View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Who is the contemporary black male opera singer Bernger interviews who says being black is a disadvantage when working in opera?

3. Who is Ryan's new Italian coach in Chapter 15?

4. Why does Ryan run after the young man who uses a racial slur to describe Obama?

5. Which opera does Ryan see on his first visit to the Met as a high school student?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 13, what does Ken Noda tell Ryan about how he will be judged as a singer because of his race?

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

3. What do Ryan's music teachers at the Governor's School think of his voice when they first hear him sing?

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

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

6. How does Gayletha Nichols describes Ryan's appeal to other people in Chapter 14?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Ryan's mother, Valerie, was offered the opportunity for a promising career in the military, but this did not come to fruition. Write an essay analyzing how Valerie's life took some turns toward the worst and how her life's path affected Ryan.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 836 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample