Deck 9: The Renaissance

Question 1

How can one describe Civic Humanism?

A)Rational town planning
B)The discovery of a moral and ethical dimension to public life
C)The study of political science
D)Public service
E)The effort to make cities beautiful by art and architecture

Answer 1

The discovery of a moral and ethical dimension to public life

Question 2

What works of vernacular literature were produced during this period? Did they imitate Classical authors as the Italian humanists recommended?

Answer 2

Students should make references to the variety of composition, including the letters of saints like Catherine of Siena and Angela of Foligno, as well as Chaucer and Christine de Pizan.They did not imitate ancient authors.

Question 3

How rational was the Renaissance? Discuss the influence of occult and magical texts on writers such as Pico and the popularity of hermetic magic, astrology, and alchemy.

Answer 3

The students should know what all these terms mean.It is good for them to realize how different from the modern mentality the Renaissance actually was; the people of that time are too often portrayed as "just like us."

Question 4

Summarize the life and work of Petrarch.Why is he considered the "father of humanism"?

Question 5

What is the frame narrative of Boccaccio's Decameron?

A)The soul's journey to God.
B)A poet explores hell, purgatory, and heaven.
C)A cycle of University lectures.
D)A group of young aristocrats tell each other stories while avoiding the plague.
E)A journey from London to Canterbury.

Question 6

Discuss the meaning of the term renaissance (including what it does not mean), and explain the characteristic features of the early Italian Renaissance.

Question 7

Which of the following statements is not true in describing Petrarch?

A)He coined the expression "Dark Ages."
B)He felt that the goal of a philosopher or teacher was to teach the student to be good.
C)He memorized the writings of the classical authors to internalize their values.
D)He recognized the tension between the Christian present and the pagan past.
E)Because of the study of Greek and Roman theology, Petrarch denounced the Catholic Church.

Question 8

Is the Renaissance Christian or not (explain your answer in the context of Classical studies, literature, art, and architecture)?

Question 9

Who is the first figure recognized as a founder of the Renaissance?

A)Leonardo da Vinci
B)Michelangelo
C)Petrarch
D)Machiavelli
E)Erasmus

Question 10

Describe civic humanism.To what does it refer, and what were its goals? What type of education is associated with it?

Question 11

Consider the work of Machiavelli.How does his outlook differ from that of the civic humanists? Why does the principle that "the end justifies the means" represent a new idea in Western political thought?

Question 12

What is the studia humanitatis?

A)medicine
B)any form of School
C)university study
D)rhetoric and literature, especially the classics
E)None of the above.

Question 13

Discuss the patronage of art during the Renaissance.What role did public institutions play? What were some traits of courtly life in Italy? What connection was there between the rise to power of wealthy families and the proliferation of artworks?

Question 14

Explain the northern Renaissance.

Question 15

What was the main focus of Castiglione's The Book of the Courtier? Give examples of his recommendations to aspiring gentlemen.Why was the book so popular?

Question 16

Petrarch was a

A)Scholastic philosopher.
B)monk with a zeal for reform.
C)ruler of a small but elegant commune.
D)Classical scholar with an exalted idea of ancient Roman values.
E)critic of the guild system.

Question 17

In humanism, the center of intellectual life was

A)the Bible, the writings of Church Fathers such as Augustine, and recent papal encyclicals.
B)the new scientific thought best exemplified by da Vinci.
C)the pursuit of profit in the expanding commercial economy.
D)poetry, history, and rhetoric based on ancient Greek and Roman forms and values.
E)competition between city states and kingdoms in Italy.

Question 18

Survey the development of Renaissance painting, beginning with the work of Giotto.What were some features of the new style?

Question 19

The movement called the Renaissance included all of the following except

A)a cultural revival intended to revive Classical and early Christian traditions.
B)origins in northern Italy.
C)major advances in the treatment and diagnosis of disease.
D)expansion to the entire West, including Hungary, Poland, and Scandinavia.
E)desire to improve and reform society of the time.

Question 20

Renaissance Italians had a clear vision as to who they were.How was that vision translated into their daily lives as individuals or as groups?

Question 21

Referring to the chapter feature, "The Global Record: Gentile Bellini Travels to Meet the Turkish Sultan," how did the Muslim Turks, and especially Mehmed II, react to Gentile?

