1. What were the first two platinum rap albums? What was their significance?
2. Describe East Coast and West Coast styles of rap. Include significant artists.
3. What is techno?
4. Does rap reinforce stereotypes, or does it give a realistic depiction of urban life in African American communities?
5. What are the meanings of “alternative” as it pertains to popular music styles?
6. Who were the significant artists of alternative rock during the 1980s and 1990s?
7. What is the “Seattle sound”?
8. Compare and contrast the careers and musical styles of Ani DiFranco, Lauren Hill, and k.d. lang.
9. What was the importance of the Coen Brothers’ film O Brother, Where Art Thou?
10. Name a few of the important styles of world music that emerged in the 1980s. 
11. What is world music?