Detail Questions

You will have to answer detail questions at least twice per reading passage. In these types of questions, you are asked about specific information in the text. First, read the question to find out what information you have to find. Then, search for it in the text. The American composer, George Gershwin, was born in 1898 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants. He began his musical education at age 11, when his family bought a second-hand piano. The piano was not bought for him, but for his older brother, Ira. However, George surprised everyone when he (5) played a popular song, which he had taught himself by following the keys on a neighbor’s player piano, and his parents decided that George should receive lessons. He studied piano with a famous music teacher at the time, Charles Hambitzer. He was so impressed with Gershwin’s talent that he gave him lessons for free. According to the passage, who did the Gershwin parents buy the piano for? (A) George Gershwin (B) Charles Hambitzer (C) Other Russian immigrants (D) Ira Gershwin The correct answer is (D). In lines 3–4 above, the passage states that Gershwin’s parents bought the piano for George’s brother Ira.