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WorksheetsYear 9 Music History of Rock ‘n’ Roll in the 1980s - JT Curtis
Total questions: 65
Worksheet time: 33mins
The tragic event that occurred in 1980 and shocked the rock world was:
The assassination of John Lennon
The death of Kurt Cobain
The breakup of The Beatles
The death of Freddie Mercury
Identify the two legendary musicians who died around the beginning of the 1980s.
John Lennon and Bob Marley
Elvis Presley and Freddie Mercury
David Bowie and Prince
Kurt Cobain and Jim Morrison
The major rock band that disbanded following the death of their drummer in 1980 was:
Led Zeppelin
The Beatles
Pink Floyd
Queen
The launch of MTV in 1981 was significant to rock music because:
it provided a new platform for music videos, increasing the popularity of rock music
it marked the end of rock music's popularity
it was the first radio station to play rock music
it banned rock music from its programming
The first music video aired on MTV was:
Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles
Thriller by Michael Jackson
Like a Virgin by Madonna
Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
MTV affected the way rock music was consumed and promoted by:
Making music videos a key part of music promotion and consumption.
Eliminating the need for radio airplay.
Reducing the popularity of rock music.
Focusing only on live concert broadcasts.
The production technique that gave 1980s rock its signature drum sound is:
Gated reverb
Auto-Tune
Phasing
Tape looping
The trend in the music industry that led to concerns about style over substance was:
The rise of music videos and visual presentation
The return to classical music forms
The decline of live performances
The focus on instrumental music
The organisation that pushed for parental advisory labels on music was:
Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC)
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
The famous 1985 concert that raised money for famine relief in Ethiopia was called:
Live Aid
Farm Aid
We Are the World
Band Aid
AC/DC released which comeback album after Bon Scott’s death?
Back in Black
Highway to Hell
Let There Be Rock
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Ozzy Osbourne’s first solo album was called:
Blizzard of Ozz
Bark at the Moon
Diary of a Madman
No More Tears
The hit song from Blizzard of Ozz that became one of Ozzy’s most iconic tracks is:
Crazy Train
Iron Man
Paranoid
Bark at the Moon
This female rocker proved that women could dominate the rock scene just as much as men:
Janis Joplin
Elvis Presley
Freddie Mercury
Bruce Springsteen
The name of Joan Jett’s band was:
The Runaways
The Go-Go's
Heart
Blondie
The British rock band that disbanded after the death of their drummer, John Bonham, was:
The Rolling Stones
Led Zeppelin
The Who
Pink Floyd
The band that produced the video for “Money for Nothing,” embracing MTV’s visual focus, is:
Dire Straits
Queen
Genesis
U2
The Irish band that gained worldwide attention after performing at Live Aid is:
U2
The Cranberries
Westlife
Thin Lizzy
The blues guitarist who remained true to traditional roots and became beloved during the decade was:
B.B. King
Eric Clapton
Jimi Hendrix
Stevie Ray Vaughan
The band that featured vocalist Steve Perry and incorporated synthesisers into their sound is:
Journey
Foreigner
Styx
REO Speedwagon
The pop star who released Thriller, the most successful album of the decade, is:
Prince
Michael Jackson
Madonna
Whitney Houston
The female pop artist who rivalled Michael Jackson in influence and popularity was:
Madonna
Whitney Houston
Celine Dion
Britney Spears
The band whose video for “Take On Me” was hailed for its animation and creativity is:
A-ha
Duran Duran
Tears for Fears
Depeche Mode
The collaboration between which rock and hip-hop group paved the way for future genre mixing?
Run-DMC and Aerosmith
Linkin Park and Jay-Z
Beastie Boys and Red Hot Chili Peppers
Public Enemy and Anthrax
Identify the rap-rock trio that rose to fame during the 1980s.
Run-D.M.C.
Linkin Park
Beastie Boys
Rage Against the Machine
The band that released “The Final Countdown” is:
Europe
Queen
Bon Jovi
Journey
The album '4' was released in the early 1980s by which band?
Foreigner
Journey
Toto
REO Speedwagon
The album Moving Pictures was released in 1981 by which band?
Rush
Genesis
Pink Floyd
Yes
The band that had hits like “Don’t Stop Believin’” and featured Steve Perry is:
Journey
Foreigner
REO Speedwagon
Styx
The band most remembered for its iconic performance at Live Aid is:
Queen
U2
The Rolling Stones
Led Zeppelin
The subgenre of rock featuring big hair and flashy clothes that became popular in the 1980s is known as:
Glam Metal
Grunge
Punk Rock
Progressive Rock
The genre of music that often featured synthesisers and quirky fashion, and dominated the early part of the decade, was:
New Wave
Grunge
Jazz Fusion
Country
The genre that emerged underground with bands like R.E.M., The Smiths, and The Cure is:
Alternative rock
Heavy metal
Disco
Jazz
Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax belonged to which genre?
Thrash Metal
Grunge
Punk Rock
Alternative Rock
Joan Jett helped push which genre into the mainstream with her aggressive style?
