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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who is the legendary conductor at the Met who is involved in selecting singers for the Met's special training program?
(a) James Levine.
(b) Eric Oswald
(c) Paul Robeson.
(d) David Robertson.

2. What instrument does Zeger say Ryan has to make his voice more like?
(a) A tuba.
(b) A piano.
(c) A trumpet.
(d) A harp.

3. How does Mr. Brown die?
(a) Stroke.
(b) AIDS.
(c) Heart attack.
(d) Cancer.

4. Which famous opera singer does Ryan see perform when he goes to the Met for the first time?
(a) Renee Fleming.
(b) Denyce Graves.
(c) Marian Anderson.
(d) Kathleen Battle.

5. What kind of church does Robert Brown attend?
(a) Episcopalian.
(b) Methodist.
(c) Unitarian.
(d) Catholic.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which group barred Marian Anderson from singing at Constitution Hall in Washington DC in 1939?

2. Which composer's work does Ken Noda suggest Ryan try singing in Chapter 15?

3. What does Ryan's friend's father remember Ryan leaving all around the house when he visited?

4. Who is the singer Ryan is afraid of being compared to in Chapter 13?

5. What does Ryan's grandmother, who is suffering from dementia in Chapter 10, call him?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the personal connection that helps Ryan get into the Virginia Governor's School for the Arts?

2. Why did the famous opera singer Marian Anderson perform a concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939?

3. What happens to Ryan on the night of November 4, 2008, when Barack Obama is elected president?

4. Why did the child piano prodigy Ken Noda abruptly stop performing piano concerts?

5. What kind of influence does Mr. Brown have on Ryan during his time teaching him?

6. When does Ryan first settle on the idea that he would like to sing at the Met someday?

7. What does winning the Met's competition for young singers mean for a young singer's career?

8. Why does Mr. Brown experience conflicted feelings about religion?

9. What surprises Noda about Ryan's level of skill when he first starts working with Ryan?

10. What does Noda say is the greatest part of Ryan's appeal as a singer?

(see the answer keys)

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