain function.

A research team from Northwestern University observed that to achieve the positive brain development from musical training, music students had to be active participants. There were differences found between the kids who attended a more passive music appreciation class, and the ones who learned to play instruments. It was the active production of music that rewired the brain. Using electrodes on the students’ heads, scientists were able to see how actively the brain responded when students generated music.

Neuroscientists have suggested that playing an instrument, especially at an early age, can improve how the brain interprets sensory information. Music (singing or playing an instrument) also positively affects memory. Apparently, music activates both the right and left sides of the brain simultaneously and this activity increases efficiency in processing information. In one study, researchers found the areas of the brain that affect language skill and “executive function” were more developed in musically trained students. The executive function is the planning center of your brain, where you figure out what must get done, and how to do it in the time that exists.

A special community music program in a low-income area of Los Angeles showed a higher success rate of students going on to college than students in the area who did not participate in this music education. A team of researchers was asked to offer scientific evidence for this compelling distinction. The study concluded that there were significant improvements in reading scores for the children who attended music classes regularly and were actively engaged for a period of two years, compared to those who did not participate.

Playing a musical instrument engages muscular movement, requires coordination, and employs various senses. This intricate process of making music creates motion and emotional response. According to one scientist’s studies, intense musical training increases not only the volume of the brain, but also improves the connections between the hemispheres of the brain.

Today there is a trend toward instrumental lessons being less of a priority than in decades past. In many cases, families cannot afford private lessons or the time it takes from the family schedule. Fortunately, many schools still provide classes for chorus, orchestra, and band, which help promote this educational opportunity. Families keep busy today with most parents working full-time outside the home. Children are also busy with various extracurricular activities, competing forms of technological entertainment, and year-round sports activities.

However, to achieve optimal brain development, scientists suggest that a well-rounded mix of musical and athletic training should accompany a student’s academic education. As a student, consider the benefits of acquiring a musical skill. Find some music you love and an instrument you enjoy, and whether you learn at school or privately, apply some self-discipline to practice. The impact of musical learning can not only bring immediate opportunities for enjoyment, it can also improve brain function for a lifetime.

Answer 2

@SmokeyBrown

Answer 3

Oh yeah, paragraph 5 seems to be about the experts' interpretation of the experiments, so I think C would be the best answer for that one

Answer 4

In paragraph 3, how does the phrase "the region where language production and auditory processing take place" affect the passage?


A. It creates a critical tone in the passage.

B. It helps give the passage its scholarly tone.

C. It develops the passage's reflective tone.

D. It establishes an optimistic tone in the passage.

Answer 5

I guess I'd go with "scholarly tone", since that's the one the technical language most contributes to

Answer 6

How does paragraph 6 develop the idea that engaging in music can help with academic performance?


A. It includes feedback from students and teachers involved in a study on the effects of music education on academic performance.


B. It includes scientific data about changes in the brain that occur when a student learns to play an instrument.


C. It suggests that students who study music may be able to earn college scholarships, which would increase their chances of attending college.


D. It describes the results of a study that linked music education with improved reading scores.

Answer 7

Well, I think D is the most true here, since the study specifically mentions an increase in reading scores for students learning music

Answer 8

Part A

Which statement best conveys a central idea of the passage?

A. Research shows how important hearing music was to brain development before modern advances in entertainment and technology.

B. Research indicates that music played an important role in the lives of Jefferson, Einstein, and other influential thinkers.

C. Research shows that learning to passively appreciate music plays an important role in positive brain development.

D. Research consistently indicates that actively playing music has a positive impact on brain development.

Part B

Which statement about the passage best develops the central idea identified in Part A?


A. The passage cites a study by Northwestern University that shows a connection between passive music appreciation and positive brain development.

B. The passage relays anecdotes about music and important periods in the lives of Jefferson, Einstein, and other thinkers.

C. The passage contains multiple references to research conducted on music and brain development.

D. The passage indicates that proper brain development cannot occur unless people are exposed to music.

Answer 9

I think for the first one, D is the closest to a main idea. The passage contains multiple examples of evidence suggesting that active music appreciation (like learning to play an instrument) can have a positive effect on brain development.
As for the second one, C is the strongest evidence to support this main idea, multiple research studies related to the topic

Answer 10

which one is best to you ?

Answer 11

Oh, D and then C

Answer 12

pick 1 answer

Answer 13

but it's a two part question?

Answer 14

OH I'M SORRY I DIDN'T SEE IT

Answer 15

http://k12host.seewritehear.com/E9497FE8-1DFA-4942-AECF-331FE87F23D6/SummitEnglish9-10/index.html?page=39&read=1

Which evidence from "Lake Titicaca" by Miguel Ángel Asturias supports the inference that there is a spiritual connection between humans and nature?

