Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 71%
Entry Exam
Passage / Scenario
What effect does your voice have on others? Does it persuade or irritate, attract or repel? One ofthe worst qualities is harshness. If you ever get the feeling that people are uncomfortable when you speak, it may be that your harsh tones are jarring their eardrums. Your voice will sound
unpleasant if it is shrill, grating, hard, piercing, brassy, to loud, or too nasal. Harsh voice qualities usually come from too much tension in the throat and jaw. Tension tightens muscles and blocks the relaxed voice tones essential to a pleasing impression. Because tension occurs in higher pitched voices, women tend to have shriller voices than men, which usually makes them
less desirable public speakers, newscasters, or political candidates.
The information presented is
Correct answer
C
Rationale
The information presented in the text is slanted against people with piercing voices. It highlights the negative impact of harsh voice qualities such as being shrill, grating, hard, piercing, brassy, too loud, or too nasal. The text points out that these harsh voice qualities, often due to tension in the throat and jaw, can make a person's voice unpleasant and uncomfortable for others. While it briefly mentions women potentially having shriller voices than men, it does not specifically favor newscasters or target people with deep voices. Therefore, the correct answer is C, as the text focuses on the drawbacks associated with piercing voices.