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2012 ‫מועד דצמבר‬ - 49 - ‫ פרק שני‬- ‫ אנגלית‬

Text II (Questions 18-22)

(1) It can cure backache, asthma and obesity, as well as alcoholism, autism and
schizophrenia. It can make plants grow faster and even make people smarter. What is this
wonder that can so dramatically change the world? According to writer Don Campbell, it is
the music of 18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

(5) In his book The Mozart Effect, Campbell maintains that Mozart's music can perform all of
these miracles and more. He bases his claim primarily on a study published in 1993 in the
journal Nature. The study, conducted by Frances Rauscher and colleagues at the University
of California, tested the intelligence of university students before and after they listened to
Mozart's music. One third of the participants listened to Mozart, one third listened to a

(10) "relaxation tape," and the remainder simply sat in silence. When the students were retested,
those who had listened to Mozart improved their scores by eight or nine points, while the
others showed no improvement.

Critics of Campbell's book argue that this study hardly provides adequate proof for
Campbell's sweeping claims. They also point out that, even if there is a "Mozart effect," it is

(15) not only limited in scope, but also short-term: when the students were tested a third time,
several hours after they had listened to Mozart, their scores had returned to the original levels.

Some even question whether the Mozart effect exists at all. Soon after Rauscher's study
was published, researchers at the University of Auckland tried to replicate her results. They
found no proof that listening to Mozart has any effect on intelligence. Thus, Campbell's

(20) claims seem rather dubious. The most convincing reason to listen to Mozart is simply to hear
wonderful music.

Questions

18. The main purpose of the text is to -

(1) present Campbell's definition and explanation of the Mozart effect
(2) show that music can affect people in many different ways
(3) discuss whether or not there is a Mozart effect
(4) compare different studies on how music affects intelligence

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