America’s Artistic Legacy Quiz for Module 23
True False
1. Once World War II started, all of the frivolities of swing were left far behind in people’s minds.
True / False
2. The idea of “Never Again” was strongly felt after World War II.
True / False
3. The tremendous technology developed in World War II was useful only to the military and had no domestic application.
True / False
4. World War II started with the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
True / False
5. The bombing of Pearl Harbor became the psychological turning point to erase America’s determination to stay out of the war in Europe.
True / False
6. The split between the ecstatic and the didactic tradition in American arts was a product of World War II.
True / False
7. The American Recording industry really blossomed during the Second World War.
True / False
8. Singers would move from being merely one more member of the Swing-Band to being the primary focal point or “star.”
True / False
9. Many of the artists seeking safety in the U.S. came expecting to return home to Europe or Russia after the war.
True / False
10. The new direction of jazz after World War II minimized the dance-beat in order to emphasize listening.
True / False
11. Many of the new developments shaping the American arts before and after World War II were taking place on the West Coast.
True / False
12. Henry Cowell was the first person to come up with the idea of the “Aeolian Harp.”
True / False
13. After Henry Cowell, you can no longer assume that traditional instruments will be played (or sound) as they always had.
True / False
14. Harry Partch created his extraordinary musical effects using the basic 12- note scale.
True / False
15. The music created by Harry Partch quickly spread to performances by regional orchestras.
True / False
16. The early and mid-decades of the 20th century were a sparse period for American novels of significance.
17. The Great Gatsby, a vivid description of the 1920s Jazz Age, still speaks to young people today.
True / False
18. Eugene O’Neil’s message contrasted sharply with the Entertainment glitz of the 1930s.
True / False
19. Contemporaries Carl Sandburg and Robert Frost had close interests and collaborated often.
True / False
20. The optimism shown by the technological progress of the 1939 World’s Fair was contradicted by the events that soon exploded into World War II.
True / False
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. World War II began with a. the bombing of Pearl Harbor. b. Hitler’s annexation of Austria. c. the invasion of Poland by Hitler’s troops. d. the devastating air raids on London.
2. Swing at the end of the Second World War was a. almost fully out of fashion. b. rejected by Europeans as too-American. c. celebrated as a national style that had helped win the war. d. was about to experience its greatest period of popularity.
3. One factor that helped end the Swing Era was a. the disinterest of the youth towards attending live performances. b. the costs of keeping a Big Band afloat financially. c. the sharp drop-off in recordings after World War II. d. the loss of so much talent during World War II.
4. If a European artist or professor emigrated to the U.S. in this period, it was better if he a. arrived in the 1930s when many jobs were available. b. came during the actual years of WWII when so many Americans were obligated to serve in the military. c. arrived after World War II, when stability allowed artistic activities to resume. d. stayed after WWII on the East Coast, where the artistic institutions were well established.
5. “They all came to Hollywood” is a phrase used in the lecture to describe a. the return of soldiers from WWII, eager for the new Hollywood films. b. the relocation of the innovations in Swing to the West Coast after World War II. c. the flow of European and Russian talent that came to compose film scores. d. the explosion of new arrivals who had been driven to California by the Dust Bowl.
6. Hollywood Bowl was a. a mixed-use facility that included sports facilities as well as music. b. a venue known for music of all styles. c. a venue dedicated solely to classical concerts by the new Los Angeles Philharmonic. d. a venue built for popular music, especially jazz.
7. Henry Cowell a. turned to electronic instruments to achieve his strange new sounds. b. made the new sounds come out of the piano using traditional methods of playing the instrument. c. required the player to “play” the instrument using non-traditional techniques. d. added electronic sounds to the sound of the acoustical piano to achieve his sounds.
8. Post-World War II grants a. were given to popular artists, to help the music industry recover from the production restrictions during World War II. b. went primarily to the newly arrived European artists to help them establish new careers. c. dried up quickly when the audiences didn’t like the art that the grant recipients were creating. d. allowed artists to create new works whether or not the audiences responded to their new ideas.
9. O’Henry is celebrated as a. the founding patron of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. b. America’s most outstanding short-story writer after WWII. c. A poet equally as important as Walt Whitman but very different in his use of subject matter. d. an early 20th-century writer of now-classic short stories.
10. Look Homeward Angel is especially poignant because it a. described a by-gone world of Asheville that local people could barely remember. b. told the story of experiences that people from Asheville had once they left to explore the world. c. featured three beloved characters, each of whom had a tragic end. d. was set in a house still standing that people in the community knew well.
11. Ernst Hemmingway’s novels a. described vividly the kind of adventures he wished he could have had. b. were filled with adventures similar to the ones he experienced in his own life. c. brought the tragedy of World War II home to his readers. d. described many adventures, but used modern, psychological symbols.
12. T.S. Elliot’s Murder in the Cathedral a. was turned into one of Alfred Hitchcock’s scariest films. b. was used later into the basis of the musical Cats. c. involved the circle of artists who clustered around Gertrude Stein. d. depicted a historical subject from English religious history.
13. “Precisionism” is an art term that means a. fusing realistic depiction of images with geometric shapes. b. using a specific color approach to the painting. c. implementing collage techniques to soften impressionism using natural materials. d. replacing realistic images with abstract impressionism.
14. Which was a visual art form fostered by the WPA that was highly charged with message? a. abstract expressionist painting b. the modern portrait c. the mural d. miniature sculpture
15. The painter who spearheaded this development in the previous question was a. Thomas Hart Benton. b. Diego Riviera. c. Giuseppe Stella. d. Charles Demuth.
16. The 1939 World’s Fair a. opened on the anniversary of the American Revolution. b. struggled to get the attention of the world’s most prominent people. c. was a showcase of modern technology. d. featured a Westinghouse Time Capsule that would be opened in 500 years.