CARA MUDAH MENGERJAKAN SOAL TOEFL(READING 20)

               For a century and a half the piano has been one of the 
           most popular solo instruments for Western music.Unlike 
           string and wind instrument,the piano is completely self-
           sufficient,as it is able to play both the melody and its 
line     accompanying harmony at the same time.For this reason,it
(5)      became the favorite household instrument of the nineteenth 
           century.
               The ancestry of the piano can be traced to the early 
           keyboard instruments of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries
           -the spinet,the dulcimer,and the virginal.In the seventeenth 
           century the organ,the clavichord,and the harpsichord became
           the chief instruments of the keyboard group,a supremacy
(10)    they maintained until the piano supplanted them at the end
           of the eighteenth century.The clavichord's tone was metallic
           and never powerful;nevertheless,because of the variety of 
           tone possible to it,many composers found the clavichord 
           sympathetic instrument for concert use,but the character of 
           the tone could not be varied save by mechanical or structural
           devices.
(15)          The piano was perfected in the early eighteenth century
            by a harpsichord maker in Italy (though musicologists point 
            out several previous instances of the instrument).This 
            instrument was called a piano e forte(soft and loud),to 
            indicate its dynamic versatility;its strings were struck by a
            recoiling hammer with a felt-padded head.The wires were
            much heavier in the earlier instruments.A series of
(20)     mechanical improvements continuing well into the 
            nineteenth century,including the introduction of pedals to
            sustain tone or to soften it,the perfection of a metal frame
            and steel wire of the finest quality,finally produced an
            instrument capable of myriad tonal effects from the most 
            delicate harmonies to an almost orchestral fullness of sound,
            from a liquid,singing tone to a sharp,percussive brilliance.

1.What does the passage mainly discuss?
    a.The historical development of the piano
    b.The quality of tone produced by various keyboard instruments
    c.The uses of keyboard instruments in various types of   
          compositions
    d.The popularity of the piano with composers
Jawab:(A)The historical development of the piano
Key word:The ancestry of the piano can be traced to the early keyboard instruments of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries
Pembahasan:Bacaan di atas berisi tentang sejarah perkembangan dari piano

2.Which of the following instruments was widely used before the seventeenth century?
    a.The harpsichord
    b.The spinet
    c.The clavichord
    d.The organ
Jawab:(B)The spinet
Key word:The spinet,the dulcimer,and the virginal
Pembahasan:instrument yang digunakan secara luas pada abad ketujuh belas adalah spinet,dulcimer dan virginal

3.The word"a supremacy"in line 9 are closest in meaning to
    a.a suggestion
    b.an improvement
    c.a dominance
    d.a development
Jawab:(C)a dominance
Key word:keunggulan
Pembahasan:*a supremacy=keunggulan,keagungan
                     *a dominance=keunggulan,kekuasaan,
                     *a suggestion=saran
                     *an improvement=perbaikan
                     *a development=perkembangan

4.The word"supplanted"in line 10 is closest in meaning to
     a.supported
     b.promoted
     c.repleced
     d.dominated
Jawab:(C)replaced
Key word:digantikan
Pembahasan:*suplanted=digantikan
                       *replaced=digantika
                       *supported=didukung
                       *promoted=dipromosikan
                       *dominated=dikuasai

5.The word"it"in line 12 refers to the
     a.variety
     b.music
     c.harpsichord
     d.clavichord
Jawab:(D)clavichord
Key word:The clavicord
Pembahasan:Nada clavichord tidak pernah kuat,namun,karena banyak nada yang mungkin untuknya,banyak komposer menggunakannya untuk konser

6.According to the passage,what deficiency did the harpsichord have?
     a.It was fragile
     b.It lacked variety in tone
     c.It sounded metallic
     d.It could not produce a strong sound
Jawab:(B)It lacked variety in tone
Key Word:but the character of the tone could not be varied
Pembahasan:banyak komposer menggunakan clavicord dan harpsichord untuk konser,tetapi karakter nada tidak bisa disimpan bervariasi dengan perangkat mekanis

7.Where in the passage does the author provide a translation?
     a.Lines 3-4
     b.Lines 12-13
     c.Lines 13-15
     d.Lines 16-20
Jawab:(D)Lines 16-20
Key word:A series of mechanical improvements continuing well
Pembahasan:Sergkaian perbaikan mekanik terus terjadi dengan baik sampai abad kesembilan  belas.

8.According to the information in the third paragraph,which of the following improvements made it possible to lengthen the tone produced by the piano?
     a.The introduction of pedals
     b.The use of heavy wires
     c.The use of felt-padded hammerheads
     d.The metal frame construction
Jawab:(A)The introduction of pedals
Key word:including the introduction of pedals to sustain tone or soften it
Pembahasan:termasuk pengenalan pedal untuk mempertahankan nada atau untuk melembutkannya 

9.The word"myriad"in line 22 is closest in meaning to
     a.noticeable
     b.many
     c.loud
     d.unusual
Jawab:(B)many
key word:banyak
Pembahasan:*myriad=banyak sekali
                     *many=banyak
                     *noticeable=terlihat
                     *loud=keras
                     *unusual=biasa

                      

reference
Tim Master Eduka
Thank for reding TRIK JITU MENGERJAKAN SOAL TOEFL in my blog.