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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 was the occupation of the person Cage thanks at the end of his foreword?

2. Who does Cage thank at the end of his foreword?

3. Where did Cage recall taking eight children to a zoo?

4. Yun Kiang met a man who acted like what animal?

5. When was "Experimental Music" first printed?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does Cage believe the future holds for sounds that are heard on a regular basis?

3. What advancements in music does Cage attribute to Henry Cowell?

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

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 Erik Satie's relevance?

7. How has Cage's process of composition evolved?

8. Why did Cage allow his creations to be called "experimental" after once resisting the title?

9. How does Cage think most people feel about experimentation?

10. What is the purpose of the section in "Composition as Process--III: Communication" where the author answers questions with more questions?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore the contradictory nature between Cage's desire to be random but his use of form. How does he show throughout the book that he is dedicated to randomness? What random things does he do? How might his random actions, especially in his presentation on the page, be seen as not random? Is anything really random if it is planned out in advance?

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 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?

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This section contains 795 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample