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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 interrupts the fight over the book in the Prologue?
(a) Rita Moreno.
(b) Little Richard.
(c) Erich Segal.
(d) John Simon.

2. What was the original name of the Band in the early sixties?
(a) Robbie and the Rockers.
(b) The Bush Beaters.
(c) The Beatles.
(d) The Hawks.

3. According to Marcus in "Robert Johnson -1938," what gives music "mythical authority"?
(a) When the music reflects life.
(b) When the songs attract fans.
(c) When the music tells a story.
(d) When the singer uses a deeper tenor.

4. What author does Marcus quote in the beginning of "Robert Johnson -1938" to illustrate the promise of American life?
(a) Herman Melville.
(b) F. Scott Fitzgerald.
(c) Robert Johnson.
(d) Norman Mailer.

5. What religious group does Marcus compare blues singers to in "Robert Johnson -1938"?
(a) Catholics.
(b) Puritans.
(c) Voodoo.
(d) Satanists.

Short Answer Questions

1. What magazine had an article "measuring Richard Manuel for a straight-jacket" (62)?

2. What is the last number on The Band album?

3. According to Marcus in "Harmonica Frank -1951," whose music caught the spirit and sound of Harmonica Frank and made it popular?

4. What is the name of The Band's third album?

5. What does Marcus name the storyteller from The Band's lyrics?

Short Essay Questions

1. There are several dualisms that Marcus identifies the Band reflecting on in "The Righteous Land " section of "The Band." What are two of these dualisms and what aspect of America do they reflect?

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

3. How does Greil Marcus define "artist" in the prologue?

4. In "The Band," what is one philosophical assumption that Marcus makes in the section "The Righteous Land"?

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

6. According to Marcus in the introduction to "The Band," what message did The Band send to its audience?

7. What imagery does Robert Johnson often use in his music? What do these images convey?

8. In "The Band," what happens when the Band plays in San Francisco after releasing their first two albums?

9. What is the relationship between the rock 'n' roll artist and audience according to Greil Marcus in the prologue?

10. In the prologue, what four artists does Marcus say he will write about and why these performers?

(see the answer keys)

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