By 1784, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was Internationally Renowned as the Composer of Marriage of Figaro

Reading Passage Question

By 1784, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was internationally renowned as the composer of Marriage of Figaro, and consequently received a commission from the Prague Opera House to compose another opera. The resulting product was Don Giovanni, which tells the tale of a criminal and seducer who nevertheless evokes sympathy from audiences, and whose behavior fluctuates from moral crisis to hilarious escapade.

While Don Giovanni is widely considered to be Mozart's greatest achievement, eighteenth century audiences in Vienna — Mozart's own city— were ambivalent at best. The opera mixed traditions of moralism with those of comedy— a practice heretofore unknown among the composer's works— creating a production that was not well liked by conservative Viennese audiences. Meanwhile, however, Don Giovanni was performed to much fanfare throughout Europe.

“By 1784, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was internationally renowned as the composer of Marriage of Figaro”- is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 7 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and explanation

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) relate the story of a somewhat likable antihero.
(B) discuss how a work of art has been met by diverging responses.
(C) give a history of the work of Mozart.
(D) make a case for the renown of Don Giovanni.
(E) emphasize the moral aspects of a musical work.

2. The author mentions the mixing of "traditions of moralism with those of comedy" primarily in order to

(A) explain a work's cool reception among a particular group of people.
(B) remind the reader of the plot of Don Giovanni.
(C) highlight a practice common in contemporary opera.
(D) argue for an innovative approach to opera.
(E) undermine a previously presented assertion.

3. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following is true about the response of Viennese audiences to Don Giovanni?

(A) The audiences preferred purely moralistic works.
(B) The response was unequivocally positive.
(C) They did not know that the composer was attempting to mix musical styles.
(D) The play's moral themes were offensive to Viennese audiences.
(E) To say that the response was "mixed" would be a generous interpretation.

Suggested GMAT Reading Comprehension Questions

• A One-Child Policy was Implemented in China in 1979
• Seeking a Competitive Advantage, Some Professional Service Firms
• On the surface, the Conquest of the Aztec Empire by Herman Cortes
• But Man is Not Destined to Vanish. He can be Killed, but he cannot be Destroyed, Because his Soul is Deathless and his Spirit is Irrepressible.
• When Literary Periods are Defined on the Basis of Men’s Writing, Women’s Writing Must be Forcibly Assimilated
• Behind Every Book Review There are Two Key Figures: A Book Review Editor and A Reviewer.
• Barbara Strozzi was a Singer and Composer of Madrigals, Aria
• During the Victorian Period, Women Writers were Measured Against A Social
• It Is Perhaps Not Surprising that Debate has Arisen Over Bioluminescence-Based Biotechnologies
• The Fact that Superior Service can Generate a Competitive Advantage
• The Origin of the Attempt to Distinguish Early from Modern Music
• The Phenomenon of College Basketball's Surging Popularity Remains a Challenge to Classify
• The United States Government has a Long-Standing Policy of Using Federal Funds to Keep Small Business Viable.
• A Recent Study has Provided Clues to Predator-Prey Dynamics in the Late Pleistocene Era.
• Even More Than Mountainside Slides of Mud or Snow, Naturally Occurring Forest Fires Promote the Survival of Aspen Trees.
• The Black Death, a Severe Epidemic that Ravaged Fourteenth Century Europe
• The System of Patent-Granting, Which Confers Temporary Monopolies for the Exploitation of New Technologies
• Ethnohistoric Documents from Sixteenth-Century Mexico Suggesting that Weaving and Cooking were the Most Common Productive Activities for Aztec Women
• Solar Ponds are Bodies of Water in Which Circulation is Incomplete and There is a Very High Salt Concentration that Increases with Depth
• Traditional Social Science Models of Class Groups in the United States are Based on Economic Status