UNLV Introduces a Minor in Teaching Mariachi as Demand for Instructors Grows

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

C2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Read the passage for its main idea, then return to the relevant sentence or paragraph for each question. Base answers on the passage.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What is the article’s central argument about UNLV’s new minor?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It replaces conventional school ensembles with professional mariachi groups.
   2. It responds to instructor shortages while extending mariachi education.
   3. It documents the historical origins of mariachi in Mexican American families.
   4. It compares music programmes across universities in border states.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It responds to instructor shortages while extending mariachi education.

   The programme responds to instructor shortages while extending mariachi education.

   The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, has begun offering a minor in teaching mariachi, positioning the university to help address a shortage of instructors for a musical tradition whose popularity is expanding in schools.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What can be inferred about the students choosing mariachi?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They are abandoning all forms of formal musical training.
   2. They are primarily preparing for careers outside education.
   3. They may regard mariachi as an alternative to established ensemble paths.
   4. They have generally studied mariachi since early childhood.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They may regard mariachi as an alternative to established ensemble paths.

   Mariachi attracts students who might previously have selected other ensemble formats.

   Some young musicians who might once have joined a conventional band, orchestra, or choir are now studying mariachi instead.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   In the second paragraph, what does “it” refer to?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The music convention
   2. The border state
   3. The high school ensemble
   4. The work of teaching mariachi
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The work of teaching mariachi

   The pronoun refers to teaching the music, not merely performing it.

   High school ensembles are being formed and led in border states such as Texas and in communities with substantial Latino populations, creating a need for teachers who understand both the music and the work of teaching it.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why is the California convention episode included?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To show how a performance led to institutional discussion
   2. To prove that California has more mariachi programmes than Nevada
   3. To introduce Rodriguez Olivas’s first public performance
   4. To explain why Blanco left high-school music education
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To show how a performance led to institutional discussion

   It explains how Blanco and UNLV leadership recognised an institutional opportunity.

   The group’s performance prompted a conversation with a newly appointed director of UNLV’s School of Music, who argued that mariachi education needed to be established at the university level.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What broader transition does the final paragraph identify?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. From community performance to commercial entertainment
   2. From university study to informal family instruction
   3. From cultural preservation alone to integration in schools
   4. From instrumental training to exclusively historical research
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   From cultural preservation alone to integration in schools

   Mariachi is moving from preservation alone into contemporary school education.

   By preparing performers to become teachers, UNLV’s program reflects a broader transition: mariachi is not only being preserved as a traditional Mexican style, but is also being integrated into contemporary school music programs.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which relationship between popularity and staffing is established?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Greater participation generates demand for qualified teachers.
   2. Teacher shortages have reduced students’ interest in mariachi.
   3. School ensembles depend exclusively on university instructors.
   4. Community demographics determine which instruments students learn.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Greater participation generates demand for qualified teachers.

   Growing participation creates demand that exceeds existing instructional capacity.

   High school ensembles are being formed and led in border states such as Texas and in communities with substantial Latino populations, creating a need for teachers who understand both the music and the work of teaching it.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What contrast does Rodriguez Olivas’s perspective introduce?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Academic training versus professional performance
   2. Institutional study versus personal and familial significance
   3. Traditional music versus entirely modern composition
   4. High-school learning versus university administration
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Institutional study versus personal and familial significance

   His account broadens the programme’s significance beyond academic credentials.

   For him, the program represents more than an additional academic specialization.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How is the article organised overall?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It presents criticism, then refutes it with historical evidence.
   2. It describes a programme, traces its development, and considers implications.
   3. It compares two universities before evaluating their curricula.
   4. It narrates one student’s career without discussing wider effects.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It describes a programme, traces its development, and considers implications.

   It moves from institutional rationale through origins and personal significance to implications.

   Its growth has created fresh educational possibilities while making the training of future instructors increasingly important.

What to review next

Find the words that support each answer. For a mistake, compare the question with the evidence and identify the detail or inference you missed.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.

Before you practise: a worked example

Look for evidence in the text. Separate what the writer says from what you already know about the topic.

The library normally closes at six, but on Fridays it stays open until eight. When does it close on Friday?

The answer is eight. But introduces an exception to the normal closing time, so the first time mentioned is not the answer.

This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.