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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which friend of Johnny's had a premonition of his own death?

2. How did Johnny's mother earn money for his voice lessons?

3. To what country could Johnny Cash trace his family origins?

4. Who was the steadfast guitarist who played with Johnny?

5. Which of his brothers was Johnny's hero?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who were Johnny's two wives and how many children did he have?

2. What was Johnny's perspective on the term "country"?

3. What was the country of Johnny Cash's ancestry and where did they eventually settle in America?

4. How did Johnny meet Sam Phillips of Sun Records and what was the first record he recorded?

5. What tragedy befell the Cash family regarding Johnny's older brother, Jack?

6. What were the personal tragedies experienced by Johnny's good friend, Roy Orbison?

7. What explanation did Johnny give for not performing Kris Kristofferson's song "City of New Orleans"?

8. What were the three questions Johnny was always asked in interviews and what were his responses?

9. How did the song "Blue Suede Shoes" come to be written?

10. Who were "The Tennessee Two" and how did Johnny meet up with them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the concept of loneliness as it exhibits in the book. Why would musicians have a lonely life even though it may have seemed exciting and glamorous to other people? Why would Vivian have had an especially lonely life being the wife of Johnny Cash? Explain the loneliness and the methods and attempts to overcome it.

Essay Topic 2

The theme of struggling with personal identity is an important one in this book. Describe how it extends through setting, characters and issues and provide examples for each.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the cultural climate in America in the mid 1950s and why the time was right for Johnny's music to emerge. What were the trends in America at the time? How did Johnny differentiate himself from other young musicians coming out onto the music scene at that time?

(see the answer keys)

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