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Test your basic knowledge |
Music Appreciation
Start Test
Study First
Subjects
:
performing-arts
,
music
Instructions:
Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
If you are not ready to take this test, you can
study here
.
Match each statement with the correct term.
Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.
This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. Style modeled on that of the early acoustic string bands; probably the original 'alternative country' music.
Tupac Shakur
bluegrass
sampling
gangsta rap
2. Hip-hop artist whose work is a self-conscious alternative to the violence and sexism in the work of rap stars such as Dr. Dre - the Notorious B.I.G. - and 2Pac Shakur. Her commitment to female empowerment builds on the ground-breaking example of Quee
sequencer
Donna Summer
Lauryn Hill
Napster
3. Upbeat variety of rock music represented by artists such as Elton John - Paul McCartney - Rod Stewart - Chicago - and Peter Frampton.
Kenny Rogers
pop rock
Grandmaster Flash
Prince
4. Co-founded in 1984 by the hip-hop promoter Russell Simmons and the musician-producer Rick Rubin. During the 1980s - Def Jam cross-promoted a new generation of artists - expanding and diversifying the national audience for hip-hop - and in 1986 became
Sonic Youth
Def Jam
Queen Latifah
Lauryn Hill
5. Named after the Warehouse - a popular gay dance club in Chicago - it was a style of techno dance music. Many house recordings were purely instrumental - with elements of European synth-pop - Latin soul - reggae - rap - and jazz grafted over an insist
house music
Lauryn Hill
soft soul
heavy metal
6. The 'Godfather of Soul.' He was known for his acrobatic physicality and remarkable charisma on stage. No other single musician has proven to be as influential on the sound and style of black music as James Brown.
Sean 'Puffy' Combs
Dolly Parton
Def Jam
James Brown
7. Sophisticated approach to the vocal presentation and instrumental arrangement of country music; a fusion of 'country' and 'cosmopolitan.'
Peter Gabriel
soul music
nashville sound
countrypolitan
8. Veteran of folk pop groups such as the New Christy Minstrels and the First Edition - star of made-for-TV movies. One of the main beneficiaries of country pop's increasing mainstream appeal.
RIAA
Vanilla Ice
Kenny Rogers
Run-D.M.C.
9. Rapper from Oakland - California; hit the charts in 1990 with Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em - which held the Number One position for twenty-one weeks and sold over ten million copies - becoming the bestselling rap album of all time.
nashville sound
Carole King
M.C. Hammer
hardcore
10. Form of rock music that blended elements of rock and European classical music. It included bands such as King Crimson; Emerson - Lake - and Palmer; and Pink Floyd.
world music
art rock
Lauryn Hill
Def Jam
11. The norm since the introduction of recording in the nineteenth century. Transforms the energy of sound waves into physical imprints (as in pre-1925 acoustic recordings) or into electronic waveforms that closely follow (and can be used to reproduce) t
alternative music
Tupac Shakur
analog recording
hardcore
12. Got his start in the 1960s as a member of the famous folk rock duo Simon and Garfunkel. His album Graceland (1986) was a global collaboration recorded in South Africa - England - and the United States. It is the album responsible - more than any othe
David Bowie
Paul Simon
James Brown
Willie Nelson
13. Style of electronic dance music that originated in the Detroit area during the 1980s.
Michael Jackson
Prince
world music
techno
14. Pioneered West Coast gangsta rap with the release of the album Straight Outta Compton. Their recordings expressed the gangsta lifestyle - saturated with images of sex and violence. The nucleus of the group was formed in 1986 - when O'Shea ;Ice C
Public Enemy
N.W.A.
RIAA
Sean 'Puffy' Combs
15. Hip-hop culture - forged by African American and Caribbean American youth in New York City - included distinctive styles of visual art (graffiti) - dance (an acrobatic solo style called breakdancing and an energetic couple dance called the freak) - m
hip-hop
Def Jam
Prince
N.W.A.