A)The portrait of Emperor Mehmed II by Gentile was the result of an unusual meeting between painter and Islamic leaders of the time.
B)Islam does not allow pictorial representations, but Italian paintings and their artists amazed the Turks.
C)Turks could not believe that any mortal man could present so much divinity in a piece of art.
D)Because the Emperor considered himself a miracle, he forbade any portrait of himself.
E)Not being able to actually pay Bellini for painting a portrait of the Emperor Mehmed II, Bellini was overwhelmed with impressive gifts.

Question 22

All of the following are true of Michelangelo except that he

A)rejected Platonism as irreligious.
B)sculpted a great statue of David.
C)was a supporter of Florentine republicanism.
D)painted the Sistine Chapel.
E)often painted into his work a psychological self portrait concerned with his own spiritual failings.

Question 23

Which of the following is a work that was not authored by Machiavelli?

A)Oration on the dignity of man
B)The Prince
C)Discourses on Livy
D)The Mandrake
E)A History of Florence

Question 24

What did humanists travel throughout Europe seeking?

A)the advice of kings
B)the thrill of foreign lands
C)the rediscovery of lost classical works
D)first-hand knowledge of different groups of people
E)None of the above.

Question 25

What innovation did Masaccio astonish Florence with in 1427?

A)true linear perspective in The Trinity
B)a novel use of fresco technique
C)new types of Bronze casting
D)classically proportioned architecture
E)None of the above.

Question 26

Machiavelli believed

A)like the humanists, that educated people will choose virtue instead of vice.
B)like Petrarch, that rulers should practice Christian virtues.
C)that government must be based on power and that the end justifies the means.
D)that Classical learning would create good rulers and good citizens.
E)that governments must resist change.

Question 27

Leonardo da Vinci was known for

A)abstract painting and nonfigurative sculpture.
B)great literary expertise and humanist accomplishments.
C)construction of the first successful airplanes and submarines.
D)chiaroscuro painting and analytical observation.
E)his emphasis on the classics.

Question 28

Why did Ficino think Plato was consonant with Christianity?

A)Plato was a monotheist.
B)Plato understood the Hebrew scriptures.
C)He advocated the dignity of humanity.
D)He had a useful political system for Europe.
E)He was an advocate of Italian unity.

Question 29

Humanist fascination with education produced all of the following except

A)a new understanding of language, philosophy, and religion.
B)an intense search for classics that young Roman men studied to become educated Romans.
C)a lending library at the Vatican.
D)the creation of private libraries of the classics.
E)co-educational schools.

Question 30

Which was not a humanistic preoccupation?

A)the study of classical languages
B)Scholastic philosophy
C)alchemy
D)astrology
E)rhetoric

Question 31

Which of the following does not describe the role of art during the Renaissance?

A)religious
B)a sign of status
C)emphasis on social criticism
D)communication of social, political, and spiritual values
E)revered for its miraculous powers

Question 32

Pico della Mirandola believed that

A)man's freedom to choose who he will become meant that human beings surpass angels in dignity.
B)all philosophies contained some truth.
C)an original, unified, and divine illumination preceded even Plato.
D)divine wisdom could be found in Jewish as well as Christian and pagan mystical literature.
E)All of the above.

Question 33

In his On the Falsely Believed and Forged Donation of Constantine, Valla proved that

A)Emperor Constantine had, in fact, given the pope the western half of the Roman Empire to rule.
B)while the document was authentic, spiritual and legal reasons made it invalid.
C)the language in which the document was written indicated it was an eighth-century forgery.
D)the matter of the document's authenticity is irrelevant.
E)the document's use of diadem was not described correctly, and not in use at the time of the document.

Question 34

All of the following statements involving Petrarch's defense of humanists are correct except

A)humanists believed that the study of classics did not make them less Christian.
B)according to humanists, all that is seen or perceived is made by God
C)by studying the classics, one learns for the sake of knowledge alone but still remains the same man in regard to the belief in God.
D)reading the classics translated into Latin destroys any pagan influence.
E)one could be a Ciceronian, Platonist and still be a Christian.

Question 35

Italian humanists tended to believe that realities, such as government, were essentially static and that if change occurred it was by chance (fortuna).Most believed that fortuna could only be countered by

A)virtue.
B)piety.
C)ruthlessness.
D)God.
E)law.

