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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. Why does Marcus discuss many movies in "Sly Stone"?
(a) They all include the Staggerlee myth.
(b) They are biographies for Sly Stone.
(c) Sly Stone made the soundtracks for them.
(d) They are about black people.

2. What church did Elvis attend as a boy?
(a) Seven Day Adventist.
(b) He did not go to church.
(c) Assembly of God.
(d) Christ the King.

3. What does Sly shout back at the band in "Africa Talks to You 'the Asphalt Jungle'"?
(a) "Stop."
(b) "I'm a dying."
(c) "Help."
(d) "Timber."

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did people riot at Sly Stone concerts in the 70s?

2. Who said "This is the mystery of democracy . . . that its richest fruits spring up out of souls which no man has prepared and in circumstances where they are least expected"?

3. What does Leslie Fielder call the Beatles in "Randy Newman"?

4. Whom did Bob Dylan claim was "America's greatest poet"?

5. Who said "when I was a boy . . . I was the hero in comic books and movies. I grew up believing in a dream"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Marcus entitle a section "Mystery Train" in "Elvis"? Why is this also the title of the book?

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

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

4. In "Elvis," Marcus discusses the Pink Cadillac as being the downfall of Elvis. What does the Pink Cadillac symbolize and how is it Elvis' downfall?

5. According to Marcus in "Sly Stone," how did Newton and Cleaver use the myth of Staggerlee?

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

7. In "Elvis," Marcus compares Elvis Presley to Abraham Lincoln, why?

8. What type of risk does Randy Newman make in his music? What risk does he avoid?

9. According to Marcus in "Elvis," what are Elvis Presley's roots?

10. According to Marcus in "Elvis," in what ways can Elvis be considered a myth?

(see the answer keys)

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