World Music & Genres Quiz

1. From which country does the music genre 'bossa nova' originate?

1. Argentina
2. Brazil
3. Colombia
4. Cuba

2. What is 'flamenco'?

1. A Mexican folk dance
2. A Portuguese guitar style
3. A Spanish art form of music, singing, and dance from Andalusia
4. A type of Argentine tango

3. Which African country is the origin of the music genre 'Afrobeats'?

1. Ghana and Nigeria (simultaneously)
2. Nigeria
3. Senegal
4. South Africa

4. What instrument is central to traditional Irish folk music and has a distinctive open-string drone?

1. Banjo
2. Bouzouki
3. Lute
4. Uilleann pipes

5. In which city did jazz music originate?

1. Chicago
2. Memphis
3. New Orleans
4. New York City

6. What is the name of the traditional Japanese instrument that has 13 strings and is played horizontally?

1. Biwa
2. Koto
3. Shakuhachi
4. Shamisen

7. What is the characteristic feature of 'blues' music?

1. 3/4 time signature
2. A fast, driving tempo
3. The 12-bar blues chord progression and blue notes
4. Use of synthesisers

8. Which dance and music genre from Argentina is characterised by its dramatic, close-hold partnering?

1. Cumbia
2. Merengue
3. Salsa
4. Tango

9. What is 'Bollywood music'?

1. A genre of Indian electronic music
2. Film songs from the Hindi-language Indian film industry
3. Sacred devotional music from India
4. Traditional Indian classical music

10. Which Caribbean island is the birthplace of both reggae and ska?

1. Barbados
2. Cuba
3. Jamaica
4. Trinidad

11. What is 'Afrobeat' (the original genre, distinct from modern Afrobeats)?

1. A Nigerian genre blending jazz, funk, and Yoruba music pioneered by Fela Kuti
2. Congolese rumba
3. South African jazz-pop fusion
4. West African highlife music

12. Which country is known for the traditional music style called 'fado'?

1. Brazil
2. Cape Verde
3. Portugal
4. Spain

13. What is the primary instrument in Andean folk music, often heard in Peruvian and Bolivian music?

1. Charango
2. Charango and pan flute
3. Cuatro
4. Pan flute (quena/siku)

14. Which music genre originated in Kingston, Jamaica in the late 1960s and features a heavily accented offbeat?

1. Dancehall
2. Reggae
3. Rocksteady
4. Ska

15. What South African music genre, meaning 'mother music' in Zulu, became a global hit with Paul Simon's 'Graceland' album?

1. Highlife
2. Kwaito
3. Mbaqanga
4. Mbube

16. What instrument is the backbone of traditional Mexican mariachi music?

1. Accordion
2. All of the above — mariachi uses multiple instruments
3. Guitar and guitarrón (acoustic bass guitar)
4. Trumpet and violin

17. Which music genre from West Africa has influenced genres worldwide and is characterised by talking drums and call-and-response patterns?

1. Afrobeat
2. Griot music
3. Highlife
4. Jùjú

18. What is 'K-pop' short for?

1. Karaoke pop
2. Konglish pop
3. Korean popular music
4. Korean punk

19. From which country does the music genre 'cumbia' originate?

1. Colombia
2. Mexico
3. Panama
4. Venezuela

20. What Australian music genre, played on a long wooden tube, creates sound through buzzing lips and circular breathing?

1. Bush ballad
2. Corroboree music
3. Didgeridoo music
4. Outback blues