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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. How did Robert Johnson die?

2. What does Marcus think the performers discussed in the Prologue have in common?

3. In "The Band," to what does Marcus compare the song "We Can Talk About It Now"?

4. With whom did the Band play from 1965 to 1966, helping him and themselves to improve and gain popularity?

5. What is the name of the television show that Greil Marcus uses as an example in the Prologue?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Describe Robert Johnson's musical career. How did his contemporaries feel about his abilities? Is his music still relevant?

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

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

5. 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?

6. Just before "The Righteous Land," Marcus quotes from "We Can Talk About It Now." The storyteller in the song tells "there's no need to slave. The whip . . . is in the grave" (53). What type of imagery does this line have and what does it mean?

7. 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?

8. According to Marcus in "The Band," how are Harmonica Frank and Robert Johnson relevant to The Band?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Great Divide is a strong image used by the band and one that merited discussion by Greil Marcus in "The Band." In an essay examine why the Band would be drawn to this image. How is it metaphoric? What does it mean? How is it American?

Essay Topic 2

Elvis is a man but he is also a symbol. In an essay discuss at least three concepts that Elvis came to symbolize. How does he symbolize these concepts? What did he do to reinforce these conceptions?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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