16. Gangsta rapper born in Long Beach - CA - He was a protaga of Andre 'Dr. Dre' Young and collaborated on Dr. Dre's 1992 album The Chronic. Snoop's soft drawl and laid-back-but-lethal gangster persona were featured on Doggystyle - which debuted at the t
Snoop Doggy Dogg (Calvin Broadus)
Carole King
David Bowie
James Brown
17. Form of dance music popular in the late 1970s - characterized by elaborate studio production and an insistent beat: Donna Summer - Chic - the Village People - the Bee Gees.
Vanilla Ice
Aretha Franklin
disco
Paul Simon
18. Country music style involving polished arrangements and a sophisticated approach to vocal presentation. The recordings of Patsy Cline were among the most important manifestations of the Nashville sound.
Carole King
nashville sound
soul music
psychedelic rock
19. Upbeat variety of rock music represented by artists such as Elton John - Paul McCartney - Rod Stewart - Chicago - and Peter Frampton.
pop rock
Nirvana
Grateful Dead
Def Jam
20. A style of soft rock - lightly tinged with country music influences: John Denver - Olivia Newton-John - Kenny Rogers.
Tupac Shakur
Janis Joplin
country pop
synthesizer
21. Marketing category that emerged around 1990; it is most often used to describe bands like are.E.M. - Sonic Youth - the Dead Kennedys - and Nirvana.
alternative rock
Tupac Shakur
soft soul
grunge rock
22. -one of the forerunners of the Grunge genre - originally part of the 'no wave' scene in NY -Many alternative bands such as Nirvana looked up to them -album 'Daydream Nation' was well-received by critics - and then they were signed to Geffen Records -
Jimi Hendrix
Sean 'Puffy' Combs
Patsy Cline
Sonic Youth
23. British hard rock band that formed in London in 1968. Zeppelin's sledgehammer style of guitar-focused rock music drew on various influences - including urban blues - San Francisco psychedelia - and the virtuoso guitar playing of Jimi Hendrix.
Led Zeppelin
grunge rock
synthesizer
sequencer
24. The most successful white blues singer of the 1960s. Born in Port Arthur - Texas - Joplin came to San Francisco in the mid-1960s and joined a band called Big Brother and the Holding Company.
MIDI
Janis Joplin
breakdancing
Beastie Boys
25. The term 'alternative'—like the broadly equivalent terms 'underground' and 'independent'—is used across a wide range of popular genres - including rock - rap - adult contemporary - dance - folk - and country music. It is used to describe music that c
Kurt Cobain
funk music
alternative music
alternative rock
26. Emerged during the 1970s as one part of the cultural complex of hip-hop. It consisted of rhymed speech accompanied by funk-derived rhythmic grooves.
Madonna
Grandmaster Flash
The Sex Pistols
rap
27. The most outrageous—and therefore famous—punk band - formed in 1975 in London. They were the creation of Malcolm McAllen - owner of a London boutique called Sex - which specialized in leather and rubber clothing.
Bruce Springsteen
MP3
The Sex Pistols
funk music
28. Sophisticated approach to the vocal presentation and instrumental arrangement of country music; a fusion of 'country' and 'cosmopolitan.'
techno
countrypolitan
Jimi Hendrix
Vanilla Ice
29. Slick variety of rhythm & blues - often with lush orchestral accompaniment: the O'Jays - the Spinners - Al Green - Barry White.
Lauryn Hill
soft soul
funk music
analog recording
30. The first punk rock band. Formed in 1974 in New York City - the Ramones' high-speed - energetic - and extremely loud sound influenced English punk groups such as the Sex Pistols and the Clash and also became a blueprint for 1980s L.A. hardcore bands.
The Ramones
James Brown
James Brown
Def Jam
31. 'The Queen of Soul -' she began singing gospel music at an early age and had several hit records with Atlantic - including 'Respect' in 1967 and 'Think' in 1968.
MIDI
Paul Simon
Aretha Franklin
Grandmaster Flash
32. From the late 1980s through the 1990s - Madonna's popularity was second only to Michael Jackson's. She created controversial songs and music videos - including 'Papa Don't Preach' (1986) - 'Express Yourself' (1989) - and 'Like a Prayer' (1989).
rap
Madonna
Led Zeppelin
Beastie Boys
33. Music played by San Francisco bands that encompassed a variety of styles and musical influences - including folk rock - blues - 'hard rock -' Latin music - and Indian classical music.
psychedelic rock
hip-hop
Sonic Youth
nashville sound
34. One of the main venues for techno. Semipublic event modeled partly on the be-ins of the 1960s counterculture.
Carole King
rave
The Ramones
Ray Charles
35. Known as the 'Genius of Soul'; songwriter - arranger - keyboard player - and vocalist fluent in R&B - jazz - and mainstream pop.