Question 36

Which of the following statements best describes the Italian humanist attitude toward women?

A)Because of their primitive and volatile nature, women should avoid all exposure to scholarship.
B)Women could be educated, but only in a passive way; they could be patrons of scholarship but not its producers.
C)Since Christianity taught that all are children of God, Roman Stoics believed that both women and men possess reason; women should have the same educational opportunities as men.
D)Women have a better appreciation for subtlety; hence, they are better qualified to be scholars than men.
E)Women should be educated in order to become an active part in the political arena.

Question 37

The architectural work of Brunelleschi

A)built on the work of Suger.
B)was based on his study of Classical buildings.
C)resembled no style ever used in the past.
D)sought for greater height than that of the Gothic cathedrals.
E)was based on religious themes.

Question 38

Which of the following statements describes how northern art changed in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries?

A)Religious topics were abandoned and linear perspective was adopted.
B)Austerity and an emphasis on vertical lines gave way to complexity and emotion, while ornate, vivid painting was replaced by an emphasis on depth.
C)It was supplanted by the Italian style and became a business.
D)Religious topics were abandoned and aerial perspective was adopted.
E)Northern art moved away from highly formalized style to a detailed representation of specific places.

Question 39

What artistic breakthrough characterizes the work of Giotto?

A)three-dimensionality
B)drama and emotion painted in real space
C)360 degree sculpture
D)the use of new colors
E)allegorical imagery

Question 40

All of the following statements describe the evolution of painting as a major art form during the fifteenth century except

A)artists found few classical pieces to study and imitate.
B)the development of linear perspective led to greater interest in painting.
C)the church and society were against any kind of religious figures in painting
D)artists came to terms with the innovations of the earlier period.
E)symbolism could be translated into visual truths, virtues, and beauty.

Question 41

Which of the following was critical to the success of Renaissance artists?

A)the support of the papacy
B)the sponsorship of patrons, great and small
C)the permission of the Church
D)the attitudes of the middle class
E)exposure to non-Christian cultures

Question 42

All of the following are true of Sir Thomas More except that he was

A)a Dominican friar.
B)the author of Utopia.
C)a friend of Erasmus.
D)executed by Henry VIII.
E)indirectly responsible for the persecution of English Protestants.

Question 43

The first Pope who recognized the utility of the Renaissance for Rome was

A)Urban Vi
B)Nicholas V
C)Alexander VI
D)Julius II
E)Clement VII

Question 44

As the Renaissance matured

A)secular rulers used it to help define and celebrate their authority.
B)it was blended with religion in a spectacular manner by the popes.
C)it helped to transform the medieval knight into a gentleman.
D)the use of elaborate and sumptuous courts was used to unify culture and ideology.
E)All of these

Question 45

Humanists outside of Italy were

A)more absorbed in Roman history than the Italians.
B)not concerned with local interests.
C)more interested in religious reform.
D)from areas that had been part of the Roman Empire
E)not interested in imitating the past in their work.

Question 46

What was the primary use of a Renaissance Court?

A)to create a unified culture and ideology around the person of the sovereign
B)to coordinate government
C)to maintain a bureaucracy
D)to interface with Church officials
E)to provide jobs for family members

Question 47

What position did Thomas More attain in England?

A)Prime Minister
B)Lord Chancellor
C)Archbishop of Canterbury
D)King's secretary
E)Lord High Executioner

Question 48

Which family dominated Mantua for hundreds of years?

A)the Medici
B)the Sforzas
C)the Gonzagas
D)the della Scalas
E)None of the above.

Question 49

What was the "polyglot" bible?

A)Erasmus' first Greek edition of the New Testament
B)A parallel edition of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew
C)The first vernacular translation of the bible
D)The first printed bible
E)None of the above.

Question 50

What was Erasmus' contribution to scripture study?

A)A Hebrew edition of the Old Testament.
B)A rejection of literalism in favor of allegory.
C)The first Greek scholarly edition of the New Testament.
D)Interpretation that influenced Martin Luther.
E)An emphasis on wonder and miracle.

Question 51

Where did the Renaissance begin?

A)Papal Rome
B)Paris
C)Nuremburg
D)The city-states of North Central Italy
E)Venice

Question 52

What is not true of Isabella d'Este?

