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African Music and Instruments

Total questions: 15

Worksheet time: 11mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What role does music play in the lives of Africans?

a)

It is primarily used for entertainment purposes.

b)

It is a vital part of significant life events like birth, marriage, death, and war.

c)

It is mainly performed during social gatherings.

d)

It is exclusively used for religious ceremonies.

2.

What is a key characteristic of African music?

a)

It is primarily slow and melancholic.

b)

It is known for being highly energetic and rhythmically challenging.

c)

It is typically performed without any instruments.

d)

It is a recent development in global music history.

3.

Which type of African music is a musical genre from Nigeria, in the Yoruba tribal style, used to wake up worshippers after fasting during the Muslim holy feast of Ramadan?

a)

Afrobeat

b)

Apala

c)

Axe

d)

Juju

4.

Which Nigerian musical style relies on traditional Yoruba rhythms and commonly uses a drum kit, keyboard, pedal steel guitar, and the talking drum (Dundun)?

a)

Afrobeat

b)

Axe

c)

Juju

d)

Jit

5.

Which popular musical style began in Zaire in the late 1980s, was popularized by Kanda Bongo Man, and features hips moving back and forth along with the arms?

a)

Jive

b)

Jit

c)

Kwassa Kwassa

d)

Marabi

6.

Which vocal form of African music combines strong rhythms of African percussion instruments with Portuguese melodies and is often paraded along the streets by many participants?

a)

Blues

b)

Soul

c)

Maracatu

d)

Spiritual

7.

Which vocal form of African music, widely performed since the late 19th century, is known for its expressive and soulful melodies, and was sung by slaves and their descendants while working in the fields?

a)

Maracatu

b)

Blues

c)

Soul

d)

Spiritual

8.

Which vocal form originated in the United States, was created by African-American slaves, and served as a means of imparting Christian values and expressing hardships?

a)

Blues

b)

Soul

c)

Spiritual

d)

Call and Response

9.

Which African instrument is considered the oldest samba instrument and is known for having the highest pitch among the idiophones?

a)

Shekere

b)

Agogo

c)

Slit Drum

d)

Atingting Kon

10.

What is the primary material used to construct a Shekere, a type of gourd and shell megaphone?

a)

Bamboo and wood

b)

Metal and animal hide

c)

Dried gourd with beads woven into a net

d)

Clay and plant fibers

11.

Despite being called a drum, what is the correct classification for a slit drum based on how it produces sound?

a)

Membranophone

b)

Chordophone

c)

Aerophone

d)

Idiophone

12.

Which instrument, a hollow cylinder of wood with a narrow opening, is believed to embody the voices of awakened ancestors when played?

a)

Balafon

b)

Agogo

c)

Atingting Kon

d)

Shekere

13.

For what primary purpose is the Talking Drum traditionally used in African communities?

a)

To play melodic tunes in royal courts

b)

To communicate messages about births, deaths, and events

c)

To drive away evil spirits

d)

To accompany dances with body percussion

14.

How is the Mbira, also known as a thumb piano, typically played?

a)

By striking a membrane with a stick

b)

By blowing air through a tube

c)

By plucking metal tines with the thumbs

d)

By bowing a single string

15.

Which instrument is considered the ancestor of all string instruments and is one of the oldest and most widely used string instruments in Africa?

a)

Zeze

b)

Kudu Horn

c)

Musical Bow

d)

Mbira