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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. Bangs admires the Troggs for making innocent _____ songs as well as incredibly sexual music.

2. In the second section of the essay, Bangs suggests that some bands turned from simplistic rock into arty bands, including all of the following except ______.

3. The band known as the Troggs derived their name from the word ______ which means "cavemen".

4. The article "My Night of Ecstasy With the J. Geils Band" talks about Bangs and the staff of ______ trying to figure out how to cover the J. Geils show.

5. The opening acts for David Bowie's concert included such names as Ava Cherrt and _______.

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Bang argue is the recipe for making rock and roll good again, according to his essay?

2. What is the observation that Bangs makes about the rock bands of the time and how they were seen by crowds?

3. What does Lester Bangs not like about the way that music shifted in the 1960s, according to his essays?

4. Why does Bangs recommend the album "White Witch", even though it's difficult to tell whether he is being serious or not in this essay?

5. What does Bangs believe the song "Wild Thing" causes the listeners to do, or to at least consider doing in their lives?

6. What do other critics besides Lester Bangs have to say about the Stooges, a band that Bangs adores?

7. What is the assessment of "Fun House" that Bangs makes after listening to the album the first and the second time?

8. Why does Clark believe that he will still be around for years to come, as he says when talking to Bangs?

9. What does Bangs believe to be the meaning of the song "Give It To Me" by The Troggs?

10. What does Bangs have to say about the idea of good taste, especially when it comes to old movies and to music?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Bangs is a music critic, someone who is paid to talk about his opinions about music, which sometimes are stilted and unbalanced.

Part 1: Do you think a music critic should try to be more balanced in their writing?

Part 2: Do you agree with most of Bangs' ideas about music?

Part 3: How do you think a music critic is able to criticize music without letting their own tastes get in the way? Is this possible?

Essay Topic 2

Bangs describes feeling more powerful as a result of the most masculine album that Reed makes in "Metal Machine Music."

Part 1: Why do you think powerful and masculine are two words that are associated with each other?

Part 2: Do you think that women singers can be powerful? Why or why not?

Part 3: How do you think a song can be made more powerful for the audience?

Essay Topic 3

In the beginning, Bangs writes from the perspective of an older man who is explaining rock and roll to children.

Part 1: Why do you think it's important to consider alternative histories?

Part 2: How do you think that the opening section is right? How is it wrong?

Part 3: Do you think that an alternative history is just as valid as the real history?

(see the answer keys)

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