Q1. What is the primary classification of a gong in musical instrument families?
A. Aerophone
B. Chordophone
C. Idiophone
D. Membranophone
Answer: C. Idiophone
Q2. The term “gong” originates from which language or region?
A. Chinese
B. Javanese (Indonesian)
C. Thai
D. Tibetan
Answer: B. Javanese (Indonesian)
Q3. Which type of gong typically has a raised central boss or knob?
A. Tam-tam
B. Chau gong
C. Nipple gong
D. Wind gong
Answer: C. Nipple gong
Q4. In Western symphony orchestras, the flat-faced gong of indefinite pitch is commonly referred to as what?
A. Gong ageng
B. Kulintang
C. Tam-tam
D. Bonang
Answer: C. Tam-tam
Q5. The gong ageng plays a central role in which traditional ensemble?
A. Western symphony orchestra
B. Javanese or Balinese gamelan
C. Chinese opera
D. Philippine marching band
Answer: B. Javanese or Balinese gamelan
Q6. Gongs are traditionally made primarily from which material?
A. Wood
B. Bamboo
C. Steel
D. Bronze (an alloy of copper and tin)
Answer: D. Bronze (an alloy of copper and tin)
Q7. Which gong type is known for producing a “crashing” sound with indefinite pitch due to its flat surface?
A. Bossed gong
B. Nipple gong
C. Tam-tam
D. Bowl gong
Answer: C. Tam-tam
Q8. In gamelan music, gongs often serve what structural function?
A. Playing the main melody
B. Providing colotomic punctuation (marking cycles)
C. Solo improvisation
D. Harmonic accompaniment
Answer: B. Providing colotomic punctuation (marking cycles)
Q9. The chau gong is also commonly known as what in some contexts?
A. Bullseye gong
B. Feng gong
C. Opera gong
D. Singing bowl
Answer: A. Bullseye gong
Q10. Which composer is credited with first introducing the tam-tam into Western orchestral music around 1790?
A. Claude Debussy
B. Francois-Joseph Gossec
C. Giacomo Puccini
D. Gustav Mahler
Answer: B. Francois-Joseph Gossec
Q11. In kulintang ensembles of the southern Philippines, what type of gongs are primarily used?
A. Bossed or knobbed gongs
B. Flat tam-tams
C. Bowl gongs
D. Wind gongs
Answer: A. Bossed or knobbed gongs
Q12. What is a common playing technique to enhance the sound of a large gong before the main stroke?
A. Bowing the edge
B. Rubbing with a superball mallet
C. Priming (lightly hitting beforehand)
D. Immersing in water
Answer: C. Priming (lightly hitting beforehand)
Q13. Bowl gongs, also known as singing bowls, are typically played how?
A. Suspended and struck hard
B. Resting on cushions, struck or rubbed
C. Horizontally in rows
D. With drumsticks only
Answer: B. Resting on cushions, struck or rubbed (Rubbing the rim produces sustained tones.)
Q14. In traditional Asian cultures, gongs were historically used for what non-musical purpose?
A. Signaling or announcing important events/officials
B. Cooking
C. Farming tools
D. Currency
Answer: A. Signaling or announcing important events/officials
Q15. Which gong is often associated with Chinese opera and has a rising or falling pitch?
A. Tam-tam
B. Tiger gong
C. Gong ageng
D. Kenong
Answer: B. Tiger gong (Known for its distinctive “roaring” or pitch-bending effect.)
Q16. The wind gong (feng gong) is characterized by what feature?
A. Deep rim and boss
B. Bowl shape
C. Flat center with no rim
D. Turned-up edge for quicker sound buildup
Answer: D. Turned-up edge for quicker sound buildup
Q17. In Buddhist traditions, gongs are commonly used to do what?
A. Mark the start and end of meditation
B. Accompany dance only
C. Provide rhythmic drive
D. Play melodies
Answer: A. Mark the start and end of meditation
Q18. The bonang in gamelan is what type of instrument?
A. Single large hanging gong
B. Row of small kettle gongs
C. Drum
D. Flute
Answer: B. Row of small kettle gongs
Q19. Which region is recognized by UNESCO for its “Space of Gong Culture” in the Central Highlands?
A. Indonesia
B. China
C. Vietnam
D. Thailand
Answer: C. Vietnam
Q20. Modern techniques for playing gongs may include what for unusual effects?
A. Only soft mallets
B. Bowing with a bass bow or friction mallets
C. Plucking strings
D. Blowing air
Answer: B. Bowing with a bass bow or friction mallets
Q21. The largest gong in a gamelan, marking the longest cycles, is called what?
A. Gong ageng
B. Gong suwukan
C. Kenong
D. Kempul
Answer: A. Gong ageng
Q22. In Western music, which opera composer prominently used gongs and tam-tams?
A. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
B. Giacomo Puccini
C. Richard Strauss
D. Ludwig van Beethoven
Answer: B. Giacomo Puccini
Q23. Gongs in Thai pi phat ensembles are part of what tradition?
A. Solo meditation
B. Marching bands
C. Large bossed gong ensembles for theater and ceremony
D. Rock music
Answer: C. Large bossed gong ensembles for theater and ceremony
Q24. What distinguishes a tam-tam from a pitched gong?
A. It has a raised boss
B. It produces indefinite pitch with complex overtones
C. It is always smaller
D. It is made of wood
Answer: B. It produces indefinite pitch with complex overtones
Q25. In some gamelan gongs, intentional beating tones (1-5 Hz) are created for what effect?
A. Pulsating or wah-wah sensation
B. Louder volume
C. Higher pitch
D. Shorter sustain
Answer: A. Pulsating or wah-wah sensation
