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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who, according to Marcus, gave Staggerlee the cruelest epitaph?
(a) Elvis Presley.
(b) John Hurt.
(c) Eldridge Cleaver.
(d) Sly Stone.

2. Who sang "I tried and I failed / And I feel like going home" (154)?
(a) Carl Perkins.
(b) Hank Williams.
(c) Charlie Rich.
(d) Elvis Presley.

3. In "Elvis," what song does Elvis make his own by changing the story from hopelessness to hope?
(a) "Mystery Train."
(b) "Baby Let's Play House."
(c) "Pink Cadillac."
(d) "Hound Dog. "

4. Why did people riot at Sly Stone concerts in the 70s?
(a) Sly showed up late or not at all.
(b) The police showed up and made racial slurs.
(c) His music provoked angry emotions.
(d) Sly sold out.

5. According to Marcus, what did Staggerlee represent to the black community?
(a) Corruption.
(b) Freedom.
(c) Hope.
(d) Death.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was on the cover of Riot?

2. Why does Marcus discuss many movies in "Sly Stone"?

3. What group did Cleaver and Seale found?

4. Who said "when I was a boy . . . I was the hero in comic books and movies. I grew up believing in a dream"?

5. To which historical figure does Marcus compare Elvis?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Randy Newman," does Randy Newman care if he is popular or not?

2. According to Marcus in "Sly Stone," how does the music produced by Sly and the Family Stone resemble freedom?

3. In "Elvis," what is Elvis' "Rockabilly Moment" (141)?

4. According to Marcus in "Randy Newman" what is a shared culture? Why is the shared culture important?

5. In "Elvis," Marcus discusses the Pink Cadillac as being the downfall of Elvis. What does the Pink Cadillac symbolize and how is it Elvis' downfall?

6. Compare and contrast Sly and Staggerlee as presented in "Sly Stone: The Myth of Staggerlee in the sections: Introduction and "Sly Stone." How are they similar? How are they different?

7. What type of risk does Randy Newman make in his music? What risk does he avoid?

8. According to Marcus in the section "Sly Versus Superfly," why does Riot matter?

9. According to Marcus in "Sly Stone," why did Sly Stone create the album Riot ?

10. According to Marcus in "Sly Stone," how did Newton and Cleaver use the myth of Staggerlee?

(see the answer keys)

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