Sample Questions

Note - some of these are for adding new information to your list of things to

know for the exam.

• 1) Jerry Goldsmith composed music for:

• a) Robin Hood

• b) Psycho

• c) Chinatown

• d) Star Wars

• 2) Streamers

• a) music that hits a certain spot

• b) first fully electronic score

• c) first score by Bernard Herrmann

• d) vertical moving lines for music cues

• 3) Which of Hitchcock's films is in black and white:

• a) Vertigo

• b) North by Northwest

• c) Rear Window

• d) Psycho

• 4. Herrmann's music:

• a) always for piano

• b) repeats small motives

• c) always loud

• d) never repeats small motives

• 5) Little John's theme appears in:

• a) Psycho

• b) Robin Hood

• c) Vertigo

• d) Marnie

• 6) a compiled score consists of

• a) original music

• b) parts of existing works

• c) temp tracks

• d) always in major keys

• 7) film composers always compose music

• a) after the film is locked

• b) before the temp track is known

• c) for points

• d) along with the director

• 8) the best known composer/director team:

• a) Prokofiev/Eisenstein

• b) Hermann/Hitchcock

• c) Williams/Lucas

• d) Goldsmith/Spielberg

• 9) Hitchcock's films are typically

• a) film driven

• b) plot driven

• c) character driven

• d) iconic

• 10) music of NxNW is by

• a) Raksin

• b) Goldsmith

• c) Korngold

• d) Herrmann

• 11) Icon music is typically composed by

• a) the film's composer

• b) the orchestrator

• c) the director

• d) varies

• 12) Not a film composer:

• a) Herrmann

• b) Goldsmith

• c) Elfman

• d) Eisenstein

• 13) Which does not have a theme in Robin Hood:

• a) England

• b) Robin Hood

• c) France

• d) Little John

• 14) Which film has character driven music

• a) Vertigo

• b) NxNW

• c) Psycho

• d) Robin Hood

• 15) 2001 music:

• a) temp track music

• b) by Alex North;

• c) by Jerrry Goldsmith;

• d) none of the above.

• 16) The Newman system uses:

• a) streamers;

• b) punches every other frame for 20 frames;

• c) 3-5 ft lines left to right for sync;

• d) SMPTE.

• 17) the conductor often:

• a) hears dialog in headphones;

• b) operates the machines;

• c) books musicians with agents;

• d) runs the clock, takes notes, etc.

• 18) the music for Citizen Kane was composed by:

• a) Erich Wolfgang Korngold;• b) Leonard Bernstein;• c) Bernard Herrmann;• d) Dimitri Tiomkin.

• 19) which scene in Psycho is known as the best for music:

• a) credits as in Vertigo;• b) ending revelation;• c) shower scene;• d) car chase scene.

• 20) dubbing means to:

• a) add after the fact;

• b) the same as Foley;

• c) the same as Mousing;

• e) create new sounds.

• 21) common time means:

• a) 24 hours per day;

• b) 24 frames per second;

• c) 3/4 meter;

• d) 4/4 meter.

• 22) composers are responsible for:

• a) all of the below;

• b) only spotting the film;

• c) orchestration only;

• d) composing the score only.

• 23) Sergei Prokofiev composed the music for:

• a) High Noon;

• b) Maltese Falcon;

• c) Laura;

• d) Alexander Nevsky.

• 24) Erich Korngold composed the music for:

• a) North by Northwest;

• b) Dark Victory;

• c) Wuthering Heights;

• d) The Adventures of Robin Hood.

• 25) David Raksin composed the music for:

• a) High Noon;

• b) Vertigo;

• c) Spellbound;

• d) Laura.

• 26) Miklós Rózsa composed the music for:

• a) On the Waterfront;

• b) La Dolce Vita;

• c) High Noon;

• d) Spellbound.

• 27) Music in a film that the actors hear is called:

• a) foley;• b) screen;• c) diegetic;• d) non-diegetic.

• 28) music hung on in silents because:

• a) the audience requested it;• b) covered noise from the projectors;• c) films needed it;• d) directors requested it.

• 29) first time a pianist provided musical accompaniment to film was:

• a) 1892;

• b) 1913;

• c) 1895;

• d) 1897.

• 30) Lights of New York was the first:

• a) film produced in America;

• b) first "soundie"

• c) film in English;

• d) first silent film.

• 31) a locked film is:

• a) shelved;

• b) finally roughcut;

• c) presented in fine cut;

• d) set in stone.

• 32) December 28, 1895 was:

• a) first time music played with film;• b) first soundie;• c) first talkie;• d) first film.

• 33) flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons are:

• a) woodwinds;• b) brass;• c) strings;• d) percussion.

