Reading: Multiple Choice, Single Answer · Part 2: Reading

Reviving the practice of using elements of popular…

26 students marked "I sat this"Question #081017

Choose the one correct answer.

Reviving the practice of using elements of popular music in classical composition, an approach that had been in hibernation in the United States during the 1960s, composer Philip Glass (born 1937) embraced the ethos of popular music in his compositions. Glass based two symphonies on music by rock musicians David Bowie and Brian Eno, but the symphonies’ sound is distinctively his. Popular elements do not appear out of place in Glass’s classical music, which from its early days has shared certain harmonies and rhythms with rock music. Yet this use of popular elements has not made Glass a composer of popular music. His music is not a version of popular music packaged to attract classical listeners; it is high art for listeners steeped in rock rather than the classics.

The passage addresses which of the following issues related to Glass’s use of popular elements in his classical compositions?

  1. AHow it is regarded by listeners who prefer rock to the classics
  2. BWhether it has contributed to a revival of interest among other composers in using popular elements in their compositions
  3. CWhether it has had a detrimental effect on Glass’s reputation as a composer of classical music
  4. DWhether it has caused certain of Glass’s works to be derivative in quality
  5. EHow it has affected the commercial success of Glass’s music
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Reading: Multiple Choice, Single Answer format (Pearson)

Pearson's name: Multiple Choice, Single Answer

PromptText up to 110 words
Time to answerNot set per question (Part 2 lasts 23–30 minutes)
Skills assessedReading

How it is scored

  • Scored as either correct or incorrect.

Source: Pearson, PTE Academic & UKVI test format, Part 2: Reading, checked 9 October 2026.