Reading Quiz for Global Perspectives: African Ostinato Forms

1. Question

   What is a kora?

   A.

   a type of African flute with eight holes

   B.

   an African keyboard instrument with thirty-two keys

   C.

   a plucked stringed instrument with twenty-one strings divided into two sets

   D.

   an African minstrel singer

   What is a kora?

   Correct.

   Incorrect. See Global Perspectives: African Ostinato Forms in Chapter 8.

2. Question

   Which is true of West African singers who play the kora?

   A.

   They are not well respected in society.

   B.

   They often belong to guilds and possess expertise passed down through generations of their families.

   C.

   They fulfill a narrow social role, performing only at weddings and funerals.

   D.

   They were historically important but are no longer a part of West African cultures today.

   Which is true of West African singers who play the kora?

   Correct.

   Incorrect. See Global Perspectives: African Ostinato Forms in Chapter 8.

3. Question

   How is pygmy polyphony composed?

   A.

   through improvisation by groups of singers

   B.

   through a specialized system of notation

   C.

   by building on a set of established, standardized melodies

   D.

   by first writing music for instruments and then writing the vocal parts

   How is pygmy polyphony composed?

   Correct.

   Incorrect. See Global Perspectives: African Ostinato Forms in Chapter 8.

4. Question

   What technique is central to pygmy polyphony?

   A.

   instrumental accompaniment

   B.

   ground bass

   C.

   word painting

   D.

   interlocking ostinatos

   What technique is central to pygmy polyphony?

   Correct.

   Incorrect. See Global Perspectives: African Ostinato Forms in Chapter 8.