A. "Waves of gigantic, seamless mass from the Cretaceous that become, at the height of the American world, the fairest crown of water: Titicaca."

B. " . . . we discerned, not burning but set ablaze by the sun, boats that looked more like the braided tresses of women. . . "

C. "I understood that he spoke of the great lake of ears of corn that all of us Indians have in our heart and from which we get tiny drops of moonlight . . . "

D. "I had heard the voice of the Indian whose wrist I had just taken unexpectedly. . . "

Answer 16

Oh definitely C for this one. The line mentioned there figuratively describes elements of nature as being "in our heart"

Answer 17

Reread this example of foreshadowing from "About Russell" by Rita Williams-Garcia.

In his way Russell held his ground, but from some angry, inarticulate place, deep within himself. Rosalind and I didn’t know that his self-erected wall was how he protected himself. We just thought he was being a pain in the butt.

Which statement best explains how the author's use of foreshadowing affects the story?


A. It creates suspense by indicating that Russell's ways of protecting himself might one day lead him to act violently or physically harm others.

B. It creates mystery by hinting at the idea that maybe Russell was not just "being a pain in the butt," but was instead trying to cope.

C. It creates tension by showing that the author knew something was off about her brother from an early age, but never tried to help him.

D. It creates humor by having the author and her sister think Russell was trying be funny when that was actually his personality.

Answer 18

I think B would be the best answer here. I don't really see any hints that Russell will act violently in the future, at least in this passage. And it doesn't seem like the author is actually aware that anything is "off" about Russell. It also doesn't seem like this passage i being used for humor.

Answer 19

http://k12host.seewritehear.com/E9497FE8-1DFA-4942-AECF-331FE87F23D6/SummitEnglish9-10/index.html?page=128&read=1

Part A

One theme of "About Russell" by Rita Williams-Garcia is that people cannot be forced to change.

Which detail best explains how the author develops this theme over the course of the text?

A. The author tells of multiple attempts to help Russell that went unanswered by him.

B. The author includes anecdotes about Russell having friends and a girlfriend.

C. The author tells about seeing Russell as a grown-up and accepting him as is.

D. The author includes anecdotes about Russell being a mathematical genius.

Part B

Which quotation from the text best supports the conclusion that Russell is never going to change?


A. "We were all grown and out of the house, except for Russell."

B. "He’d run five miles in the morning, then read in the evenings when he came home from work."

C. "Russell’s strongest weapon was his 'NO' and he used it often."

D. "All of Russell’s prospects were far from his grasp, physically and mentally."

Answer 20

I guess, A would be most related to the theme of "people do not change" for the first one.
And then C would be the best support of that theme for the second one

Answer 21

Part A

How does the imagery in the poem’s first stanza affect its meaning?


A. The images of “dead winds” and “spent waves,” combined with those of “the green field growing” and people “reaping” at “harvest-time,” help convey that the poem is about death and life.


B. The imagery describes how the natural world will continue to grow and flourish, no matter what happens to mankind.


C. Many negative words—“dead,” “spent,” “riot,” “doubtful”—establish that the poem is talking about the sadness each person experiences in life. The poem is saying that all life is full of sadness and any potential happiness is only a dream.


D. The first stanza paints a picture of the quiet and peaceful world that existed before mankind created technology and ruined it all.

Part B

How is the meaning described in Part A further expressed in the poem’s second stanza?


A. The speaker is critical of man’s “desires and dreams and powers” and suggests that man is powerless compared to nature.


B. The “blown buds of barren flowers” that the speaker references in this stanza symbolize how death touches all living things.


C. The speaker says he is tired of people and their bad decisions, which always ruin the happy things in life.


D. The speaker longs to be out in the natural world where restful sleep is possible and a new day is always dawning.

Answer 22

Read the poem.

excerpt from "The Garden of Proserpine"
by Algernon Charles Swinburne

Prosperine is the Latin spelling of “Persophone,” a goddess married to Hades, the god of the underworld. According to legend, her garden of poppies would cause travelers to forget their purpose and fall into a waking sleep.

Here, where the world is quiet;

Here, where all trouble seems

Dead winds' and spent waves' riot

In doubtful dreams of dreams;

I watch the green field growing

For reaping folk and sowing,

For harvest-time and mowing,

A sleepy world of streams.



I am tired of tears and laughter,

And men that laugh and weep;

Of what may come hereafter

For men that sow to reap:

I am weary of days and hours,

Blown buds of barren flowers,

Desires and dreams and powers

And everything but sleep.



Here life has death for neighbour,

And far from eye or ear

Wan waves and wet winds labour,

Weak ships and spirits steer;

They drive adrift, and whither

They wot not who make thither;

But no such winds blow hither,

And no such things grow here.

Answer 23

AFTER THIS I'LL START A NEW QUESTION

Answer 24

I'm gonna go with A and then B