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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. When Bangs takes the instrument home with him and attempts to play it, a dispute with ______ erupts.

2. The narrator of the story Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung is a ______ year old man explaining rock and roll history to his grandchildren.

3. In his write up of the song _____, Bangs fantasizes about the lead singer, Reg Presley, living out the lyrics.

4. The band known as the Troggs were responsible for the smash hit ______.

5. Bangs purchases a record by _______ and he says it is so bad that "it gets stars for lousiness".

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Bangs believe the song "Wild Thing" causes the listeners to do, or to at least consider doing in their lives?

2. What does Bangs have to say about the albums that Chicago puts out during this lifetime?

3. What does Bangs have to say about the album "Keep the Faith," even though he liked the band's first album?

4. What is the assessment of "Fun House" that Bangs makes after listening to the album the first and the second time?

5. What does Bangs have to say about the idea of good taste, especially when it comes to old movies and to music?

6. What happens when Bangs decides to chase his landlady back to her apartment as he is playing the saxophone?

7. Why does Bangs recommend the album "White Witch", even though it's difficult to tell whether he is being serious or not in this essay?

8. What does Bangs believe to be the meaning of the song "Give It To Me" by The Troggs?

9. What does Jon Landau do in response to the way that Lester Bangs writes about music, according to the essay?

10. What does Bangs believe is the reason why The Guess Who are so popular and so effective with their audience?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Bangs seems to be irreverent in much of his writing, deciding to use different voices for different topics.

Part 1: Why do you think Bangs uses different voices in different columns?

Part 2: Do you think it's better to have a consistent voice or to have different voices?

Part 3: How do you think you would speak if you were writing a music column versus a traditional column?

Essay Topic 2

Like so many other music critics, Bangs has stories of run-ins with the law which make it into his columns.

Part 1: Why do you think Bangs decides that he won't stop playing his sax, and then gets in trouble for it?

Part 2: Do you think there is a reputation that a music critic has to uphold in order to be seen as valid?

Part 3: How do you think a music critic or a musician should behave?

Essay Topic 3

In his writing, Bangs seems to have explanations for band names, which seem to be a little preposterous.

Part 1: Do you think you can believe everything that Bangs is saying?

Part 2: How do you think Bangs comes up with the answers that he shares with his readers?

Part 3: Why do you think Bangs feels the need to explain the band names and meanings?

(see the answer keys)

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