WorksheetsAfrican Music and Instruments
Total questions: 15
Worksheet time: 11mins
What role does music play in the lives of Africans?
It is primarily used for entertainment purposes.
It is a vital part of significant life events like birth, marriage, death, and war.
It is mainly performed during social gatherings.
It is exclusively used for religious ceremonies.
What is a key characteristic of African music?
It is primarily slow and melancholic.
It is known for being highly energetic and rhythmically challenging.
It is typically performed without any instruments.
It is a recent development in global music history.
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?
Afrobeat
Apala
Axe
Juju
Which Nigerian musical style relies on traditional Yoruba rhythms and commonly uses a drum kit, keyboard, pedal steel guitar, and the talking drum (Dundun)?
Afrobeat
Axe
Juju
Jit
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?
Jive
Jit
Kwassa Kwassa
Marabi
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?
Blues
Soul
Maracatu
Spiritual
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?
Maracatu
Blues
Soul
Spiritual
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?
Blues
Soul
Spiritual
Call and Response
Which African instrument is considered the oldest samba instrument and is known for having the highest pitch among the idiophones?
Shekere
Agogo
Slit Drum
Atingting Kon
What is the primary material used to construct a Shekere, a type of gourd and shell megaphone?
Bamboo and wood
Metal and animal hide
Dried gourd with beads woven into a net
Clay and plant fibers
Despite being called a drum, what is the correct classification for a slit drum based on how it produces sound?
Membranophone
Chordophone
Aerophone
Idiophone
Which instrument, a hollow cylinder of wood with a narrow opening, is believed to embody the voices of awakened ancestors when played?
Balafon
Agogo
Atingting Kon
Shekere
For what primary purpose is the Talking Drum traditionally used in African communities?
To play melodic tunes in royal courts
To communicate messages about births, deaths, and events
To drive away evil spirits
To accompany dances with body percussion
How is the Mbira, also known as a thumb piano, typically played?
By striking a membrane with a stick
By blowing air through a tube
By plucking metal tines with the thumbs
By bowing a single string
Which instrument is considered the ancestor of all string instruments and is one of the oldest and most widely used string instruments in Africa?
Zeze
Kudu Horn
Musical Bow
Mbira
