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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What album does George Martin cite, in Chapter 12, as the classic example of what a talented amateur can achieve with multi-track recording?
(a) Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells".
(b) Winter Consort's "Icarus".
(c) The Beatles' "Sergeant Pepper".
(d) America's "History".

2. Regarding orchestration, what does George Martin offer as the secret to good string writing?
(a) Writing a separate part for each musician.
(b) Writing all parts close to the piano's middle C.
(c) Writing for four parts, as if for four human voices.
(d) Writing as if for a piano, with parts for left and right hands.

3. What problem was discovered at AIR, while Laurence Olivier was recording "Julius Caesar"?
(a) A squeaky floorboard.
(b) Poor air circulation.
(c) Overly sensitive microphones.
(d) The walls weren't soundproof.

4. In Chapter 12, George Martin reveals that he uses his collection of gold, silver, and platinum discs for what purpose?
(a) He donates them to music schools to inspire young people.
(b) He sells them in order to maintain and upgrade his studios.
(c) They adorn the side walls of his shelving units.
(d) They paper the walls of one room in his house.

5. How far above the original floor does the studio floor at AIR's first studio float?
(a) Two feet.
(b) Two inches.
(c) One foot.
(d) One inch.

6. In filmmaking, what is a click track?
(a) A technique used to speed up or slow film speed.
(b) A separate track used to absorb extraneous noises from the soundtrack.
(c) A separate track featuring a click sound every so many frames of film, used to synchronize the musical score.
(d) A special type of percussion, adding excitement to a scene.

7. Why was George Martin shocked when he viewed "Crooks Anonymous", a film that he scored?
(a) The music was out of sync with the action.
(b) His movie score had been replaced with someone else's.
(c) The balance between percussion and other instruments was all wrong.
(d) The vocal track had been removed from the song that played during the opening credits.

8. Which film won the Oscar for musical direction, in the year George Martin was nominated?
(a) "The Sound of Music".
(b) "Doctor Zhivago".
(c) "My Fair Lady".
(d) "Mary Poppins".

9. How does George Martin describe the result, when a recording is overcompressed?
(a) Echoes on the track.
(b) The volume of the recording is too low.
(c) Punching holes in the sound.
(d) Background noise, as air enters and leaves the studio.

10. George Martin wrote the musical score for which James Bond film?
(a) "Goldfinger".
(b) "Diamonds Are Forever".
(c) "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".
(d) "Live and Let Die".

11. In what year was "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" recorded?
(a) 1967.
(b) 1970.
(c) 1969.
(d) 1968.

12. In 1979, George Martin predicted the now-common change from analog to what sort of recording?
(a) Digital.
(b) Mp3.
(c) Sampling.
(d) Dialog.

13. At the British Embassy in 1964, what did one Beatle fan do to Ringo Starr?
(a) Kiss him.
(b) Snip off a piece of his hair.
(c) Propose.
(d) Steal his wallet.

14. During the Beatles' first visit to America, according to George Martin in Chapter 9, what did some middle-aged men on Fifth Avenue wear to show they were in tune?
(a) Skinny-legged pants.
(b) Beatle wigs.
(c) Collarless suits.
(d) Beatle t-shirts.

15. The song, "Pepperland Laid Waste", appears on which Beatles album?"
(a) "Yellow Submarine".
(b) "Help!"
(c) "Revolver".
(d) "Sergeant Pepper".

Short Answer Questions

1. Where did George Martin build his second AIR studio?

2. What was the dream of George Martin's childhood, as revealed in Chapter 12?

3. Why did George Martin leave EMI, even though they ultimately agreed to pay him a commission as he requested?

4. After completion of AIR's first studio, what sort of studio did George Martin next want to create?

5. George Martin describes John Lennon and Paul McCartney as the main talent of the Beatles, and describes George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and himself as what?

(see the answer keys)

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