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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. Cage and his wife moved to New York from where?

2. Who is the author of "Essay on Rime"?

3. What did Cage question about Erik Satie?

4. According to Cage, it would be act of charity for people to do what when they come across Erik Satie's records?

5. In the "Strategy" section of "Forerunners of Modern Music," what term does Cage say "may be controlled or not, as one chooses"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Cage describe the process by which he created a piece of music scored for twelve radios?

2. How does Cage feel about writing his article about Erik Satie, as portrayed in the article?

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

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

5. In "Experimental Music: Doctrine," how does Cage respond when asked what he had to say about rhythm?

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

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

8. Describe the anecdote used at the conclusion of "Composition as Process--2: Indeterminacy" about Dr. Suzuki.

9. Why does Cage say that compositions indeterminate with respect to their performance are by definition experimental?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

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 Varese's significance in the book. How does Cage characterize Varese's work? Why does he say that he has established the present nature of music? What examples does he present to prove this statement? What does he say to claims that Varese is a figure of the past?

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