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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What "spirit" does Harmonica Frank have that Marcus believes is truly American?

2. According to Marcus, what problem does the storyteller of Stage Fright face?

3. Who interrupts the fight over the book in the Prologue?

4. According to the critics Marcus references in "The Band," who was Robbie Robertson's "foil"?

5. In the Prologue, Marcus says that the music he will discuss dramatizes what?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. According to Marcus in "Robert Johnson -1938," how are Robert Johnson's songs relevant even today? What artist's keep his spirit and music alive?

3. What type of music was Sam Phillips attempting to find and why?

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

5. Describe Harmonica Frank. What did he do? What did he look like? What made him unique?

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

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

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

9. According to Marcus in "The Band," who is the storyteller in Big Pink and what is his story?

10. In "The Band," why do the other members of the Band become known as Robbie Robertson's foil?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In an essay explore the reasons that Greil Marcus would discuss, in the same section, the dark and funny music of Randy Newman, the light music of the Beach Boys, and the stark imagery of Raymond Chandler. What do they have in common? What makes them different? How does Randy Newman fit into the world of the Beach Boys and of Raymond Chandler?

Essay Topic 2

Rock 'n' roll always has its ties to race and it both enriches the music and hinders it. Pick one artist who dealt with race issues in his music (any of the artists discussed in Mystery Train do). In an essay identify what the racial tensions of the time were and how they factored into the music.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing the images used in one or two of Robert Johnson's songs. What emotions do they convey? What meaning can be derived from his choice of words?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,384 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample