QUESTION 1

In 1928 this form of dance was declared "harmful" to society, especially because these dance moves were not only seen as "sexually arousing" but were further associated with homosexuality, drugs and eroticism.

Tango

Classical Ballet

Jazz dance

Fox-trot

QUESTION 2

When was the group Pussy Riot formed?

1995

2005

2011

2001

QUESTION 3

All members of the Pussy Riot are currently in jail.

True

False

QUESTION 4

In 1964, Soviet authorities founded the record company Melodiia (Melody) that was in charge of all releases of Soviet music. What musical genre dominated Melodiia's sales throughout the Soviet years?

Classical music

Rock music

Jazz music

Pop music

QUESTION 5

Bard music emphasized lyrics rather than the tune.

True

False

QUESTION 6

Major borrowings of English words into the Russian language (especially terminology of business and market economy) took place during...

Vladimir Putin's era

soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union

Mikhail Gorbachev's perstroika

Nikita Khrushchev's Thaw

QUESTION 7

The soundtrack to Andrew Lloyd Weber Jesus Christ Superstar was first publicly performed in Russia in...

1992

2001

1985

1973

QUESTION 8

The first few Soviet musicians who attempted to create rock groups in the early 1960s were arrested. Instead of traditional rock groups, Soviet authorities "sponsored" the creation of the so-called "vocal instrumental ensembles" whose repertoire was strictly monitored for ideological content.

True

False

QUESTION 9

The word "intelligentsia" (denoting intellectuals who often stood up against the state) entered the English language from Russian.

True

False

QUESTION 10

When did the Russian rock scene move from the underground into the public domain, turning into a fully fledged business?

In the 1990s

In the 1980s

Russian rock never really became a fully fledged business

In the new millennium (21 cent.)

QUESTION 11

Which of the following Soviet bards famously wrote a song with allegorical references to Iosif Stalin as "a black tomcat"?

Bulat Okudzhava

Vladimir Vysotsky

None of these bards

Alexander Galich

QUESTION 12

According to Beumers' article (p.218), the heavy metal group "Aria" was formed in 1984, or in other words, before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

True

False

QUESTION 13

Femen, a group formed in 2008 and staging topless protests to denounce sexual exploitation and human trafficking, is from...

Israel

Ukraine

Denmark

Russia

QUESTION 14

Jazz music was banned immediately after the Revolution of 1917 and no Soviet jazzmen ever emerged.

True

False

QUESTION 15

Reading a daily Soviet newspaper required the knowledge of significant Russian vocabulary.

True

False

QUESTION 16

Soviet-era dictionaries of the Russian language excluded all swear words and sexual terminology, even if these words were used or cited in literary works of 19th century.

True

False

QUESTION 17

According to a recent public opinion survey, 40% of Russians have never heard the word "feminism."

True

False

QUESTION 18

In the late 1990s, old Soviet music became an unexpected hit on the Russian television.

True

False