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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 long had Erik Satie been dead when Cage wrote an essay about him?

2. The essay "Composition: To Describe the Process of Composition Used in 'Music of Changes' and 'Imaginary Landscape No. 4'" was originally published in as part of what publication?

3. What country did Cage's dad falsely say the family would visit?

4. What grade did Cage get in a college class the first time he wrote in the manner of Gertrude Stein?

5. Who said, "John, I dearly love you, but I can't bear another minute"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened to Cage when he and Xenia went to New York, expecting to stay with a friend named Max?

2. What does Cage comment on in the article "Forerunners of Modern Music"?

3. How does Cage go about exploring the work of each composer he mentions in "Composition as Process--2: Indeterminacy"?

4. Describe the story Cage retells of when his mother asked his father to go to church.

5. Describe what Cage said about the French and the Italians in a conversation he recalls having at a Venetian restaurant.

6. What does Cage say about Varese in relation to the present nature of music?

7. What does Cage say about being associated with Dadaism and Zen in his Foreword?

8. How does Cage feel about poetry, according to what he says in his Foreword?

9. How much concern do Cage and his colleagues seem to have about how their work is perceived and received by its hearers?

10. How does Cage answer his own question about whether music can be composed without writing it in pencil or ink?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore the author's dedication to innovation and change as seen through his layout on the page. What are some of the techniques Cage uses when writing? What different visual styles does he use? Why do you think he does this? What is he trying to say with his non-traditional style of writing?

Essay Topic 2

Explore the author's feelings on the nature of sound. What does Cage say about sound in "Experimental Music: Doctrine"? What does he say about the nature of sound? What does he say about interpreting it?

Essay Topic 3

Explore Cage's concern with his own creative process in relation to his concern with what the audience receives? When do you first get a sense of Cage's concern with experimenting with process? What does he seem most concerned with? Why might he feel this way? How does this prioritization relate to his overall non-traditional approach to creating?

(see the answer keys)

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