• 34) horns, trombones, trumpets are:

• a) woodwinds;

• b) brass;

• c) strings;

• d) percussion.

• 35) who does spotting:

• a) conductor and director;

• b) recording engineer;

• c) librarian and conductor;

• d) composer and director.

• 36) music is often used during:

• a) travel and fades;

• b) under credits;

• c) under icons;

• d) all of the above.

• 37) violins, cellos, violas are:

• a) woodwinds;

• b) brass;

• c) strings;

• d) percussion.

• 38) the Hitchcock Trilogy consists of:

• a) High Noon, Spellbound, Vertigo;

• b) North by Northwest, Psycho, Vertigo;

• c) Psycho, Spellbound, Vertigo;

• d) High Noon, North by Northwest, Vertigo.

• 39) a click track is:

• a) another word for frames;

• b) a clicking like a metronome for the conductor;

• c) sprocket holes in film;

• d) a streamer.

• 40) consonance is generally:

• a) ugly;

• b) pleasing;

• c) fast;

• d) slow.

• 41) which is not a film composer we should know:

• a) Erich Wolfgang Korngold;

• b) Max Steiner;

• c) Claude Rains;

• d) Dimitri Tiomkin.

• 42) the most popular instrument for silents was the:

• a) violin;• b) piano;• c) harpsichord;• d) clavichord.

• 43) sounding like it looks:

• a) Mickey Mousing it;

• b) cartoons;

• c) documentaries;

• d) newsreels.

• 44) arranging means to:

• a) orchestrate piano music;

• b) taking dictation from piano playing;

• c) fitting music to film;

• d) change ensembles.

• 45) a shot taken from below is a:

• a) pan;

• b) Dutch angle;

• c) fade;

• d) dissolve.

• 46) Which film made the greatest impact on film music:

• a) The Adventures of Robin Hood

• b) Wuthering Heights;

• c) On the Waterfront;

• d) Maltese Falcon.

• 47) Hitchcock's main composer was:

• a) Erich Wolfgang Korngold;

• b) Leonard Bernstein;

• c) Bernard Herrmann;

• d) Dimitri Tiomkin.

• 48) Film recording sessions have performers face:

• a) the conductor;

• b) outside;

• c) the screen;

• d) the audience.

• 49) A sudden accent to identify an important aspect of the film is a:

• a) spot;

• b) streamer;

• c) stinger;

• d) dissolve.

• 50) Which film has a long famous scene without music:

• a) On the Waterfront;• b) North by Northwest;• c) Vertigo;• d) High Noon.

• 51. Name a forerunner of modern-day film

a) zoetrope

b) flip book

c) cinemascope

d) all of the above*****

• 52. Eisenstein used what composer for his film Alexander Nevsky

a) Jerry Goldsmith

b) John Williams

c) Sergei Prokofiev*****

d) Danny Elfman

• 53. In silent films music primarily

a) covered sound of projector

b) made people feel safer

c) didn’t relate to action

d) all of the above*****

• 54. Mood books allowed performers to

a) fit music to action*****

b) fit music to projector

c) fit music to audience

d) all of the above

• 55. Mechanical instruments were X used for films

a) never

b) always

c) sometimes*****

d) only in big cities

• 56. First time music used in film was

a) 1902

b) 1918

c) 1898

d) 1895*****

• 57. First films shown in

a) Moscow

b) Paris*****

c) NYC

d) London

• 58. First film of real length shown in class made by

a) Eisenstein*****

b) Prokofiev

c) Lumiere Brothers

d) Coen Brothers

• 59. A compiled score is an example of a

a) modern day score

b) music for a flip book

c) original music for silent film

d) collection of previously-

composed music*****

• 60. Mickey Mousing is a term that

means

a) cartoon music

b) imitating action in film*****

c) funny music

d) mouse-like music

• 61) most recording sessions have a:

•  

• a) streamer;

• b) conductor;

• c) film editor;

• d) director.

