- Actor: Meryl Streep
- Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
- Conductor: Gustavo Dudamel
- Dancer/Choreographer: Misty Copeland
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Novelist: Toni Morrison
- Opera Singer: Luciano Pavarotti
- Painter: Vincent van Gogh
- Playwright: William Shakespeare
- Poet: Maya Angelou
- Pop Singer: Beyoncé
- Sculptor: Michelangelo
SPEAKING Work in pairs. Complete the arts quiz. Use vocabulary from exercises 1, 3 and the correct form of the verbs in the following list. Then do the quiz and check your answers at the bottom of the page.
Artistic activities
act appear in carve compose conduct create
dance direct draw paint perform play sing write
Arts quiz
1. Which italian Renaissance artist (1) _____________ the Mona Lisa?
a. Michelangelo
b. Leonardo da Vinci
c. Caravaggio
2. Which Russian (2) _____________ wrote the music for the ballet Swan Lake?
a. Shostakovich
b. Rachmaninov
c. Tchaikovsky
3. Which of these films was not (3) _____________ by Steven Spielberg?
a. Jaws
b. 2001: A Space Odyssey
c. Schindler's List
4. Which Shakespeare (4) _____________ inspired the film West Side Story?
a. Romeo and Juliet
b. Julius Caesar
c. A Midsummer Night's Dream
5. Which famous (5) _____________ cut off part of his ear?
a. Monet
b. Cézanne
c. Van Gogh
6. Which British (6) _____________ sang on the 2011 hit Someone Like You?
a. Adele
b. Ellie Goulding
c. Calvin Harris
7. Which of these film series did actor Robert Pattinson not (7) _____________ ?
a. Harry Potter
b. Twilight
c. The Hobbit
8. What is the name of the famous (8) _____________ in the photo?
a. Mark
b. David
c. Anthony
SPEAKING Work in pairs. Take turns to tell each other about the last time you did one of the things below. Include the time, place and your feelings.
Cultural activities
went to a rock concert visited an art gallery read anovel
read a poem went to the theatre saw a musical listened to a song
watched a sitcom went to a classical concert / opera / ballet
VOCABULARY Match the photos (A-H) with art forms from the list below. In your opinion, which art form needs the most skill and which the least? Give reasons, using the phrases below to help you.
Art forms ballet cartoon classical music dance drawing mime musical
novel opera painting play poem pop music sculpture sitcom
You have to (be able to) ... in order to...
It’s very difficult to ... / It isn’t that difficult to ... / It’s relatively easy to ...
It doesn’t take much practice to ... / It takes a lot of practice to ...
Put the art forms in exercise 1 into four groups. Some can go in more than one group.
A Literature B Music C Performing arts D Visual arts
Listen to four people talking about cultural events. Match sentences A-E with the speakers (1-4). There is one extra sentence.
This person
A thought that they might change their mind about something.
B was persuaded to go to the event by someone else.
C was disappointed with the experience, but is planning to try it again.
D was surprised by how good the event was.
E organised the outing to the event.
