West Virginia's Appalachian Music and Literature

John Henry Quiz

 

1.     John Henry is what type of folk song?

a.     A Hillbilly song

b.     A Ballad Song

c.     A Play Party Song

 

2.     The lyrics are what part of the song?

a.     The words of the song

b.     The melody of the song

c.     The dance steps

 

3.     Many ballads are sung unaccompanied. What does this mean?

a.     Sung with a musical background instrument

b.     Sung without a musical background instrument

 

4.     What industry did John Henry work for?

a.     Steel Mill

b.     Coal Mine

c.     Railroad

 

5.     “John Henry,” like other ballads, was passed down in an oral tradition. What does this mean?

a.     It was passed down to others by word of mouth

b.     It was heard on the radio

c.     It was only sung at concerts

 

6.     “John Henry,” like most ballads, was sung the same way ever time and told the truth exactly the way it happened.

a.     True

b.     False

CLICK HERE FOR ANSWERS             Back to Meet John Henry Activity Page

 
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West Virginia's Appalachian Music and Literature is a self-contained teaching unit by Avis Caynor and Reneé Wyatt (1997), reprinted with permission in 2003 in the larger web site AppLit.

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Complete list of AppLit pages on folklore
AppLit Folktale Index page on John Henry

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