Test B: English (Listening) Part 1: Listen and answer questions 1-6

 
Read the text and answer questions 31-35 
Louis Armstrong, nicknamed “Satchmo,” was born in 1901 in New Orleans. At that time, jazz music was 
just becoming popular, and the young Armstrong loved the sound of New Orleans jazz. He started playing the 
cornet, a brass instrument similar to a trumpet. As a teenager, Armstrong spent many hours listening to local 
musicians play jazz. He started playing in bands himself and became famous locally.
In 1922, Armstrong moved to Chicago and got a job playing the trumpet in Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band. 
Before long, Armstrong was considered one of the greatest trumpet players of all time. He played with many 
bands, moving from Chicago to New York and back to Chicago. In 1925, he made his first recordings as the 
leader of his own group, Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five.
In the 1930s, Armstrong toured the United States and Europe. He began acting in movies, too. He stopped 
playing the New Orleans jazz of his youth and instead played and sang popular songs with well-known big 
bands. His swing-style trumpet influenced many later jazz horn players. His throaty yet smooth and rhythmic 
singing style was also influential. He developed a technique of singing called scat, in which the singer sings 
jazzy, quick-moving melodies with random nonsense syllables instead of words. Supposedly, he invented scat 
singing when he dropped his sheet music and could not remember the song’s
words.
Armstrong died in 1971. Today he is remembered not only as a great trumpeter but also as a bandleader, 
singer, and film star. 
31. How did growing up in New Orleans influence Louis Armstrong’s life? 
A) He learned how to scat sing. 
B) He first discovered jazz there. 
C) He learned to play the trumpet there. 
D) He made several movies there. 

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32. What can you tell about Armstrong based on where he played and raveled? 
A) He liked to play with different bands. 
B) Throughout his life, he tried to return to New Orleans. 
C) He preferred Europe over the United States. 
D) He found the most support for his music in the South. 
33. Which word best describes Armstrong?
A) arrogant 
B) unfriendly 
C) thoughtful 
D) gifted 
34. Which statement best describes Armstrong’s achievements? 
A) He toured the United States and Europe, playing the cornet and trumpet. 
B) He sang popular songs in the 1930s. 
C) He was successful as a trumpeter, bandleader, singer, and actor. 
D) He is best known as the founder of Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five. 
35. What does the word in bold “influential” mean? 
A) prominent 
B) unknown 
C) notorious 
D) lazy