What is the main idea of the passage?

An orchestra tunes so different instruments share a pitch reference before performing together. (The passage explains how comparison with one note prepares varied instruments to play accurately together.)

Why might an instrument drift out of tune?

Heat, cold, or moisture can change its materials. (The second paragraph names temperature and moisture as causes.)

What does “reference” mean in the final paragraph?

a shared standard used for comparison (Players compare their pitches with the steady note, which serves as a standard.)

What may a player move to adjust some instruments?

a tuning slide (The passage names tightening a string and moving a tuning slide as adjustments.)

Why an Orchestra Tunes First: Level 1 Reading Comprehension Questions

Before a concert, an orchestra makes a noisy wave of sound. Usually, one musician plays a steady note. Other players compare their own notes with it. They adjust their instruments until the pitches agree.

This step matters because instruments can drift out of tune. Heat, cold, and moisture may change strings or wood. A player may tighten a string or move a tuning slide. The goal is not to make every instrument sound alike. A flute and a cello should keep their own voices.

Instead, tuning gives the group a shared reference. When everyone agrees where one pitch belongs, chords fit together more clearly. The brief noise before the music is therefore not confusion. It is careful cooperation that helps many different sounds begin from the same point.

Comprehension questions