Q1. In what year was Alexander Borodin born?
A. 1823
B. 1833
C. 1843
D. 1853
Answer: B. 1833
Q2. What was Borodin’s official registered parentage due to his illegitimate birth?
A. Son of a Russian serf and his wife
B. Son of a Georgian prince and a Russian noblewoman
C. Son of a military officer and a pianist
D. Son of a chemist and a composer
Answer: A. Son of a Russian serf and his wife
Q3. At what age was Borodin emancipated from serfdom by his biological father?
A. 5
B. 7
C. 10
D. 12
Answer: B. 7
Q4. Which instrument did Borodin first learn to play after being inspired by an army band performance at age 8?
A. Violin
B. Flute
C. Piano
D. Cello
Answer: C. Piano
Q5. What scientific pursuit did young Borodin engage in by building a home laboratory around age 13 or 14?
A. Astronomy
B. Biology
C. Chemistry
D. Physics
Answer: C. Chemistry
Q6. Which academy did Borodin attend to study medicine and chemistry in Saint Petersburg?
A. Imperial Academy of Arts
B. Medical-Surgical Academy
C. St. Petersburg Conservatory
D. University of Moscow
Answer: B. Medical-Surgical Academy
Q7. In which European city did Borodin study advanced chemistry in 1859?
A. Paris
B. Berlin
C. Heidelberg
D. Vienna
Answer: C. Heidelberg
Q8. Who did Borodin meet in Heidelberg in 1861, later becoming his wife?
A. A fellow chemist
B. A Russian pianist named Ekaterina Protopopova
C. A member of The Five
D. A Georgian noblewoman
Answer: B. A Russian pianist named Ekaterina Protopopova
Q9. What was Borodin’s primary professional career alongside music?
A. Teaching literature
B. Military service
C. Research chemistry and medicine
D. Piano instruction
Answer: C. Research chemistry and medicine
Q10. In what year did Borodin help found medical courses for women in Russia?
A. 1865
B. 1872
C. 1880
D. 1885
Answer: B. 1872
Q11. Which group of Russian nationalist composers did Borodin join after meeting Mily Balakirev?
A. The Five (Mighty Handful)
B. The Belyaev Circle
C. The Rubinstein School
D. The New Russian School
Answer: A. The Five (Mighty Handful)
Q12. What was the key focus of The Five, the group Borodin was part of?
A. Promoting Italian opera
B. Creating a uniquely Russian style of classical music
C. Advancing electronic music
D. Collaborating with Western symphonies
Answer: B. Creating a uniquely Russian style of classical music
Q13. Which of Borodin’s symphonies was his first major work, composed between 1862 and 1867?
A. Symphony No. 2 in B minor
B. Symphony No. 3 in A minor
C. Symphony No. 1 in E-flat Major
D. Symphony No. 4 in F minor
Answer: C. Symphony No. 1 in E-flat Major
Q14. In what key and year was Borodin’s Symphony No. 2 primarily composed?
A. A major, 1865
B. B minor, 1876
C. C minor, 1880
D. D major, 1885
Answer: B. B minor, 1876
Q15. Which of Borodin’s symphonies remained unfinished at his death and was later completed by Alexander Glazunov?
A. Symphony No. 1
B. Symphony No. 2
C. Symphony No. 3
D. Symphony No. 4
Answer: C. Symphony No. 3
Q16. When did Borodin begin work on his opera Prince Igor, his most ambitious project?
A. 1859
B. 1869
C. 1879
D. 1889
Answer: B. 1869
Q17. Who completed Borodin’s unfinished opera Prince Igor after his death?
A. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov
B. Mily Balakirev and Modest Mussorgsky
C. César Cui and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
D. Franz Liszt and Hector Berlioz
Answer: A. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov
Q18. What famous choral dances from Prince Igor are among Borodin’s most performed works?
A. Russian Easter Dances
B. Polovtsian Dances
C. Cossack Marches
D. Tatar Songs
Answer: B. Polovtsian Dances
Q19. In what year did Borodin compose the symphonic poem In the Steppes of Central Asia?
A. 1870
B. 1875
C. 1880
D. 1885
Answer: C. 1880
Q20. Which movement from Borodin’s String Quartet No. 2 is particularly renowned for its lyrical beauty?
A. Scherzo
B. Fugue
C. Nocturne
D. Finale
Answer: C. Nocturne
Q21. When was Borodin’s String Quartet No. 2 in D major composed?
A. 1870–1875
B. 1881
C. 1878–1882
D. 1886–1887
Answer: B. 1881
Q22. What early chamber work did Borodin compose around 1855, later revised in 1860?
A. String Quintet
B. Piano Trio
C. Cello Sonata
D. Flute Quartet
Answer: B. Piano Trio
Q23. Which composer influenced Borodin’s shift toward Russian nationalist music after 1862?
A. Johann Sebastian Bach
B. Franz Schubert
C. Mily Balakirev
D. Richard Wagner
Answer: C. Mily Balakirev
Q24. What health condition afflicted Borodin’s wife, Ekaterina, prompting their time in Heidelberg?
A. Heart disease
B. Tuberculosis
C. Rheumatism
D. Migraines
Answer: B. Tuberculosis
Q25. How did Borodin typically view his musical composition in relation to his scientific career?
A. As his primary passion
B. As a demanding full-time job
C. As relaxation and a secondary vocation
D. As a commercial enterprise
Answer: C. As relaxation and a secondary vocation
