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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. Rock style that emerged in the late 1970s. It was a 'back to basics' rebellion against the perceived artifice and pretension of corporate rock music—a stripped-down and often purposefully 'nonmusical' version of rock music.
Carole King
Sonic Youth
punk rock
Grateful Dead
2. 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
Napster
Def Jam
Ray Charles
Lauryn Hill
3. 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
Clear channel
country pop
4. DJ and leader of the furious five - he developed many of the turntable techniques that characterized early hip-hop music.
Michael Jackson
Grandmaster Flash
soul music
punk rock
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
house music
M.C. Hammer
Michael Jackson
techno
6. Heterogeneous category that includes artists from Africa - the Near East - and Asia—the ultimate margins of the American music industry.
world music
Carole King
Led Zeppelin
countrypolitan
7. Acrobatic solo dancing improvised by the young 'B-boys' who attended hip-hop dances.
Kurt Cobain
psychedelic rock
breakdancing
hardcore
8. Device that enables musicians to create or 'synthesize' musical sounds. Began to appear on rock records during the early 1970s.
Andre (Dr. Dre) Young
synthesizer
Kurt Cobain
Sonic Youth
9. 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.
James Brown
RIAA
gangsta rap
Tupac Shakur
10. 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).
Run-D.M.C.
The Sex Pistols
house music
Donna Summer
11. 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.
Carole King
bluegrass
Led Zeppelin
heavy metal
12. Kurt KObain's band - Nevermind album
soul music
grunge rock
Carlos Santana
Nirvana
13. 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
Paul Simon
Snoop Doggy Dogg (Calvin Broadus)
reggae
Andre (Dr. Dre) Young
14. 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
Janis Joplin
soft soul
disco
hip-hop
15. Style modeled on that of the early acoustic string bands; probably the original 'alternative country' music.
bluegrass
sequencer
Grandmaster Flash
Carlos Santana
16. 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.
Prince
sequencer
Ray Charles
Carlos Santana
17. The most original - inventive - and influential guitarist of the rock era - and the most prominent African American rock musician of the late 1960s.
Aretha Franklin
countrypolitan
Jimi Hendrix
Ray Charles
18. Born in Texas - Nelson was one of the most influential figures in the progressive country movement. Nelson's rise to national fame came in the mid-1970s - through his association with a group of musicians collectively known as 'the Outlaws.'
Willie Nelson
urban folk
Napster
Michael Jackson
19. A style of soft rock - lightly tinged with country music influences: John Denver - Olivia Newton-John - Kenny Rogers.
Jimi Hendrix
Grateful Dead
country pop
gangsta rap
20. 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
Vanilla Ice
David Bowie
Vanilla Ice
Peter Gabriel
21. 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
Jimi Hendrix
Run-D.M.C.
Vanilla Ice
Public Enemy
22. 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
Snoop Doggy Dogg (Calvin Broadus)
Grandmaster Flash
psychedelic rock
23. 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 Ramones
soul music
Peter Gabriel
The Sex Pistols
24. Publicly traded corporation that owns more than 1 -200 radio stations - 39 television stations - 100000 advertising billboards - and 100 live performance venues - ranging from huge amphitheaters to dance clubs - enabling them to present more than 70
Grandmaster Flash
Clear channel
breakdancing
M.C. Hammer
25. Trade association whose member companies—Universal - Sony - Warner Brothers - Arista - Atlantic - BMG - RCA - Capitol - Elektra - Interscope - and Sire Records—control the sale and distribution of approximately 90 percent of the offline music in the
RIAA
Prince
Donna Summer
countrypolitan
26. 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.
rap
alternative rock
James Brown
alternative music
27. Known as the 'Genius of Soul'; songwriter - arranger - keyboard player - and vocalist fluent in R&B - jazz - and mainstream pop.
gangsta rap
Prince
Ray Charles
M.C. Hammer
28. 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.
Run-D.M.C.
Kurt Cobain
Napster
analog recording
29. Style modeled on that of the early acoustic string bands; probably the original 'alternative country' music.
synthesizer
Grandmaster Flash
nashville sound
bluegrass
30. 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
grunge rock
world music
funk music
Kurt Cobain
31. 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
Napster
Dolly Parton
analog recording
Snoop Doggy Dogg (Calvin Broadus)
32. Upbeat variety of rock music represented by artists such as Elton John - Paul McCartney - Rod Stewart - Chicago - and Peter Frampton.
nashville sound
Public Enemy
pop rock
Tupac Shakur
33. 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.
techno
Dolly Parton
nashville sound
sequencer
34. 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
Carole King
analog recording
country pop
35. 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.
Vanilla Ice
alternative rock
Sean 'Puffy' Combs
Clear channel
36. 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).
hardcore
Andre (Dr. Dre) Young
Carole King
punk rock
37. 'Glam rock' pioneer who established the character of Ziggy Stardust.
David Bowie
techno
RIAA
Janis Joplin
38. Country vocalist who scored crossover hits with songs such as 'I Fall to Pieces -' and 'Crazy -' both recorded in 1961.
heavy metal
Kurt Cobain
pop rock
Patsy Cline
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.
Carlos Santana
reggae
Kenny Rogers
techno
40. 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
Sean 'Puffy' Combs
funk music
Run-D.M.C.
Michael Jackson
41. Variant of MPEG; MP3 enables sound files to be compressed to as little as one-twelfth of their original size.
MP3
Run-D.M.C.
Michael Jackson
M.C. Hammer
42. 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.
Janis Joplin
sampling
alternative rock
techno
43. One of the main venues for techno. Semipublic event modeled partly on the be-ins of the 1960s counterculture.
rave
M.C. Hammer
techno
hardcore
44. 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.
Kenny Rogers
Nirvana
alternative rock
house music
45. 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.
heavy metal
grunge rock
reggae
country pop
46. In progressive country - performers wrote songs that were more intellectual and liberal in outlook than their contemporaries and were more concerned with testing the limits of the country music tradition than with scoring hits. The key artists includ
punk rock
progressive country
house music
Clear channel
47. Device that enables musicians to create or 'synthesize' musical sounds. Began to appear on rock records during the early 1970s.
synthesizer
Sean 'Puffy' Combs
hip-hop
disco
48. 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
techno
Prince
Def Jam
Bruce Springsteen
49. 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.
Public Enemy
country pop
The Sex Pistols
gangsta rap
50. 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).
Madonna
Kenny Rogers
Napster
Sonic Youth