View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In what city did Cage first present his lecture "45' for a Speaker"?

2. How long did it take Cage to read the "Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna"?

3. How many days did it take Cage's friend to sort through a box of spices and foods that had become mixed up in transit?

4. In "Where Are We Going? And What Are We Doing?" Cage wonders why he ever lost interest in what group?

5. What U.S. state did Cage say is more interesting than Kansas, in "45' for a Speaker"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Cage think an evolution of music due to percussion instruments will affect dancers and choreographers?

2. What does Cage say on the subject of poetry in "Lecture on Nothing"?

3. How does Cage avoid being psychoanalyzed?

4. What does the author say about modern dance and whether it works?

5. What does Cage say about classical ballet?

6. In the fourth layer of "Where Are We Going? And What Are We Doing?", what does Cage say about moving into the field of experience and being?

7. How is the essay "Lecture on Nothing" formatted?

8. How does Cage say "Where Are We Going? And What Are We Doing?" should be delivered?

9. What contributions is painter Robert Rauschenberg known for?

10. Describe the process Cage using for writing "45' for a Speaker."

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Cage compare modern dance to classic styles of dance? What do classic styles have that modern dance lacks? What balance does he say needs to be created for modern dance to work? What point is Cage making about the move to more modern ideas?

Essay Topic 2

What does Cage say about the way opposites define each other? What is his logic in saying this? What examples does he give to prove his point? What techniques does he use to prove his point? How does this relate to a larger ideology about Buddhism?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 835 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample