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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. In "The Band," to what does Marcus compare the song "We Can Talk About It Now"?
(a) A roller coaster.
(b) The beginning of a new relationship.
(c) A merry-go-round.
(d) A reunion.

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

3. In "Robert Johnson - 1938," why do some of Robert Johnson's contemporaries say that Johnson sold his soul to the devil?
(a) He began speaking in tongues.
(b) He practiced voodoo.
(c) He learned to play the blues quickly.
(d) He bragged about it in his songs.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Marcus say each performer he will discuss in the book attempts to do?

2. "Me and the Devil Blues" uses imagery that provokes what emotion?

3. Who wrote "Whispering Pines"?

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"?

5. What song of Elvis Presley's is mentioned as having the "young hold on freedom" and a "touch of fear" reminiscent to Robert Johnson's?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who are Harmonica Frank and Robert Johnson? Why are they included in the book?

2. In the section entitled "The Weight" in "The Band," what does Dominique Robertson have to say about living in Woodstock? What does this say about community?

3. In "The Band," what is significant about a group according to Marcus in "Crossing the Border"?

4. According to Marcus in "Harmonica Frank -1951," why would Lyndon Johnson and Harmonica Frank get along?

5. According to the prologue, what is Greil Marcus' purpose in writing Mystery Train?

6. Compare and contrast Harmonica Frank and Robert Johnson in terms of style. Use details from both "Harmonica Frank - 1951" and "Robert Johnson -1938." How are the two styles similar? What about the lyrics are different?

7. According to Marcus in "The Band," why is the story of Virgil Cane in "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" appealing to all Americans?

8. Who is Marcus' audience for Mystery Train and how do you know?

9. Why might "The Band" be subtitled "Pilgrim's Progress"?

10. Compare and contrast Ahab and Huck using Marcus' descriptions from "Harmonica Frank - 1951." How are they different? How are they similar?

(see the answer keys)

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