Deck 10: A New Spirit in the West: The Renaissance,C.A 1300-1640

Question 1

The Renaissance began in

A) Italy
B) France
C) England
D) Germany

Answer 1

Italy

Question 2

The Renaissance

A) Was known for major new trends in literature, painting, sculpture and architecture
B) Came to an end because of the bubonic plague
C) Was the era in which Medieval chivalry reached its peak
D) Rejected the culture of the Greek and Roman worlds as not worth knowing

Answer 2

Was known for major new trends in literature, painting, sculpture and architecture

Question 3

The Renaissance has been controversial among historians because

A) Historians have made major chronological errors in their narrative of events, casting the whole concept into doubt
B) Renaissance intellectuals overstated their case, underestimating medieval interest in the classics
C) Some Renaissance intellectuals actually rejected classical literature
D) None of these are correct

Answer 3

Renaissance intellectuals overstated their case, underestimating medieval interest in the classics

Question 4

The Renaissance is often considered the beginning of a modern secular spirit because

A) Renaissance scholars were so impressed by the works of Greece and Rome that they abandoned the Christian religion
B) Renaissance artists, with their emphasis on the nude, began a cult of the body that eventually denied the existence of the soul
C) Renaissance scholars, though religious, were usually not men of the churches, monasteries or universities-institutions dominated by religious thought
D) None of these are correct

Question 5

The text calls the Renaissance a multifaceted movement. Which of the following ideas is not one of the facets?

A) Realism
B) A secular spirit
C) Activism
D) Romanticism

Question 6

The core of Renaissance humanism was

A) Systematic theological study
B) The study of history, literature and philosophy, stressing grammar, poetry, history and ethics
C) A conscious attempt to imitate the virtues of the Germanic invaders of the Roman Empire
D) A great admiration for the cultural achievements of Mesopotamian civilization

Question 7

A major patron of Renaissance art and humanism was

A) The church
B) Renaissance cities
C) Wealthy individuals
D) All of these are correct

Question 8

Isabella d'Este

A) Was one of the last female medieval intellectuals in France
B) Was a major Renaissance artist, a rival of Michelangelo
C) Was duchess of Ferrara and a major patron of Renaissance literature and art
D) None of these are correct

Question 9

The printing press was developed by

A) Gutenberg
B) Petrarch
C) Salutati
D) Giotto

Question 10

The city considered to be the birthplace of the Renaissance is

A) Venice
B) Milan
C) Mantua
D) Florence

Question 11

During the Renaissance, the city of Florence

A) Maintained a large population because it was spared from the bubonic plague
B) Was epitomized by Savanarola, a Renaissance humanist noted for his nude sculptures
C) Was controlled by the Medici family, who were major patrons of the arts
D) All of the above

Question 12

In contrast with Florence, Venice

A) Suffered from constant domestic political violence
B) Had no naval force to speak of
C) Was ruled by a merchant oligarchy
D) Changed from a republic to a monarchy

Question 13

During the Renaissance, the papacy

A) Was dominated by popes who were often great patrons of the arts; this led some to criticize the papacy for extravagance
B) Attempted to dominate the Holy Roman Empire
C) Opposed the Renaissance, burning several important Florentine intellectuals at the stake
D) Was virtually a satellite of France

Question 14

In his famous book, The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli argued that

A) Princes must always show the virtues of charity and generosity
B) Princes must be educated humanists in order to rule well
C) Princes must be ready to discard ethical principles to succeed
D) None of these are correct

Question 15

Growing intolerance for Jews in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries was expressed by all of the following except

A) Laws restricting Jews to specific parts of cities
B) The refusal of Poland and Russia to admit Jews
C) The expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492
D) Laws requiring Jews to wear clothing that identified them as Jews

Question 16

The economy of the Renaissance

A) Saw a very profitable banking business develop
B) Saw major declines in the wool and silk industries
C) Saw the trade of Venice decline and shift to Milan
D) All of these are correct

Question 17

Which of the following statements about Renaissance families is incorrect?

