Bassoon Quiz Questions and Answers
Q1. What family of musical instruments does the bassoon belong to?
A. Single-reed woodwinds
B. Brass
C. Double-reed woodwinds
D. Percussion
Answer: C. Double-reed woodwinds
Q2. The bassoon is known for producing sound through which type of mouthpiece?
A. Single reed
B. Double reed
C. Metal mouthpiece
D. Open hole
Answer: B. Double reed
Q3. What is the primary material used to construct modern bassoons?
A. Metal
B. Plastic
C. Maple wood
D. Bamboo
Answer: C. Maple wood
Q4. How many main joints does a standard modern bassoon typically disassemble into?
A. Three
B. Four
C. Five
D. Six
Answer: D. Six
Q5. The bassoon’s tube, if unfolded, would measure approximately how long?
A. 4 feet
B. 6 feet
C. 8 feet
D. 10 feet
Answer: C. 8 feet
Q6. What is the lowest note typically playable on a standard bassoon (without extensions)?
A. C2
B. Bb1
C. F1
D. E1
Answer: B. Bb1
Q7. In standard orchestral notation, the bassoon is a non-transposing instrument, meaning it sounds:
A. As written
B. An octave higher than written
C. An octave lower than written
D. A fifth lower than written
Answer: A. As written
Q8. Which predecessor instrument is considered the direct ancestor of the modern bassoon?
A. Shawm
B. Oboe da caccia
C. Dulcian
D. Recorder
Answer: C. Dulcian
Q9. In which century did the modern four-joint bassoon design emerge?
A. 16th century
B. 17th century
C. 18th century
D. 19th century
Answer: B. 17th century
Q10. Which system of bassoon is most commonly used worldwide today?
A. Buffet (French)
B. Baroque
C. Viennese
D. Heckel (German)
Answer: D. Heckel (German)
Q11. The metal tube connecting the reed to the bassoon is called:
A. Bell
B. Boot
C. Bocal
D. Wing joint
Answer: C. Bocal
Q12. Which composer wrote over 37 concertos featuring the bassoon prominently?
A. Mozart
B. Bach
C. Telemann
D. Antonio Vivaldi
Answer: D. Antonio Vivaldi
Q13. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed a famous Bassoon Concerto in which key?
A. F major
B. Bb major
C. Eb major
D. A major
Answer: B. Bb major
Q14. In Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, which character is represented by the bassoon?
A. The bird
B. The duck
C. The grandfather
D. The wolf
Answer: C. The grandfather
Q15. The opening solo of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring is famously played by:
A. Oboe
B. Clarinet
C. Flute
D. Bassoon (in its high register)
Answer: D. Bassoon (in its high register)
Q16. What is the name of the instrument that sounds an octave lower than the bassoon?
A. Contrabassoon
B. Bass clarinet
C. Tenoroon
D. English horn
Answer: A. Contrabassoon
Q17. In a standard symphony orchestra, how many bassoons are typically included?
A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. Four
Answer: B. Two
Q18. The bassoon often provides which role in the woodwind section of an orchestra?
A. Highest melody
B. Harmonic filler only
C. Percussive effects
D. Bass foundation
Answer: D. Bass foundation
Q19. Which 19th-century German maker is credited with developing the modern bassoon design?
A. Carl Almenrader and Johann Adam Heckel
B. Adolphe Sax
C. Theobald Boehm
D. Louis Lot
Answer: A. Carl Almenrader and Johann Adam Heckel
Q20. The Buffet system bassoon is primarily used in which regions?
A. Germany and USA
B. France, Belgium, and parts of Latin America
C. Italy and Spain exclusively
D. United Kingdom
Answer: B. France, Belgium, and parts of Latin America
Q21. Bassoon reeds are traditionally made from which material?
A. Plastic
B. Metal
C. Arundo donax cane
D. Synthetic fibers only
Answer: C. Arundo donax cane
Q22. Which famous orchestral work features a prominent bassoon solo in its cadenza-like passages, including in Scheherazade?
A. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5
B. Mahler’s Symphony No. 1
C. Brahms’ Symphony No. 1
D. Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade
Answer: D. Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade
Q23. Carl Maria von Weber composed a well-known Concerto for bassoon in which key?
A. F major
B. Bb major
C. C major
D. E minor
Answer: A. F major
Q24. The bassoon’s tone in its lowest register is often described as:
A. Bright and piercing
B. Rich and slightly buzzing
C. Thin and nasal
D. Metallic
Answer: B. Rich and slightly buzzing
Q25. In which clef is most bassoon music written for its lower range?
A. Treble clef only
B. Alto clef
C. Bass clef
D. Tenor clef exclusively
Answer: C. Bass clef