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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. In "The Band," what does Marcus say the Band felt was a mistake?

2. According to Marcus in "The Band," what message did The Band originally try to get across?

3. According to Marcus in "The Band," what is the storyteller in the second album?

4. In "Harmonica Frank -1951," who is the "latest Ahab"?

5. Why does Marcus believe it is important to study the stories of some performers even if the book does not encompass everything?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Harmonica Frank - 1951," what exactly is the American spirit that Marcus believes Harmonica Frank brought to rock n' roll?

2. Describe the example of an artist that Greil Marcus uses in the prologue. Who is an artist and why? Why are the other people in the example not artists?

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

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

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. In "The Band," what is significant about a group according to Marcus in "Crossing the Border"?

7. 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?

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

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

10. In "Robert Johnson -1938," what common theme does Robert Johnson's music have with music by Eric Clapton?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The archetypal theme, desire for freedom, is more than apparent in Harmonica Frank's style and life. Write an essay analyzing how this is an archetypal theme and how Harmonica Frank represents it in his music and life.

Essay Topic 2

Marcus stakes a claim that Elvis Presley is one of a kind and could not be easily replaced. What is unique about Elvis Presley? How does he succeed where other failed? Why is Elvis able to stay at the top when other more seasoned artists fall off the charts and out of mind after getting their break?

Essay Topic 3

Greil Marcus discusses The Band, Sly Stone, Randy Newman, and Elvis as the inheritors of Harmonica Frank's and Robert Johnson's music. In an essay identify how Harmonica Frank and Robert Johnson are ancestors.

(see the answer keys)

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