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. In "45' for a Speaker," Cage compares listening to Christian Wolff's music to suddenly doing what?

2. In what year did Cage meet Merce Cunningham?

3. Cage attended but was not invited to a party at what family's home?

4. "Goal: New Music, New Dance" was first published as part of a series in what publication?

5. In "Where Are We Going? And What Are We Doing?" Cage says Marchetti has gone where?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Vera Williams' children cry when she served them mushrooms on their steak?

2. What does Cage say about the title of his article called "2 Pages, 122 Words on Music and Dance"?

3. Where did Cage get the idea to write "Where Are We Going? And What Are We Doing?"

4. How is the essay "Lecture on Nothing" formatted?

5. What does Cage say about classical ballet?

6. In the third layer of "Where Are We Going? And What Are We Doing?", what does Cage say about where "we are going"?

7. What does Cage say about silence at the end of "45' for a Speaker"?

8. What happened when Cage told a technician during a recording session what to expect from his music?

9. What does the author say about modern dance and whether it works?

10. What does Cage say about error in "45' for a Speaker"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the significance of the series of anecdotes relating the perspective of various innovators in philosophy and art that only the present is important found in "History of Experimental Music in the United States"? Looking at each of the three anecdotes, what do they have in common, aside from their overall theme? In the article, does Cage ever say whether he agrees or disagrees with these sentiments? How does he seem to feel about the past and the future?

Essay Topic 2

Explore Cage's use of personal anecdotes throughout the book. What seems to be the purpose of his lecture made up of anecdotes? What reason does Cage give for including it? What purpose do the anecdotes seem to serve in this chapter and throughout the book? How do the anecdotes represent a larger idea about relationships?

Essay Topic 3

Explore the author's dedication to innovation and change as seen through his layout on the page. What are some of the techniques Cage uses when writing? What different visual styles does he use? Why do you think he does this? What is he trying to say with his non-traditional style of writing?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 854 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample