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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. Which of Cage's friends obsessed over a box of spices and food that came from overseas?

2. "Goal: New Music, New Dance" was first published as part of a series in what publication?

3. In an after-note to "Lecture on Nothing," the author gets the audience to stop asking questions by answering with how many standardized answers?

4. In "45' for a Speaker," Cage says a trip from where he is to what country is a complex series of experiences?

5. What city was Cage in when he learned that the burning questions among students were "Where are we going?" and "What are we doing?"

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Cage say about change in "Where Are We Going? And What Are We Doing?"

2. In the third layer of "Where Are We Going? And What Are We Doing?", what does Cage say about where "we are going"?

3. What does Cage suggests that Morton Feldman felt about opposites?

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

5. What does Cage say about silence at the end of "45' for a Speaker"?

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

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

8. How did Cage come to be in possession of a coat belonging to Ms. Reis?

9. 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?

10. Where did Cage get the idea to write "Where Are We Going? And What Are We Doing?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore the contrast created in Cage's essay which is an imaginary conversation between himself and Erik Satie. Discuss the mathematical presence in Cage's parts in relation to the near-poetic sensibility revealed in Satie's part. Why do you think the author takes this tone for his parts? Do you think he is really so cold about Satie? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

In Part 3, the author asks "What has been composed?" because so much is determined randomly. Why do you think Cage asks this question? Does he seem to be undermining his own work as a composer? What point is he trying to make about the relationship between creating and being random?

Essay Topic 3

Based on the three anecdotes after "Composition as Process--III: Communication," what is Cage saying about having expectations? What expectations are not being met? Does Cage seem to agree with the feelings expressed by the people in his anecdotes? How clear is his message about expectations? What techniques does he use to make his point?

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