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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 "Elvis," what song does Marcus use to illustrate the work Elvis puts into his music?
(a) "Boy Who Stole the Blues."
(b) "Good Rockin."
(c) "Hound Dog."
(d) "Milkcow Blues Boogie."

2. What is the mood in the Riot album?
(a) Anger.
(b) Hope.
(c) Joy.
(d) Oppression.

3. In "Elvis," what song does Elvis make his own by changing the story from hopelessness to hope?
(a) "Pink Cadillac."
(b) "Mystery Train."
(c) "Hound Dog. "
(d) "Baby Let's Play House."

4. Who, according to Marcus, gave Staggerlee the cruelest epitaph?
(a) Eldridge Cleaver.
(b) John Hurt.
(c) Sly Stone.
(d) Elvis Presley.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Marcus, what does Elvis symbolize?

2. From whom does Marcus quote in the beginning to introduce the myth of Staggerlee in "Sly Stone"?

3. Who wrote "We needed . . . to be violently stirred into life . . . intolerable social constraints grew daily upon us"?

4. According to Marcus in "Randy Newman," what is the number one democratic desire?

5. Why did political activist, Eldridge Cleaver, not want to go to jail?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Randy Newman," does Randy Newman care if he is popular or not?

2. What does Marcus mean when he wrote: "Instead of breaking the bartender's glass Stack found himself aiming at the mirror behind the bar, and thus discovered that the target was himself" (78)?

3. How does Marcus define pop culture optimism and pessimism in "Sly Stone"?

4. Compare and contrast Sly and Staggerlee as presented in "Sly Stone: The Myth of Staggerlee in the sections: Introduction and "Sly Stone." How are they similar? How are they different?

5. According to Marcus in "Elvis," what racial issues exist with Elvis' music?

6. According to Marcus in "Randy Newman" what is a shared culture? Why is the shared culture important?

7. In the section "Sly vs. Superfly," what problems emerge from the black movies being made in the early seventies? How is real life different from the movies?

8. According to Marcus in "Randy Newman," what is important about the Beach Boys? (101)

9. According to Marcus in "Elvis," what was ironic about Elvis' natural, spontaneous appearance and sound in his music?

10. What is the epitaph written by John Hurt? Why does Marcus include the Stag-o-lee epitaph at the end of "Sly Stone: The Myth of Staggerlee"?

(see the answer keys)

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