Question 1

5 out of 5 points

While recognizing that Dave Soldier's "The Most Wanted Song"/"The Most
Unwanted Song" project is primarily an artistic and intellectual exercise,
what important idea does it highlight for us?
Selected
Answer:

d.

All of the above are ideas that Dave Soldier's project

highlights.
Question 2
5 out of 5 points

Which of the following MOST COMPLETELY summarizes the definition of

"popular music," as we are using the phrase this semester?
Selected
Answer:

d.

All of the above are partly useful, but individually incomplete,

components of the definition of popular music.
Question 3
5 out of 5 points

In Simon Frith's formulation, most arguments over the value of music (or
lack thereof) boil down to three or four categories. Which of the following
is an accurate summation of his category of "arguments about effect"?
Selected
Answer:

d.

These arguments stem from the perception that some "bad

music" (a) induces its listeners to act in socially unacceptable
ways and/or (b) celebrates such socially unacceptable behavior.
Question 4
0 out of 5 points

Which of the following best represents the way that Dr. faris has defined
the terms "society" and "culture"?
Selected
Answer:

c.

Dr. faris stated that "society" and "culture" should be

understood as completely interchangeable terms.
Question 5
5 out of 5 points

Which of the following arguments does Simon Frith advance in his article,
"What Is Bad Music?"
Selected Answer:

d.

All of the above are arguments advances in Frith's article.

Question 6
0 out of 5 points

When scholars (like John Shepherd) assert that music is a "social symbol,"
what do they mean?
Selected
Answer:

a.

They mean that music is symbolic of specific aspects of a

society, in exactly the same way that spoken or written
language refers to specific objects or ideas.
Question 7
5 out of 5 points

Which of the four accepted "tiers" of culture is not connected to a specific

economic class, but rather is a reference (with arguably pejorative
connotations) to the increasing prevalence over the last century of highspeed, high-coverage mediums in the distribution of cultural products, and
to the idea of a fundamental shift in the way its audience interacts with
them?
Selected Answer:

c.

Mass culture.

Question 8
5 out of 5 points

Among the fundamental lessons we can draw from Simon Frith's "What Is
Bad Music?" is the importance of engaging in immanent criticism, especially
on our first encounter with new or unfamiliar music. What does the
phrase "immanent criticism" mean?
Selected d.
Answer: It

means that we seek to engage with music on its own terms

(i.e., with its immanent features), rather than on preconceived
standards to which it may fail to live up (and which would hinder
our ability to understand it on any level beyond simplistic
"like"/"dislike" terms).

Question 9
5 out of 5 points

How does distortion of an audio signal work?

Selected
Answer:

d.

The signal's amplitude is boosted past the clipping limits of the

output device, creating a clipped waveform with sharp edges
and a buzzy, complex sound.
Question 10
5 out of 5 points

Which of the following would be an important task of an A&R (artists &

repertoire) representative at a record label?
Selected
Answer:

b.

Scouting out, courting, and signing new talent to the label's

roster.
Question 11
5 out of 5 points

When we hear someone playing electric guitar (and, really, any electric
instrument), there are many factors that contribute to its overall sound.
Which of the following does NOT have a measurable impact on its timbre?
Selected Answer:

a.

The instrument's paint job.

Question 12
5 out of 5 points

When we assert that a piece of music can be analyzed on both horizontal

and vertical dimensions, what do we mean?
Selected
Answer:

c.

Our perception of music is based both on those components that

unfold over time (rhythm, lyrics, form, melody) and on those
that, at any given moment, define its sonority (instruments,
texture, mix).
Question 13
5 out of 5 points

In the most general terms, what do we mean by "mix" when talking about
the sound of a piece of music?
Selected
Answer:

a.

The relative balance between all of the instruments and

voices.
Question 14
5 out of 5 points

What is the term we use for the section in a song that appears in a
predictable pattern and with no fundamental change in instrumentation or
melodic content several times, and usually containing the song's most
memorable lyrics and musical ideas?
Selected Answer:

d.

The chorus.

Question 15
5 out of 5 points

What role is filled by the producer of a song or album?

Selected
Answer:

d.

Depending on the style/genre, any or all of the above could be

a facet of the producer's role in the creation of a recording.
Question 16
5 out of 5 points

Which of the following words means "the sound quality of an instrument,

voice, or group of instruments and/or voices"?
Selected Answer:

b.

Timbre.

Question 17
5 out of 5 points

Which of the following is NOT a common component of a standard drum

kit in most popular styles?
Selected Answer:

a.

Maracas.

Question 18
5 out of 5 points

Listen to this excerpt. How would you describe the texture?

Excerpt3
Selected Answer:

b.

Relatively thick.

Question 19
5 out of 5 points

Listen to this excerpt. What is the best description of its tempo, based on
the norms of popular music practice?
Excerpt1
Selected Answer:

d.

Moderate or mid-tempo.

Question 20
5 out of 5 points

Listen to this excerpt. What single component of the drum kit is the drummer using?
Excerpt5

Selected Answer:

c.

The kick drum.