A)She had a classical education.
B)She was an accomplished musician.
C)She was a great patron of the arts.
D)She was a great painter.
E)She used her patronage to increase contacts between Mantua and the European powers.

Question 53

Erasmus' general outlook was that Christianity should focus on

A)devotional exercises.
B)Penitence.
C)ethical living.
D)the institutional Church.
E)salvation by Faith.

Question 54

The Renaissance had a significant impact on all of the following except

A)Sweden.
B)Poland.
C)Hungary.
D)Russia.
E)Austria.

Question 55

The "Prince of Humanists," Erasmus, developed a "Philosophy of Christ" that

A)held that the true essence of Christianity was the life and actions of Christ and that each person was good and rational.
B)condemned all non-Christian philosophies as false but also rejected church authority.
C)was officially adopted as part of the Reformation.
D)was officially adopted by the Catholic Church.
E)criticized Greek and Roman wisdom as being non-transferable to the sixteenth century.

Question 56

Which is not an example of Renaissance vernacular literature?

A)The Canterbury Tales
B)Decameron
C)Piers Plowman
D)The Mirror for Simple Souls
E)On the Falsely Believed and Forged Donation of Constantine

Question 57

The invention of movable type by Gutenberg resulted in all of the following except

A)the rise of print shops as centers of culture and communication.
B)the creation of agreed-upon standard editions.
C)the first mass production of playing cards and woodcuts.
D)improved study of rare works.
E)the dramatic expansion of libraries.

Question 58

The spread of humanist culture was greatly aided by

A)the use of printing.
B)the growth of agnosticism and atheism.
C)the preaching of missionaries.
D)the use of a new common language, French.
E)new interests in the past works of great Islamic writers and philosophers.

Question 59

In The Book of the City of Ladies, Christine de Pizan

A)addressed the querelle des femmes.
B)stated that women appeared inferior because their education was inferior.
C)stated that male critics could be countered by reason, prudence, and justice.
D)stated that like sons, daughters should also be educated in the natural sciences.
E)All of the above.

Question 60

The northern Renaissance's attempt to blend humanism and religion included

A)the development of the Polyglot ("many-tongued")Bible.
B)the rediscovery of early Christian authors.
C)the belief that all philosophies and religions contained universal truths.
D)material and studies that would later become a foundation of the Reformation.
E)All of the above.

Question 61

During the 14th century, education in Italy was done primarily to provide clergy for local churches.

Question 62

Dürer left Nuremberg to travel both to France and Italy, learning the art of painting.

Question 63

Which artist is not represented with works in the Sistine Chapel?

A)Michelangelo
B)Leonardo
C)Botticelli
D)Perugino
E)Signorelli

Question 64

The daunting challenge of translating the works of Plato into Latin was undertaken by Marsilio Ficino.

Question 65

Which is not an essential quality of a courtier, according to Castiglione?

A)dancing
B)military knowledge
C)conversation
D)classical education
E)Scholastic philosophy

Question 66

Art during the Renaissance was exclusively bought by the elite and powerful.

Question 67

Michelangelo was responsible for the development of a technique for using light and dark in pictures and showing aerial perspective.

Question 68

Pope Sixtus IV was responsible for urban renewal in Rome which included the rebuilding of Saint Peter's Basilica.

Question 69

What is sprezzatura?

A)A type of Renaissance dance
B)A system for classical education
C)Graceful and nonchalant spontaneity
D)A type of urban planning
E)Another word for civic humanism

Question 70

Erasmus believed that a humanistic combination of classical and Christian wisdom could wipe away violence, superstition, and ignorance.

Question 71

Machiavelli held that the pursuit of Virtue was mans driving force and would make for good government.

Question 72

In The Book of the Courtier, Castiglione advised all of the following except that

A)women should organize a court's discussions.
B)grace was inborn in every nobleman and needed to be drawn out.
C)martial and religious values were no longer fashionable.
D)true gentlemen should have an unstudied naturalness.
E)under no circumstances should a woman dominate a debate.

Question 73

A group of scholars, who came to be known as Rationalists, argued for superiority of classical literature, history, and politics.

Question 74

Petrarch became one of the leading advocates for scholastic philosophy in Renaissance Italy.