What is the main idea of the passage?

Cristofori created a responsive hammer mechanism that let a keyboard player shape notes as softer or louder. (The passage centers on Cristofori’s hammer action and the way it gave a player direct control over loudness.)

Why did the hammer need to fall away immediately after striking a string?

Remaining against the string would prevent the string from continuing to ring. (The text states that a hammer left against the string would stop its ringing, so release preserved the note.)

What does “delicate” mean in the description of the mechanism's problem?

requiring careful and precise control (The hammer had to strike, release, avoid bouncing, and allow ringing, so the problem required precise control.)

How many of Cristofori's later pianos does the passage say survive?

three (The final sentence directly states that three of Cristofori’s later pianos survive.)

Cristofori's Hammer Action: Level 2 Reading Comprehension Questions

Bartolomeo Cristofori cared for keyboard instruments at the Medici court in Florence near the end of the seventeenth century. Harpsichords made sound by plucking strings, and players could not greatly change volume by pressing a key harder. Cristofori pursued a different action. He designed small hammers that struck the strings when keys moved.

The mechanism had to solve a delicate problem. A hammer needed to hit a string and then fall away at once, or it would stop the string from ringing. Cristofori built an escapement that released the hammer after the strike, plus parts that controlled bouncing and damping. By about 1700, his new instrument could respond to a player's touch with softer or louder notes. It became known as the pianoforte, meaning soft and loud. Three of his later pianos survive, showing how a quiet workshop solution opened a wide field of expression.

Comprehension questions