Test your knowledge of this decade of modern pop culture, music, and technology. Answers provided at the bottom.
1) Who was the U.S. President in 1984?
a) Jimmy Carter
b) Ronald Reagan
c) George H.W. Bush
d) Bill Clinton
2) Which popular game was invented in the 1980s by Japanese game designer Toru Iwatani?
a) Mortal Kombat
b) Pac Man
c) Super Mario World
d) The Legend of Zelda
3) Which event did not take place in the 1980s?
a) The HIV/AIDS Crisis
b) The Discovery of the First Earth-Sized Planets Outside of Our Solar System
c) The Fall of the Berlin Wall
d) The First Permanent Artificial Heart (Jarvik-7) Was Implanted in a Human
4) Which cable channel dedicated to music videos launched in 1981?
a) MTV
b) ESPN
c) CNN
d) Nickelodeon
5) Which 1980s disaster occurred at a nuclear power plant in Ukraine?
a) Chernobyl Disaster
b) Three Mile Island Accident
c) Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
d) Bhopal Disaster
6) Which Michael Jackson album became a defining pop-culture release of the 1980s?
a) Thriller
b) Bad
c) Off the Wall
d) Dangerous
7) Which company introduced the Model 5150 personal computer in 1981 that became the standard for modern personal computing?
a) Atari
b) Apple
c) IBM
d) Microsoft
8) In 1981, which was the first space shuttle to be launched from Kennedy Space Center?
a) Atlantis
b) Challenger
c) Columbia
d) Discovery
9) Originally called the Magic Cube, which toy puzzle became a worldwide craze after being renamed and sold internationally in 1980?
a) Rubik’s Cube
b) Beanie Babies
c) Tamagotchi
d) Fidget Spinner
10) Which Apple computer, introduced in 1984, helped popularize the graphical user interface and mouse?
a) Apple II
b) Macintosh
c) iMac
d) Lisa
11) Which 1985 benefit concert was held in London and Philadelphia to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia?
a) Farm Aid
b) Live Aid
c) Woodstock
d) Band Aid
12) Which home video game console was released in North America in 1985 and helped revive the video game industry?
a) Nintendo Entertainment System
b) PlayStation
c) Sega Dreamcast
d) Xbox
1980s Answer Key and Grading
- Answer: B - Ronald Reagan - Reagan was president in 1984. Source: Britannica
- Answer: B - Pac-Man - Namco introduced Pac-Man in 1980, designed by Toru Iwatani. Source: Britannica
- Answer: B - The Discovery of the First Earth-Sized Planets Outside of Our Solar System - The planets, called Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f were found during NASA’s Kepler mission in 2011. Source: Astronomy.com
- Answer: A – MTV - MTV launched as a music-video cable channel in 1981. Source: History.com
- Answer: A - Chernobyl disaster - The nuclear accident occurred in 1986. Source: Britannica
- Answer: A - Thriller - Michael Jackson’s Thriller became one of the defining albums of the 1980s. Britannica
- Answer: C - IBM - IBM introduced the IBM Personal Computer Model 5150 in 1981, marking a pivotal moment in the computer revolution. Source: EBSCO
- Answer: C – Columbia - Space shuttle Columbia first launched in 1981. Source: NASA
- Answer: A - Rubik’s Cube - The Magic Cube was renamed “Rubik’s Cube” and sold internationally beginning in 1980. Source: Rubiks.com
- Answer: B - Macintosh - Apple introduced the Macintosh in 1984 as a mouse-driven computer with a graphical user interface. Source: Computer History Museum
- Answer: B - Live Aid - Live Aid was held in London and Philadelphia on July 13, 1985, to support famine relief in Ethiopia. Source: Britannica
- Answer: A - Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo released the NES in North America in 1985, helping revive the home video game market. Source: Britannica
Grading: 11–12 correct = Decade Expert; 8–10 = Strong Score; 5–7 = Good Try; 0–4 = Keep Studying.
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