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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Staggerlee and Sly Stone are both powerful, but what is different about them?
(a) Sly bought his fame.
(b) Staggerlee worked his way to the top.
(c) Staggerlee had no emotion.
(d) Sly did not kill anyone to get power.

2. According to Marcus, who is the focus in the song "Sail Away"?
(a) The listener.
(b) The slaves.
(c) The Africans.
(d) The confidence man.

3. What song by Randy Newman was a satire on bigotry?
(a) "God's Song."
(b) "Davy the Fat Boy."
(c) "Short People."
(d) "Suzanne."

4. According to Marcus, what does Elvis symbolize?
(a) The beginning of something new.
(b) Faith.
(c) Selfishness.
(d) The American dream realized.

5. What literary term does Marcus identify with the line "When he died, all he left us was alone"?
(a) Theme.
(b) Epitaph.
(c) Enigma.
(d) Moral.

6. According to Marcus in "Elvis," why does Elvis NOT owe blacks anything?
(a) He made the music his own.
(b) They gave the style away freely.
(c) They did not copyright the style.
(d) The music was a throwaway.

7. In what song does Sly Stone mock his own song "Thank you falettinme be mice elf Agin"?
(a) "Blowin Your Mind."
(b) "Thank you for talkin' to me Africa."
(c) "Africa Talks to You 'The Asphalt Jungle.'"
(d) "Bonnie and Clyde."

8. At the time Riot was made, who was making the decisions about what kind of records would be created?
(a) Musicians.
(b) Managers.
(c) Artists.
(d) Producers.

9. What was Elvis called in the beginning of his career?
(a) Bilbo.
(b) Hillbilly Cat.
(c) A good 'ole boy.
(d) The King.

10. What single did Sly release that was the "most optimistic of all"?
(a) "Everybody is a Star."
(b) "Stand!"
(c) "Riot."
(d) "Dance to the Music."

11. What archetype does Newman represent?
(a) Keeper of American imagination.
(b) Doomed lover.
(c) The American philosopher.
(d) Journeyman.

12. Where are dreams imprisoned according to Marcus in "Sly Stone"?
(a) The music.
(b) Politics.
(c) They cannot be imprisoned.
(d) The mind.

13. What controversial topics are addressed in Randy Newman's song "Sail Away"?
(a) Money and race.
(b) Power and politics.
(c) Slavery and the American dream.
(d) Art and realism.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What church did Elvis attend as a boy?

2. How many people came to see Elvis open a shopping center after he produced only one record?

3. Who wrote "obviously, it is easier to kill than to create" (95)?

4. What was the original name of the style that Elvis sang?

5. What is the name of Elvis' mother?

(see the answer keys)

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