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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. 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
techno
funk music
hip-hop
alternative music
2. 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.
rave
Patsy Cline
Dolly Parton
M.C. Hammer
3. Tragic victim of conflicts between East and West Coast factions within the hip-hop business. He was an up-and-coming star with Los Angeles-based Death Row Records when He was shot and killed in Las Vegas in 1996.
Led Zeppelin
Michael Jackson
Tupac Shakur
heavy metal
4. A style of soft rock - lightly tinged with country music influences: John Denver - Olivia Newton-John - Kenny Rogers.
Grandmaster Flash
world music
country pop
Clear channel
5. Began his performing career as a member of the Jackson Five. He achieved unprecedented success with his 1982 album Thriller - and his elaborately produced music videos helped boost the new medium of music videos. Jackson became the first African Amer
Bob Marley
Willie Nelson
Michael Jackson
Andre (Dr. Dre) Young
6. 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.
gangsta rap
Tupac Shakur
Lauryn Hill
disco
7. Device that records musical data rather than musical sound and enables the creation of repeated sound sequences (loops) - the manipulation of rhythmic grooves - and the transmission of recorded data from one program or device to another.
sequencer
The Ramones
Bob Marley
Bob Marley
8. 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
Grateful Dead
Madonna
Paul Simon
Run-D.M.C.
9. Internet-based software program that enabled computer users to share and swap files - specifically music - through a centralized file server. A federal court injunction forced Napster to shut down operations in February 2001.
Napster
analog recording
alternative music
MIDI
10. Style of folk music that grew in popularity in the burgeoning New York folk scene during the 1960s. It included artists such as Bob Dylan.
James Brown
urban folk
hardcore
Bob Marley
11. Country vocalist who scored crossover hits with songs such as 'I Fall to Pieces -' and 'Crazy -' both recorded in 1961.
Run-D.M.C.
country pop
N.W.A.
Patsy Cline
12. 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
soul music
hip-hop
James Brown
pop rock
13. Device that records musical data rather than musical sound and enables the creation of repeated sound sequences (loops) - the manipulation of rhythmic grooves - and the transmission of recorded data from one program or device to another.
sequencer
world music
Lauryn Hill
David Bowie
14. DJ and leader of the furious five - he developed many of the turntable techniques that characterized early hip-hop music.
rave
Michael Jackson
Grandmaster Flash
The Ramones
15. The most important woman in the history of hip-hop - in terms of both her commercial success and her effectiveness in establishing a feminist beachhead on the male-dominated field of rap music.
soul music
Sonic Youth
Queen Latifah
techno
16. A digital recording process wherein a sound source is recorded with a microphone - converted to a digital stream of binary numbers - and stored in a computer. The sampled sounds may be retrieved in a number of ways.
techno
Run-D.M.C.
sampling
country pop
17. 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.
The Sex Pistols
Dolly Parton
synthesizer
Donna Summer
18. 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
reggae
progressive country
world music
rap
19. Extreme variation of punk - pioneered during the early 1980s by bands in San Francisco (the Dead Kennedys) and Los Angeles (the Germs - Black Flag - X - and the Circle Jerks).
Andre (Dr. Dre) Young
Donna Summer
hardcore
bluegrass
20. 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
Lauryn Hill
soft soul
world music
Madonna
21. One of the biggest stars to emerge from disco in the 1970s. She sang on several disco classics - including 'Love to Love You Baby' (1976) and 'Good Times' (1979).
Grandmaster Flash
breakdancing
Donna Summer
Patsy Cline
22. 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
Bruce Springsteen
Vanilla Ice
countrypolitan
Peter Gabriel
23. -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 -
Willie Nelson
Sonic Youth
Ray Charles
Def Jam
24. 'Glam rock' pioneer who established the character of Ziggy Stardust.
David Bowie
hardcore
Kenny Rogers
Kurt Cobain
25. Band that originated in the 1960s San Francisco rock scene. Their career spanned more than three decades.
Lauryn Hill
Aretha Franklin
Jimi Hendrix
Grateful Dead
26. Variant of MPEG; MP3 enables sound files to be compressed to as little as one-twelfth of their original size.
funk music
MP3
RIAA
Dolly Parton
27. '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.
Aretha Franklin
N.W.A.
