Music Technology: The Phonograph Quiz

What inspired Thomas Edison to start working on the phonograph?

• His work on the telegraph and telephone

• His love of music

• A challenge from Alexander Graham Bell

• His desire to record radio shows

What material did Edison first use to record sound before switching to metal cylinders?

• Wax

• Paper tape

• Plastic discs

• Tin foil

What famous rhyme did Edison record when he first tested the phonograph?

• Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

• Mary Had a Little Lamb

• The Itsy Bitsy Spider

• Humpty Dumpty

How did the public react when Edison showed the phonograph to Scientific American magazine?

• They were confused and ignored it

• They thought it was a trick

• They were amazed it could “talk”

• They didn’t believe it was real

What was one problem with the original phonograph?

• It only played music

• It was hard to use and wore out quickly

• It couldn’t record voices

• It needed electricity

Which of these was not one of Edison’s ideas for using the phonograph?

• Talking books for the blind

• Teaching speech and languages

• Recording weather forecasts

• Saving family voices

What did Alexander Graham Bell’s team use instead of tin foil on their improved phonograph?

• Plastic

• Wax

• Rubber

• Steel

What was Bell and Tainter’s improved version of the phonograph called?

• The Sound Machine

• The Graphophone

• The Audio Recorder

• The Music Box

What new use did the phonograph eventually become popular for?

• Home entertainment and music

• Taking photos

• Sending messages

• Playing video games

What was one big improvement made in 1901 to help make phonograph cylinders cheaper and easier to produce?

• They were 3D printed

• They were made out of wood

• They were molded instead of engraved

• They were recorded live each time