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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. Who did Yun Kiang meet while rambling to the east?

2. A portion of "Composition as Process--3: Communication" was published in what publication?

3. In what year did Cage's essay on Erik Satie first appear?

4. When is Cage's foreword dated?

5. One of the questions Cage asked in "Composition as Process--3" was if anyone had seen this man lately?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why does Cage format "Erik Satie" in a way where he and Satie never hear what the other is saying?

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

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

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

6. What does Cage say about finding facts on the life and work of Edgard Varese?

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

8. How does Cage describe the creation of "Music for Piano"?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore Cage's use of personal anecdotes throughout the book. What seems to be the purpose of his lecture made up of anecdotes? What reason does Cage give for including it? What purpose do the anecdotes seem to serve in this chapter and throughout the book? How do the anecdotes represent a larger idea about relationships?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Explore the significance of the essay on Rauschenberg. Why do you think Cage includes a chapter about a painter in his book which mostly deals with music? What idea does Rauschenberg seem to share with Cage about art and creating it? What does it say about the author that he, as a composer, has similar ideas to a painter? What might this say about his artistic movement as a whole?

(see the answer keys)

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