Punk rock
Jazz
Country
Classical
The genre that often blended punk energy with pop hooks and fashion-forward imagery is:
New Wave
Heavy Metal
Grunge
Jazz
Increased censorship and labelling of music in the 1980s was led by:
Concerns over explicit lyrics and content
A decline in music sales
Technological advancements in music production
The popularity of classical music
Some record labels attempted to hide Ann Wilson’s appearance because:
they believed her appearance did not fit the image they wanted to promote.
she wanted to remain anonymous as a performer.
she was underage at the time of her debut.
they wanted to create a sense of mystery around the band.
The emergence of MTV shifted the focus of music toward:
visual presentation and music videos
longer radio play
live concert performances
classical music traditions
One example of an artist criticised for being all image and no substance is:
Madonna
Leonardo da Vinci
Beethoven
Claude Monet
Neil Young explored which political theme in “Rockin’ in the Free World”?
Critique of social and political issues in America
Celebration of American patriotism
Support for government policies
Promotion of global unity
Artists like the Traveling Wilburys pushed back against overproduced trends by:
Embracing a more stripped-down, organic sound
Using excessive studio effects
Focusing on electronic music production
Relying heavily on synthesizers
Some criticisms of how rock music evolved by the end of the 1980s included:
It became overly commercialized and formulaic.
It embraced more experimental and avant-garde styles.
It focused primarily on acoustic and folk influences.
It was dominated by jazz fusion elements.
The earlier rock/rap collaboration that inspired Anthrax’s work with Public Enemy was:
Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way”
Beastie Boys and Slayer’s “No Sleep till Brooklyn”
Faith No More and Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.’s “Another Body Murdered”
Rage Against the Machine and Cypress Hill’s “How I Could Just Kill a Man”
The band that collaborated with Public Enemy in the late 1980s was:
Aerosmith
Run-D.M.C.
Beastie Boys
Anthrax
The supergroup that included George Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne was called:
The Traveling Wilburys
The Highwaymen
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
The Plastic Ono Band
The members of the Traveling Wilburys were:
George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne
Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Eric Clapton
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood, Bill Wyman
Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon
The Guns N’ Roses album that paved the way for a rawer 1990s rock sound is:
Appetite for Destruction
Use Your Illusion I
Chinese Democracy
G N’ R Lies
The band that helped blend punk and pop before Billy Idol went solo was:
The Clash
Generation X
Sex Pistols
The Ramones
The “Big Four” of thrash metal are made up of which four bands?
Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax
Metallica, Pantera, Megadeth, Testament
Slayer, Exodus, Anthrax, Overkill
Megadeth, Metallica, Sepultura, Kreator
What genre was starting to take shape underground and would become mainstream in the 1990s?
Grunge
Disco
Jazz
Classical
By the late 1980s, which genre began to feel overproduced and was criticised for its excess?
Disco
Punk Rock
Heavy Metal
Folk
The production technique that contributed to the overproduced feel of 1980s rock music was:
Auto-Tune
Gated reverb
Tape saturation
Mono recording
The artist known for staying true to blues roots during an era of synths and pop was:
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Madonna
Phil Collins
Cyndi Lauper
The musical trend introduced by MTV that had lasting effects on artist marketing was:
Music videos
Live concerts
Radio interviews
Album cover art
The impact of Live Aid extended beyond fundraising in which of the following ways?
It raised global awareness about famine and inspired future charity events.
It led to the end of all famines worldwide.
It was the first concert to be broadcast on television.
It resulted in the creation of the United Nations.
The band whose success and image were shaped heavily by MTV and music video culture is:
Duran Duran
The Rolling Stones
Led Zeppelin
The Beatles
Capitol Records’ treatment of Ann Wilson revealed what about industry standards at the time?
It showed that appearance was prioritized over talent.
It demonstrated equal treatment for all artists.
It proved that female artists were always supported.
It indicated that industry standards were fair and unbiased.
Many music fans critiqued the state of rock by the end of the decade for which reason?
It had become too commercialized and lacked originality.
It was too experimental and inaccessible.
It was dominated by solo artists rather than bands.
It focused too much on political messages.
The members of the Traveling Wilburys included which of the following groups?
George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne
Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ringo Starr
Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Pete Best
Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt, Max Weinberg, Clarence Clemons, Nils Lofgren
Fill in the blank: The major event in rock history in the 1980s was ________.
The murder of John Lennon
The release of Thriller by Michael Jackson
The formation of The Beatles
The Woodstock Festival
Fill in the blank: Two famous musicians who died in the 1980s were ________.
John Lennon and John Bonham
Elvis Presley and Freddie Mercury
Kurt Cobain and David Bowie
Michael Jackson and Prince
Fill in the blank: The band known for their influence in the 1980s rock scene was ________.
Led Zeppelin
The Beatles
The Rolling Stones
Pink Floyd
Fill in the blank: MTV made rock music a ________.
visual medium
silent art
written tradition
classical genre
Fill in the blank: The first music video played on MTV was ________ by The Buggles.
Video Killed the Radio Star
Turning Japanese
Rock Lobster
Cars
