World Instruments Quiz – Printable Version
20 multiple-choice questions with an explained answer key, ready to print.
Print the sheet (or save it as a PDF from the print window), hand it out, then mark it together using the answer page: every answer is explained. Perfect for a party, a birthday, a classroom, a care home or a team activity.
Name: ………………………………Score: ……… / 20
- The sitar is a stringed instrument originating from which country?
- A. Pakistan
- B. India
- C. Turkey
- D. Iran
- The didgeridoo is a traditional wind instrument of which people?
- A. Inuit of Canada
- B. Aboriginal Australians
- C. Maori of New Zealand
- D. Papuans of New Guinea
- The kora is a 21-string instrument played by griots from which continent?
- A. Asia
- B. South America
- C. Europe
- D. West Africa
- The bandoneón, flagship instrument of tango, became established in which country (though invented in Germany)?
- A. Chile
- B. Uruguay
- C. Brazil
- D. Argentina
- The shamisen is an emblematic three-string lute of which traditional music?
- A. Japanese
- B. Vietnamese
- C. Korean
- D. Chinese
- The steel drum (steelpan) is the national instrument of which Caribbean archipelago?
- A. Trinidad and Tobago
- B. Barbados
- C. Cuba
- D. Jamaica
- The guqin is a plucked stringed instrument over 3,000 years old, listed as UNESCO heritage, originating from which country?
- A. South Korea
- B. China
- C. Japan
- D. Vietnam
- The dhol is a two-headed drum used at Punjabi celebrations in which subcontinent?
- A. Southeast Asia
- B. Middle East
- C. East Africa
- D. India and Pakistan
- The oud is a fretless lute, ancestor of the European lute, associated with the music of which region?
- A. Northern India
- B. Arab world and Middle East
- C. Sub-Saharan Africa
- D. Central Asia
- The charango is a small lute whose body was traditionally made from the shell of an armadillo, originating from which region?
- A. Caribbean
- B. Andes (Bolivia, Peru)
- C. Brazilian Amazon
- D. Central Mexico
- The taiko is a large percussion instrument used in the festivals and temples of which country?
- A. Thailand
- B. Vietnam
- C. Korea
- D. Japan
- Which bowed string instrument is the Scandinavian cousin of the violin, often decorated with carvings?
- A. Hurdy-gurdy
- B. Nyckelharpa
- C. Hardanger fiddle
- D. Vièle
- The bodhrán is a frame drum typical of the traditional music of which country?
- A. Wales
- B. Brittany
- C. Ireland
- D. Scotland
- The pipa is a pear-shaped Chinese lute. How many strings does it traditionally have?
- A. 3
- B. 2
- C. 5
- D. 4
- The accordion is the emblematic instrument of which Colombian music style?
- A. Merengue
- B. Vallenato
- C. Cumbia
- D. Salsa
- The hulusi is a Chinese flute. What is its visual peculiarity?
- A. It is made of metal
- B. It has 10 tubes
- C. It is transparent
- D. It uses a gourd as an air reservoir
- The mbira has an electronic cousin often used in pop music. Which one?
- A. Kalimba
- B. Piano
- C. Synthesizer
- D. Electric guitar
- The balafon, a West African xylophone, has resonators hanging under its wooden keys. What are they made of?
- A. Coconut shells
- B. Zebu horns
- C. Calabashes
- D. Metal tubes
- According to the Kalevala, Finland's national epic, what was the first kantele made from?
- A. A reindeer antler
- B. The trunk of a sacred birch
- C. A turtle shell
- D. The jawbone of a giant pike
- The đàn bầu, a single-string zither, is an iconic instrument of which country?
- A. Vietnam
- B. Thailand
- C. Cambodia
- D. Laos
Answer key — World Instruments Quiz
- B. IndiaThe sitar is the emblematic instrument of Indian classical music.
- B. Aboriginal AustraliansThe didgeridoo is one of the world's oldest wind instruments, used for over 1,500 years by Aboriginal Australians.
- D. West AfricaThe kora is both a harp and a lute. The griots of Senegal, Gambia, and Mali are its traditional masters, orally transmitting the history of their peoples.
- D. ArgentinaThe bandoneón was invented in Germany in the 19th century, but it was in Argentina that it became the soul of tango.
- A. JapaneseThe shamisen is played with a plectrum called a bachi. It accompanies kabuki theatre, bunraku puppet theatre, and Japanese folk music.
- A. Trinidad and TobagoThe steelpan was born in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1930s–40s, made from recycled oil drums.
- B. ChinaThe guqin is a 7-string zither associated with Chinese scholars and philosophers, including Confucius.
- D. India and PakistanThe dhol is played with two different sticks — one thinner, one thicker.
- B. Arab world and Middle EastThe oud (or 'ud) is the king instrument of Arab, Turkish, and Persian music.
- B. Andes (Bolivia, Peru)The charango is a small 10-string lute born in the Andes in the 18th century, inspired by the Spanish lute.
- D. JapanTaiko refers to a family of Japanese drums. Playing taiko (kumi-daiko) requires great physical and choreographic discipline.
- C. Hardanger fiddleThe 'hardingfele' (Hardanger fiddle) is Norwegian. It has sympathetic strings that resonate beneath the played strings.
- C. IrelandThe bodhrán is played with a stick called a 'tipper'. It is the heartbeat of Irish music.
- D. 4The pipa is an extremely virtuosic instrument. It is played by plucking the strings with the fingernails.
- B. VallenatoIn Vallenato, the accordion is the lead instrument, accompanied by a caja (drum) and a guacharaca.
- D. It uses a gourd as an air reservoirThe hulusi is a free-reed flute integrated into a natural gourd, giving it a very soft and nasal sound.
- A. KalimbaThe kalimba is the modern, simplified version of the traditional African mbira, very popular today worldwide.
- C. CalabashesPlayed notably in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso, the balafon amplifies the sound of its keys with calabash gourds.
- D. The jawbone of a giant pikeIn the Kalevala, compiled by Elias Lönnrot in the 19th century, the hero Väinämöinen makes the first kantele from the jawbone of a giant pike.
- A. VietnamThe đàn bầu has just one string: the player lightly touches it with the edge of the hand to produce harmonics while bending a flexible rod that changes the tension and makes the notes 'sing'.