General Listening Quiz

Smartphones and other portable mobile devices are becoming popular to play music. Try and name at least 7 different types of music. Which are most popular in your country? Do you download music files from the internet? If so, do you download them to a portable device?

1. 1. Online music services are better than traditional radio.
   2. Radio is more reliable than online streaming for discovering new music.
   3. People listen to music more thoughtfully on the radio than online.
   4. Paid music streaming is better than free services with ads.
   5. Online music services reduce the importance of live concerts.
   6. Radio DJs are more influential than playlists on streaming platforms.
   7. Music is more enjoyable when chosen by algorithms than by humans.
   8. Radio will eventually disappear completely.
   9. Online music services make it easier to appreciate a wide variety of genres.
   10. Traditional radio keeps communities more connected than online music services.

Listen to the recording and answer the questions. (See transcript)

Here are some words and expressions that appear in the recording:

• soothe (verb): to relax or calm
  – You should try listening to classical music to soothe your nerves. It works for me.
• sunup (noun): sunrise or the point where the sun comes up in the morning
  – We’ll leave tomorrow before sunup, so please be ready.
• identify (verb): to name
  – Greg can identify the names of almost all the constellations in the sky.
• tune (noun): usually, a song or musical number
  – This radio station plays some really good tunes.

Do the vocabulary quizzes with the words from the conversation for more practice:

• Mixed-Up Sentence  | Multiple-Choice Questions  |   Sentence and Vocabulary Matching

Discuss the following topics with a partner.

• the most popular types of music in your country among different age groups
• the influence of music on your culture, for example, fashion, hairstyles, behavior, ways of thinking, etc.

Use the internet to gather information on two types of music and compare them:

• historical background (where the music is from)
• the types of instruments used in making the music
• the types of people with whom the music is popular (children, teenagers, young adults, mature adults, and seniors)