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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to Marcus in "Robert Johnson -1938," what is the only way to quiet Johnson's song "Stones in My Passway"?
(a) Turn it down.
(b) Walk away.
(c) Turn it off.
(d) Ear plugs.

2. According to Marcus, what do popular artists do for people?
(a) Speak for them.
(b) Take away fear and pain.
(c) Isolate them from people who dislike their music.
(d) Create a community.

3. With whom is Carmen walking in the song "To Kingdom Come"?
(a) Robbie Robertson.
(b) The worried man.
(c) The devil.
(d) Robert Johnson.

4. Who says "Instead of throwing a knapsack over your back and getting out on the highway, to learn about life, we were able to do it together. We were protected by one another"?
(a) Robbie Robertson.
(b) Greil Marcus.
(c) Bobby Bland.
(d) Robert Manuel.

5. Four of the members from The Band are from where?
(a) Arkansas.
(b) Canada.
(c) North Carolina.
(d) Australia.

6. In "Harmonica Frank -1951," what song does Marcus say "set the stage for rock 'n' roll"?
(a) "Rockin' Chair Daddy."
(b) "Up on Cripple Creek."
(c) "Howling Tomcat."
(d) "Mixed-Up Confusion."

7. Who wrote "Whispering Pines"?
(a) Elvis Presley.
(b) Robbie Robertson.
(c) Richard Manuel.
(d) Robert Levon.

8. What betrayal does the song "Tears of Rage" convey?
(a) A husband betrayed by his wife.
(b) A man betrayed by his best friend.
(c) America betrayed by those who refuse it.
(d) Americans betrayed by the promise for success.

9. According to Marcus in "Harmonica Frank -1951," what do both Ahab and Huck have in common?
(a) They are after a dream that is not real.
(b) They try to escape restraints and authority.
(c) They have aunts who try to civilize them.
(d) They go on adventures for the sake of adventure.

10. What magazine had an article "measuring Richard Manuel for a straight-jacket" (62)?
(a) Rolling Stones.
(b) The New Yorker.
(c) Playboy.
(d) Time.

11. Who said "I played rock and roll before I ever heard of Elvis Presley. I saw him in Memphis before he ever made a record"?
(a) Bob Dylan.
(b) Harmonica Frank.
(c) Sam Phillips.
(d) Little Richard.

12. In the Prologue, Marcus says that the music he will discuss dramatizes what?
(a) Life in the projects.
(b) The war.
(c) The racial tensions of the time.
(d) What it means to be American.

13. What is the subject of Robert Johnson's song "Stones in My Passway"?
(a) A man seeking salvation.
(b) A woman the speaker misses.
(c) A man who wants power over other souls.
(d) The end of the world as we know it.

14. What "spirit" does Harmonica Frank have that Marcus believes is truly American?
(a) Tender and free.
(b) Cruel and truthful.
(c) Unrepentant and free.
(d) Crazy and chaotic.

15. What was Johnson's instrument of choice?
(a) Piano.
(b) Harmonica.
(c) Saxophone.
(d) Guitar.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Marcus say failure mean to Americans in "Robert Johnson -1938"?

2. Who wrote the book discussed in the Prologue?

3. Which of the following performers will NOT be discussed in Mystery Train?

4. What image does The Band use that shows both division and unity?

5. According to Marcus in "The Band," what message did The Band originally try to get across?

(see the answer keys)

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