Documentary Films Quiz

Tests comprehension and vocabulary from EnglishClub's Documentary Films History and Vocabulary page. You can do this quiz online or print it on paper.

1. People watch documentaries in order to _______ the real world.

learn about
forget about
escape from
a) learn about b) forget about c) escape from

2. Who does the voice-over in a documentary?

the speaker
the reader
the narrator
a) the speaker b) the reader c) the narrator

3. The television series The Life of Mammals and the 2005 box-office hit March of the Penguins are _______ documentaries.

sports
political
wildlife
a) sports b) political c) wildlife

4. In Super Size Me, the film-maker shows us what happened to his body after a month of

bodybuilding
eating junk food
not exercising
a) bodybuilding b) eating junk food c) not exercising

5. Historical documentaries often show _______ footage of real events as they were taking place.

archival
pre-historic
time-lapse
a) archival b) pre-historic c) time-lapse

6. A film like Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 or Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth that exposes a hidden truth can be called an

exposé
exposition
expository
a) exposé b) exposition c) expository

7. Which of these films is a biographical documentary?

Bully
Amy
Sicko
a) Bully b) Amy c) Sicko

8. The music in 1983's Koyaanisqatsi is regarded as some of the finest ever written for a documentary. Who wrote it?

Brian Eno
Steve Reich
Philip Glass
a) Brian Eno b) Steve Reich c) Philip Glass

9. What are Hoop Dreams, Murderball and Undefeated about?

crime
sport
politics
a) crime b) sport c) politics

10. In the 2014 documentary 20,000 Days on Earth, musician _______ talks about his life and work.

David Bowie
Nick Cave
Kanye West
a) David Bowie b) Nick Cave c) Kanye West

Your score is:

Correct answers:

Contributor: Matt Errey. Matt is the author of several books including 1000 Phrasal Verbs in Context and Common English Idioms for learners, and Matt's ESL Games and Quizzes for teachers.