MP3
urban folk
Def Jam
Ray Charles
36. Rapper from Oakland - California; hit the charts in 1990 with Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em - which held the Number One position for twenty-one weeks and sold over ten million copies - becoming the bestselling rap album of all time.
funk music
M.C. Hammer
The Ramones
Public Enemy
37. Variant of hip-hop music; its emergence was heralded nationwide by the release of the album Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A. (Niggaz with Attitude). It included artists such as Snoop Doggy Dogg - 2Pac Shakur - and the Notorious B.I.G.
urban folk
MIDI
gangsta rap
breakdancing
38. Achieved celebrity as a member of the art rock group Genesis before embarking on a solo career. Gabriel's best-selling single 'Sledgehammer' became Number One pop and Number Sixty-one R&B in 1986. The award-winning video version of 'Sledgehammer' was
soft soul
hip-hop
Peter Gabriel
hardcore
39. Veteran of folk pop groups such as the New Christy Minstrels and the First Edition - star of made-for-TV movies. One of the main beneficiaries of country pop's increasing mainstream appeal.
Willie Nelson
Kenny Rogers
Patsy Cline
Lauryn Hill
40. Country music style involving polished arrangements and a sophisticated approach to vocal presentation. The recordings of Patsy Cline were among the most important manifestations of the Nashville sound.
nashville sound
hardcore
M.C. Hammer
Kenny Rogers
41. Born in Mexico - he began his musical career playing guitar in Tijuana. He formed his band in San Francisco in the late 1960s. Their 1971 album Abraxas established a Latin American substream within rock.
pop rock
Tupac Shakur
Carlos Santana
countrypolitan
42. One of the main venues for techno. Semipublic event modeled partly on the be-ins of the 1960s counterculture.
rave
Andre (Dr. Dre) Young
Donna Summer
alternative rock
43. Variant of MPEG; MP3 enables sound files to be compressed to as little as one-twelfth of their original size.
MP3
art rock
countrypolitan
Public Enemy
44. The term 'alternative'—like the broadly equivalent terms 'underground' and 'independent'—is used across a wide range of popular genres - including rock - rap - adult contemporary - dance - folk - and country music. It is used to describe music that c
alternative music
art rock
MP3
bluegrass
45. Co-founded in 1984 by the hip-hop promoter Russell Simmons and the musician-producer Rick Rubin. During the 1980s - Def Jam cross-promoted a new generation of artists - expanding and diversifying the national audience for hip-hop - and in 1986 became
Def Jam
M.C. Hammer
alternative music
breakdancing
46. Born in the impoverished shantytowns of Kingston - Jamaica - reggae first became popular in the United States in 1973 - after the release of the Jamaican film The Harder They Come and its soundtrack album. The heart of reggae music consists of 'riddi
Queen Latifah
hip-hop
reggae
rave
47. Acrobatic solo dancing improvised by the young 'B-boys' who attended hip-hop dances.
sequencer
soft soul
countrypolitan
breakdancing
48. Trio consisting of the MCs Run (Joseph Simmons - b. 1964) and D.M.C. (Darryl McDaniels - b. 1964) - and the DJ Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell - b. 1965). Perhaps the most influential act in the history of rap music - they established a hard-edged - roc
gangsta rap
Run-D.M.C.
Carole King
Vanilla Ice
49. British hard rock band that formed in London in 1968. Zeppelin's sledgehammer style of guitar-focused rock music drew on various influences - including urban blues - San Francisco psychedelia - and the virtuoso guitar playing of Jimi Hendrix.
rave
sequencer
Led Zeppelin
Vanilla Ice
50. Parton was born in the hill country of Tennessee and began her recording career at age eleven. She moved to Nashville in 1964 and built her career with regular appearances on country music radio and television.
Dolly Parton
Run-D.M.C.
heavy metal
techno