501 Critical Reading Questions
a. sanction and bless the new couple. b
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501 Critical Reading Questions
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- Critical Reading Questions
a. sanction and bless the new couple.
b. form a tunnel of love. c. marry couples who did not want a Church wedding. d. offer advice to the new couple. e. sing improvised songs to newlyweds. 322. Which of the titles provided below is most appropriate for this passage? a. Wedding Marches and New Year’s Waltzes of the Rio Grand b. The Fading Era of Colonial Music in New Mexico c. Cowboy Songs of the Past d. Between Deserts and Mountains New Mexico Sings a Unique Song e. The Extraordinary Popular and Ceremonial Music of the Rio Grand 323. The author’s attitude toward the music of colonial New Mexico can best be described as a. bemusement. b. admiration. c. alienation. d. condescension. e. awe. Questions 324–332 are based on the following passages. In Passage 1, the author describes the life and influence of blues guitarist Robert Johnson. In Passage 2, the author provides a brief history of the blues. PASSAGE 1 There is little information available about the legendary blues guitarist Robert Johnson, and the information that is available is as much rumor as fact. What is undisputable, however, is Johnson’s impact on the world of rock and roll. Some consider Johnson the father of modern rock; his influence extends to artists from Muddy Waters to Led Zep- pelin, from the Rolling Stones to the Allman Brothers Band. Eric Clapton, arguably the greatest living rock guitarist, has said that “Robert Johnson to me is the most important blues musician who ever 501 Critical Reading Questions (1) (5) lived. [ . . . ] I have never found anything more deeply soulful than Robert Johnson.” While the impact of Johnson’s music is evident, the genesis of his remarkable talent remains shrouded in mystery. For Johnson, born in 1911 in Hazelhurst, Mississippi, music was a means of escape from working in the cotton fields. As a boy he worked on the farm that belonged to Noel Johnson—the man rumored to be his father. He married young, at age 17, and lost his wife a year later in childbirth. That’s when Johnson began traveling and playing the blues. Initially Johnson played the harmonica. Later, he began playing the guitar, but apparently he was not very good. He wanted to learn, how- ever, so he spent his time in blues bars watching the local blues legends Son House and Willie Brown. During their breaks, Johnson would go up on stage and play. House reportedly thought Johnson was so bad that he repeatedly told Johnson to get lost. Finally, one day, he did. For six months, Johnson mysteriously disappeared. No one knew what happened to him. When Johnson returned half a year later, he was suddenly a first- rate guitarist. He began drawing crowds everywhere he played. John- son never revealed where he had been and what he had done in those six months that he was gone. People had difficulty understanding how he had become so good in such a short time. Was it genius? Magic? Soon, rumors began circulating that he had made a deal with the devil. Legend has it that Johnson met the devil at midnight at a crossroads and sold his soul to the devil so he could play guitar. Johnson recorded only 29 songs before his death in 1938, purport- edly at the hands of a jealous husband. He was only 27 years old, yet he left an indelible mark on the music world. There are countless ver- sions of “Walkin’ Blues,” and his song “Cross Road Blues” (later reti- tled “Crossroads”) has been recorded by dozens of artists, with Cream’s 1969 version of “Crossroads” being perhaps the best-known Johnson remake. Again and again, contemporary artists return to John- son, whose songs capture the very essence of the blues, transforming our pain and suffering with the healing magic of his guitar. PASSAGE 2 There are more than fifty types of blues music, from the famous Chicago and Memphis Blues to the less familiar Juke Joint and Acoustic Country Blues. This rich variety comes as no surprise to those who recognize the blues as a fundamental American art form. Indeed, in its resolution to name 2003 the Year of the Blues, the 107th 1 6 6 501 Download 0.98 Mb. Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
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