Q 01/05

In which decade did reggae emerge as a distinct genre?

A) The 1940s

B) The 1970s

C) The 1950s

D) The 1960s

Answer · why

D) The 1960s

The first bona fide reggae records, 'Nanny Goat' and 'No More Heartaches', came out in early 1968.

Q 02/05

Which 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals was the first popular song to use the word 'reggae'?

A) Pressure Drop

B) Do the Reggay

C) 54-46 That's My Number

D) Monkey Man

Answer · why

B) Do the Reggay

The Oxford English Dictionary credits the group in the etymology of the word.

Q 03/05

Which genre came immediately before reggae in Jamaica, slower than ska and with more romantic lyrics?

A) Rocksteady

B) Calypso

C) Bluebeat

D) Mento

Answer · why

A) Rocksteady

It dominated Jamaican music for barely two years from about 1966 before reggae took over.

Q 04/05

What is the name for the short, scratchy offbeat guitar chop that defines reggae?

A) The riddim

B) The toast

C) The skank

D) The dubplate

Answer · why

C) The skank

It is also called the 'bang'; the intro to the Wailers' 'Stir It Up' uses a double chop.

Q 05/05

Reggae is closely associated with which Afrocentric religion that emerged in Jamaica in the 1930s?

A) Rastafari

B) Candomblé

C) Vodou

D) Santería

Answer · why

A) Rastafari

From the 1970s reggae's global success helped spread Rastafarian beliefs worldwide.