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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. What kind of doctor does the Met employ to treat its singers?

2. What famous legend did the story in Wanger's Parsifal draw on?

3. Who calls Ryan to tell him his father has died?

4. What does Ryan compare the area where he and Valerie move in Chapter 11 to?

5. Which club at school does Ryan join after he is released from the DeJarnette Center?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. Why does Ryan like spending time at his friend Jared Poulter's house in high school?

5. In Chapter 11, how does Ryan's budding relationship with the red-headed soprano work out?

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

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

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

9. Why does Ryan's brother Adrian leave home?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At several different points in Ryan's career, he is drawn to compositions that deal with emotional situations and issues that resonate directly with him because of his own experience. Select one specific piece of music that Ryan has a special, significant connection with because of his own experiences and write an essay analyzing that connection, using specific examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Brian Zeger, who runs the Met's vocal training program, talks about the technical advantages, aspects, and challenges of Ryan's voice in Chapter 14. Write an essay analyzing why Zeger thinks Ryan's voice is so unique and outstanding; do not ignore some of the drawbacks Zeger thinks Ryan needs to work on.

Essay Topic 3

As he is preparing for the second round of the Met's competition for young singers, Ryan encounters many technical challenges and setbacks in refining and enriching his operatic skills. Write an essay analyzing how Ryan chooses to deal with these challenges and his feelings of frustration as he carries out the hard work involved in cultivating his craft.

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