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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. Who sat in on Ryan's practice session with the Met conductor in Chapter 5?

2. What is the name of the character from the Verdi opera that Ryan plays in his audition for the Met's young singers' competition?

3. What caused the scars on the backs of Ryan's legs?

4. Who called Ryan to check on him and speak with him while he was in the juvenile detention facility?

5. What does the Italian coach tell Ryan to do to practice his pronunciation in Chapter 7?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is the juvenile detention center that Ryan is placed in in Chapter 7 named after?

2. In Chapter 7, what is Ryan worried is contributing to his difficulties with Italian pronunciation?

3. Why does Valerie get so angry at Cecil when she flies home to her apartment after being stationed in Korea?

4. How do Ryan and Adrian remember their mother Valerie's relationship with Barry?

5. What was one of the most damaging and memorable punishments Ryan remembers from the DeJarnette Center?

6. What does Gayletha Nichols' experience with the operatic arts entail?

7. What is the incident that leads to Ryan's time in the juvenile detention center when he is 12 years old?

8. When Ryan works with the conductor Patrick Summers in Chapter 5, how does their practice session go?

9. In Chapter 5, what is the conductor, Patrick Summers, worried there might be too much of an emphasis on in opera these days?

10. What does the pronunciation and vocal coach Carrie-Ann Matheson tell Ryan to do when he goes home that evening in Chapter 7 that will help him with his Italian pronunciation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing the aspects of both Ryan's and his girlfriend Irene Fast's childhoods and backgrounds that are similar in important ways that allow them to understand and empathize with one another.

Essay Topic 2

Ken Noda, the child prodigy on piano turned professional accompanist, describes how his difficult relationship with his mother affected his life and career. Write an essay comparing and contrasting how Noda's and Ryan's problems with their mothers impacted their lives and careers.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing how Ryan's behavior in the DeJarnette Center is related to the problems he was experiencing with his mother Valerie at the time, citing specific references to the text to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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