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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) Paul Robeson.
(b) Eric Oswald
(c) James Levine.
(d) David Robertson.

2. Which composer's work does Ken Noda suggest Ryan try singing in Chapter 15?
(a) Mozart.
(b) Mahler.
(c) Puccini.
(d) Verdi.

3. Who is the contemporary black male opera singer Bernger interviews who says being black is a disadvantage when working in opera?
(a) James Brown.
(b) Philippe Sly.
(c) Paul Robeson.
(d) Eric Owens.

4. Which pronunciation coach does Ryan work with in Chapter 14?
(a) Hemdi Kfir.
(b) Carrie-Ann Matheson.
(c) John Jones.
(d) Jeffry Rees.

5. Who is the accompanist Ryan meets in Chapter 12 who was once a child prodigy on the piano?
(a) Ken Noda.
(b) Richard Wright.
(c) James Robeson.
(d) James Levine.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why do Valerie's new neighbors across the street knock out her porch light bulb in Chapter 11?

2. Why does Ryan stop seeing the red-headed girl he meets in the beginning of Chapter 11?

3. What do the kids on Ryan's bus say when they find out he is singing opera?

4. Which teacher at Governor's School takes Ryan under his wing and helps turn him into a very good singer?

5. Where does Ryan attend graduate school?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. In Chapter 13, why is Ryan afraid he may become like the singer Terrence Coleman?

6. Why does it bother Ryan so much when people ask him to sing the song Ol' Man River?

7. Why is Ryan's family very surprised when they hear he is seriously interested in opera?

8. What does Brian Zeger, who runs the Met's training program, say is the real strength of Ryan's voice?

9. What was wrong with the area that Valerie and Ryan move to, the little green shack, in a town outside of Norfolk?

10. In Chapter 9, what effect does the black opera singer Eric Owens say race has on the career of opera singers?

(see the answer keys)

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