• 62. B movies were

a) second features*****

b) low budget

c) sometimes poor

d) All of the above

• 63. Serials ran

a) once a week*****

b) one after another on same

day

c) forever

d) none of the above

• 64. Spotting refers to

a) where the music goes*****

b) where the dialog goes

c) chicken pox

d) none of the above

• 65. Robin Hood’s date

a) 1931

b) 1935

c) 1941

d) 1938*****

• 66. Composed the music for Contact

a) Danny Elfman

b) Ennio Morricone

c) Alan Silvestri*****

d) John Williams

• 67. Wipes mean

a) one scene pushes the other out

of the way*****

b) another word for dissolve

c) only for locked films

d) kerchefs for actors

• 68. Dailies are

a) newspapers delivered to set

b) lunch breaks

c) actor calls to the set

d) rushes seen at day’s end*****

• 69. A Leitmotive is a

a) theme connected with a

character*****

b) mickey mousing it

c) a stinger

d) another name for a locked film

• 70. Korngold wrote music for

a) All of the below*****

b) The Sea Wolf

c) Captain Blood

d) Robin Hood

• 71. A temp track is

a) film driven

b) selected music by the director***

c) played on the set

d) all of the above

• 72. A stinger is a

a) a bee on the set

b) a locked film

c) music to emphasize a plot part***

d) ‘nother word for mousing

• 73. A locked film

a) another word for spotting

b) concerns only the music

c) cannot be changed*****

d) good for security

74. Dissolves

a) fade out

b) fade out while fading in*****

c) cut from one scene to the next

d) fade in

• 75. Robin Hood’s date

a) 1931

b) 1935

c) 1941

d) 1938***

• 76) an interval is created by:

•  

• a) a pitch;

• b) rhythm;

• c) dynamics;

• d) two pitches.

• 77) Silent films were almost never:

•  

• a) violent;

• b) long;

• c) silent;

• d) credited.

• 78) to remember themes it's best to:

•  

• a) visualize them;

• b) notate them;

• c) memorize them;

• d) conduct and sing with them.

• 79) Spotting usually takes about:

•  

• a) a week;

• b) an hour;

• c) a month;

• d) a day or two.

• 80) Which film has a tune named the same as the film title:

•  

• a) High Noon;

• b) Laura;

• c) Vertigo;

• d) Psycho.

• 81) An establishing shot is a:

•  

• a) a film title;

• b) under the credits;

• c) a wide angle shot before closeups;

• d) another term for dissolve.

• 82) Orchestration is:

•  

• a) the art of conducting an orchestra;

• b) deciding which parts of a film need orchestral music;

• c) deciding how big an orchestra should be;

• d) the art of setting music for orchestra

• 83) The term harmony means:

•  

• a) melody;

• b) more than one note at once;

• c) notes played very fast;

• d) two melodies played at once.

• 84) Talkies first appeared in the:

•  

• a) 1890s;

• b) 1920s;

• c) 1910s;

• d) 1930s.

•  

• 85) A leitmotiv is:

•  

• a) music which connects with characters;

• b) music which connects with themes;

• c) music which connects with ideas;

• d) music under the credits.

• 86) onomatopoeia is:

•  

• a) music under/over dialog;

• b) particular point of arrival;

• c) balance of music to film as a whole;

• d) sounds like what it is.

• 87) In a recording session the musicians face the:

•  

• a) conductor;

• b) screen;

• c) clock;

• d) recording engineer.

• 88) arpeggios:

•  

• a) outline chords;

• b) outline melodies;

• c) provide counterpoint;

• d) have interesting rhythm.

• 89) the conductor often:

•  

• a) hears dialog in headphones;

• b) operates the machines;

• c) books musicians with agents;

• d) runs the clock, takes notes, etc.

• 90) Which film made the greatest impact on film music:

•  

• a) The Adventures of Robin Hood

• b) Wuthering Heights;

• c) On the Waterfront;

• d) Maltese Falcon.

• 91) work print is :

•  

• a) what composers use;

• b) what directors use;

• c) what orchestrators use;

• d) what performers use.

• 92) a chord is an example of a:

•  

• a) melody;

• b) harmony;

• c) rhythm;

• d) dynamic.

• 93) musical transitions are used during:

•  

• a) travel and fades;

• b) under credits;

• c) under icons;

• d) with the main themes.

• 94) improvisation means:

•  

• a) make up the music as we go along;

• b) music fits the action;

• c) diegetic music;

• d) a stinger.

• 95) Outside of the composer, the most important creative force for sound in film is the:

•  

• a) orchestrator;

• b) contractor;

• c) conductor;

• d) recording engineer.

• 96) Max Steiner composed the music for:

•  

• a) High Noon;

• b) La Dolce Vita;

• c) Vertigo;

• d) Dark Victory.

• 97) a soundtrack is:

•  

• a) music on CD for a film;

• b) diegetic music;

• c) compiled music;

• d) counterpoint.

• 98) composed the music for Contact:

•  

• a) Danny Elfman;

• b) Ennio Morricone;

• c) Alan Silvestri;

• d) John Williams.

• 99) the music for Citizen Kane was composed by:

•  

• a) Erich Wolfgang Korngold;

• b) Leonard Bernstein;

• c) Bernard Herrmann;

• d) Dimitri Tiomkin.

• 100) triads have:

•  

• a) 3 notes;

• b) 2 notes;

• c) 6 notes;

• d) 1 note.