Question

The First Elvis Impersonator
Nowadays, Elvis impersonators are seen as a quirky, mostly outdated fad. Crooning out Elvis tunes, there seems to be little mystique to these nostalgia acts. However, the first Elvis impersonator caused a national frenzy. Fans nationwide dared to believe that Elvis had come back from the dead.

Jimmy Ellis had a lot in common with Elvis Presley. His last name sounded much like “Elvis.” His biological father, who had given Ellis up for adoption, had the same name as Elvis’s father. Even their voices were nearly indistinguishable. No wonder that he tried to capitalize on these similarities by releasing albums of Elvis cover songs throughout the 1970s. There was just one problem: Elvis was already there. Why would someone want to buy an album of someone imitating Elvis’s music? It was easy enough to buy an actual Elvis album.

Then, in 1977, Elvis died. Together with his record producer, Ellis hatched a shocking scheme. He would dye his hair black, dress in Elvis’s trademark jumpsuits, wear a mask, and perform. Taking the stage name “Orion,” Ellis fooled the nation into believing that he was Elvis returning after faking his own death. Orion was a hit, with many of Elvis’s former fans rushing to the singer they believed was Elvis back from the dead. It wasn’t until 1983, when Orion ripped off his mask in front of thousands of people, that the sham was exposed.

Since then, hundreds of Elvis impersonators have developed acts and performed, hoping to recreate the magic of Elvis.


Questions
How does the author portray Jimmy Ellis?

As more talented than Elvis

As an untalented performer

As determined to become the very best

As someone who took advantage of a unique opportunity and started a trend

Answer 1

As someone who took advantage of a unique opportunity and started a trend.

The passage emphasizes Ellis’s similarities to Elvis, his staged scheme as “Orion” to capitalize on Elvis’s death, and how that act led to hundreds of subsequent Elvis impersonators.