Donna Summer
Jimi Hendrix
28. Slick variety of rhythm & blues - often with lush orchestral accompaniment: the O'Jays - the Spinners - Al Green - Barry White.
soft soul
M.C. Hammer
Prince
Willie Nelson
29. Upbeat variety of rock music represented by artists such as Elton John - Paul McCartney - Rod Stewart - Chicago - and Peter Frampton.
Willie Nelson
grunge rock
Snoop Doggy Dogg (Calvin Broadus)
pop rock
30. Springsteen's music and personal image evoked the rebellious rock 'n' rollers of the 1950s and the socially conscious folk rockers of the 1960s. His songs reflected his working-class origins and sympathies.
Andre (Dr. Dre) Young
Bruce Springsteen
Grateful Dead
Carole King
31. Country vocalist who scored crossover hits with songs such as 'I Fall to Pieces -' and 'Crazy -' both recorded in 1961.
MP3
rap
Kenny Rogers
Patsy Cline
32. Prince is one of the most talented musicians ever to achieve mass commercial success in the field of popular music. He has sold almost forty million recordings. Between 1982 and 1992 - he placed nine albums in the Top 10 - reaching the top of the cha
Prince
Carlos Santana
gangsta rap
Def Jam
33. Singer and guitarist who founded the alternative rock band Nirvana. His recordings broke through to the commercial mainstream and popularized grunge rock. He shot himself in Seattle in 1994.
Michael Jackson
MIDI
Kurt Cobain
RIAA
34. Sophisticated approach to the vocal presentation and instrumental arrangement of country music; a fusion of 'country' and 'cosmopolitan.'
bluegrass
progressive country
M.C. Hammer
countrypolitan
35. Founded in 1982 - Public Enemy was organized around a core set of members who met as college students - drawn together by their interest in hip-hop culture and political activism. The group included the standard hip-hop configuration of two MCs—Chuck
Public Enemy
Run-D.M.C.
James Brown
Madonna
36. Singer-songwriter Who wrote many hits in the 1960s with Gerry Goffin. In 1971 - the success of her album Tapestry made her a major recording star.
Willie Nelson
Napster
alternative rock
Carole King
37. 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.
Michael Jackson
Carlos Santana
alternative rock
Led Zeppelin
38. 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
Run-D.M.C.
funk music
alternative rock
nashville sound
39. Device that enables musicians to create or 'synthesize' musical sounds. Began to appear on rock records during the early 1970s.
synthesizer
analog recording
Vanilla Ice
Carole King
40. Style modeled on that of the early acoustic string bands; probably the original 'alternative country' music.
countrypolitan
bluegrass
soul music
Tupac Shakur
41. 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.
Lauryn Hill
Bruce Springsteen
disco
Ray Charles
42. 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
rave
Public Enemy
pop rock
43. 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.
Run-D.M.C.
The Ramones
Napster
MIDI
44. Extreme variation of punk - pioneered during the early 1980s by bands in San Francisco (the Dead Kennedys) and Los Angeles (the Germs - Black Flag - X - and the Circle Jerks).
Jimi Hendrix
Grandmaster Flash
Sonic Youth
hardcore
45. A digital recording process wherein a sound source is recorded with a microphone - converted to a digital stream of binary numbers - and stored in a computer. The sampled sounds may be retrieved in a number of ways.
Patsy Cline
Kurt Cobain
sequencer
sampling
46. '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.
Aretha Franklin
Carole King
alternative rock
Grandmaster Flash
47. Regional style of alternative rock from Seattle that blended heavy metal guitar textures with hardcore punk. Bands from Seattle included Green River - Mudhoney - Pearl Jam - Nirvana - and Soundgarden.
Def Jam
soul music
grunge rock
Queen Latifah
48. 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
disco
reggae
grunge rock
Snoop Doggy Dogg (Calvin Broadus)
49. Centered on the creation of a strong rhythmic momentum or groove - with the electric bass and bass drum often playing on all four main beats of the measure - the snare drum and other instruments playing equally strongly on the second and fourth beats
Sonic Youth
Ray Charles
punk rock
funk music
50. African American musical style rooted in R&B and gospel that became popular during the 1960s.
Sean 'Puffy' Combs
breakdancing
soul music
Aretha Franklin