African Americans in Arts & Entertainment Quiz

Question 1

Singer-actor Paul Robeson starred in the musical Showboat in 1928, singing his famous rendition of which song?

Accepted Answer

"Ol' Man River"

Question 2

Who was the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize?

Accepted Answer

Gwendolyn Brooks

Question 3

The Harlem Renaissance, centered in Harlem, occurred roughly during which decade?

Accepted Answer

1920s

Question 4

Who was the first African American to win an Academy Award?

Accepted Answer

Hattie McDaniel

Question 5

Dancer-choreographer Alvin Ailey's best-known solo piece, Cry, was originally intended as a tribute to whom?

Accepted Answer

To his mother and to all black women

Question 6

At the Academy Awards held in 2002, which actors won Best Actor and Best Actress Oscars?

Accepted Answer

Denzel Washington and Halle Berry

Question 7

Who wrote the jazz classic "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"?

Accepted Answer

Edward Kennedy Duke Ellington

Question 8

Which record company was founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. in Detroit in 1959?

Accepted Answer

Motown Records

Question 9

Which African-American entertainer was the first to star in his own television series?

Accepted Answer

Nat King Cole

Question 10

In 1955, contralto Marian Anderson became the first African American to sing on stage at which auditorium?

Accepted Answer

The Metropolitan Opera House New York

Questions 10