Art for grades 7–8: questions with answers
The Art questions for grades 7–8 from the game, with the correct answers and an explanation for each.
Which composer wrote the "Hallelujah" chorus from the oratorio "Messiah"?
- Johann Sebastian Bach
- George Frideric Handel
- Antonio Vivaldi
- Georg Philipp Telemann
Correct answer: George Frideric Handel — "Messiah" premiered in Dublin in 1742. Handel was born in Germany but spent most of his life in London and became a British subject.
Which Dutch painter created "Girl with a Pearl Earring"?
- Rembrandt
- Frans Hals
- Johannes Vermeer
- Jan Steen
Correct answer: Johannes Vermeer — Vermeer painted the work around 1665. Only about 35 paintings by him survive; this one hangs in the Mauritshuis in The Hague.
Salvador Dalí and René Magritte belonged to which art movement?
- Cubism
- Expressionism
- Surrealism
- Futurism
Correct answer: Surrealism — Surrealism drew on dreams and the unconscious. The poet André Breton published its manifesto in Paris in 1924.
To which instrument family does the saxophone belong?
- brass
- woodwind
- percussion
- strings
Correct answer: woodwind — Although made of brass, the saxophone uses a single reed like the clarinet, so it counts as a woodwind. Adolphe Sax patented it in 1846.
Who directed "Pulp Fiction"?
- Quentin Tarantino
- Martin Scorsese
- Oliver Stone
- David Fincher
Correct answer: Quentin Tarantino — The film won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1994 and revived John Travolta's career. Tarantino also co-wrote the screenplay, which won an Oscar.
Who composed the waltz "The Blue Danube"?
- Franz Schubert
- Joseph Haydn
- Gustav Mahler
- Johann Strauss II
Correct answer: Johann Strauss II — Strauss wrote the waltz in 1867. It is a traditional encore at the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert, broadcast to dozens of countries.
Who painted "The Night Watch"?
- Peter Paul Rubens
- Anthony van Dyck
- Johannes Vermeer
- Rembrandt
Correct answer: Rembrandt — The huge group portrait of an Amsterdam militia company dates from 1642. Its dark varnish gave it the nickname; the scene is actually set in daylight.
Which composer wrote the operas "La traviata" and "Aida"?
- Giuseppe Verdi
- Gioachino Rossini
- Gaetano Donizetti
- Giacomo Puccini
Correct answer: Giuseppe Verdi — "Aida" premiered in Cairo in 1871. Verdi's operas were so popular in Italy that his name became a rallying cry for the unification movement.
Which Japanese artist made the woodblock print "The Great Wave off Kanagawa"?
- Hokusai
- Hiroshige
- Utamaro
- Sesshū
Correct answer: Hokusai — The print, from about 1831, opens his series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji". Its wave has become the most reproduced image of Japanese art.
Which Andrew Lloyd Webber musical features a masked man beneath the Paris Opera?
- Cats
- Evita
- The Phantom of the Opera
- Jesus Christ Superstar
Correct answer: The Phantom of the Opera — The musical opened in London in 1986, based on a 1910 French novel by Gaston Leroux. It became the longest-running show in Broadway history.
Samba and bossa nova come from which country?
- Cuba
- Argentina
- Colombia
- Brazil
Correct answer: Brazil — Samba grew from Afro-Brazilian rhythms in Rio de Janeiro. Bossa nova, a cooler style, arrived in the late 1950s with "The Girl from Ipanema".
Notre-Dame de Paris, with its pointed arches and flying buttresses, is in which style?
- Romanesque
- Gothic
- Renaissance
- Baroque
Correct answer: Gothic — Gothic architecture appeared around Paris in the 12th century. Its ribbed vaults and buttresses allowed thin walls filled with stained glass.
Who composed the film music for "Star Wars" and "Jaws"?
- Ennio Morricone
- Hans Zimmer
- Howard Shore
- John Williams
Correct answer: John Williams — Williams also scored "Indiana Jones", "E.T.", "Jurassic Park" and the first "Harry Potter" films. He has won five Academy Awards.
Which Austrian painter created the gold-covered "The Kiss"?
- Gustav Klimt
- Egon Schiele
- Oskar Kokoschka
- Edvard Munch
Correct answer: Gustav Klimt — Klimt painted it in 1907–1908 using real gold leaf. It belongs to the Belvedere museum in Vienna.
Bollywood, the Hindi-language film industry, is based in which city?
- Delhi
- Mumbai
- Kolkata
- Chennai
Correct answer: Mumbai — The name blends Bombay, the city's former name, with Hollywood. India produces more feature films each year than any other country.
What is a song for solo voice in an opera called?
- overture
- libretto
- aria
- recitative
Correct answer: aria — An aria (Italian for "air") lets a character pour out emotion, as in "Nessun dorma" from Puccini's "Turandot". The libretto is the text of the whole opera.
Which music genre was born in the Bronx, New York, in the 1970s?
- hip hop
- disco
- punk
- reggaeton
Correct answer: hip hop — DJs at Bronx block parties looped drum breaks while MCs rapped over them. DJ Kool Herc's 1973 party is often cited as hip hop's birth.
Who composed "Ride of the Valkyries"?
- Johannes Brahms
- Franz Liszt
- Richard Wagner
- Gustav Mahler
Correct answer: Richard Wagner — The piece opens the third act of "Die Walküre", part of Wagner's four-opera "Ring" cycle, first performed complete at Bayreuth in 1876.
How many strings does a violin have?
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Correct answer: 4 — The four strings are tuned G, D, A and E. The finest violins were made in Cremona, Italy, by Stradivari and Guarneri in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Who directed "The Godfather"?
- Roman Polanski
- Stanley Kubrick
- Martin Scorsese
- Francis Ford Coppola
Correct answer: Francis Ford Coppola — The 1972 film, based on Mario Puzo's novel, won the Oscar for Best Picture. Marlon Brando won Best Actor for playing Don Vito Corleone.