A) Most classes of society emphasized family loyalty
B) Men tended to outnumber women, reversing the medieval sex ratio
C) Marriages were very important in establishing alliances between families
D) Children were usually spoiled, especially in the wealthier families

Question 18

Which of the following architectural features was common during the Renaissance, but was lacking in the great Gothic cathedrals?

A) Flying buttresses
B) Pointed arches
C) Domes
D) Stained glass windows

Question 19

The great dome of the cathedral of Florence

A) Was designed by Brunelleschi
B) Was a reproduction of the dome of the Pantheon in Rome
C) Collapsed because of poor design
D) Was the only one built during the Renaissance

Question 20

Michelangelo's sculpture of David

A) Was noted for its realistic depiction of action
B) Carried a political message, celebrating the Florentine republic against the attempt of the Medici to dominate it
C) Was intended as a column, rather than as a free-standing statue
D) None of these are correct

Question 21

Renaissance sculpture

A) Was entirely confined to churches
B) Never had a political message
C) Shows an exuberant praise of anatomical realism, such as in Michelangelo's David
D) None of these are correct

Question 22

Renaissance painters

A) Rejected realism and the full range of human expression
B) Developed the technique of linear perspective so that the viewer was drawn into the painting that he viewed
C) Regarded mathematical and optical accuracy as unworthy of a great artist's attention
D) None of these are correct

Question 23

The figure who, more than anyone else, personified the "Renaissance Man" was

A) Michelangelo
B) Leonardo da Vinci
C) Machiavelli
D) Brunelleschi

Question 24

The French king known as the "Spider" by his contemporaries was

A) Francis I
B) Henry VIII
C) Charles VI
D) Louis XI

Question 25

The so-called "new monarchies" of northern Europe during the Renaissance did all of the following except

A) Bypass the nobility by appointing bureaucrats to government and by raising taxes to pay for the army
B) Bring in artists from Italy to provide new and more beautiful residences for their kings
C) Promote humanistic studies in their universities
D) Reject war and Machiavellian diplomacy as instruments of their policies

Question 26

William Shakespeare

A) Was strongly influenced by the Renaissance in his plays
B) Took advantage of Renaissance English social mobility in his rise to prominence
C) Gave a new enduring form to the ideals of the Renaissance, in popular theater that reached the masses
D) All of these are correct

Question 27

The country that was at the heart of the Renaissance was Italy.

Question 28

A major characteristic of the Renaissance was its strong sense of individualism.

Question 29

Renaissance art was stylized rather than realistic.

Question 30

Because of the secularism of the Renaissance, the Church was not a major patron of Renaissance art.

Question 31

Isabella d'Este is a good example of how the ruling princes of Renaissance Italy valued an educated, intelligent princess.

Question 32

The great advantage of printing was that it accelerated the spread of ideas, increasing the pace of change in Western civilization.

Question 33

Cosimo de'Medici in Renaissance Florence resembled Augustus in his ability to concentrate power in himself while maintaining the outward forms of republican government.

Question 34

The Renaissance republic of Venice was noted for its political and social turmoil.

Question 35

The papacy rejected the art and humanism of the Renaissance as too secular.

Question 36

In his famous book, The Prince, Machiavelli argued that princes must rely on strength of will rather than on traditional virtues such as charity and generosity to maintain themselves in power.

Question 37

Intolerance toward Jews in Eastern Europe compelled many European Jews to migrate westward.

Question 38

Because of its great success in trade, Venice did not engage in manufacturing.

Question 39

Even in wealthy Renaissance families, children were often raised not only in strictness, but in hardship.

Question 40

Renaissance architects argued that the form of buildings should mirror the proportions of the human body.

Question 41

The great dome of the cathedral of Florence was designed by Michelangelo.

Question 42

Michelangelo's statue of David had a political purpose-to symbolize the republic of Florence's ousting of the Medici.

Question 43

Raphael invented and developed linear perspective in painting.

Question 44

The Renaissance individual who is often considered the personification the Renaissance man was Cosimo de'Medici.

Question 45

Louis XI of France was famous in his own time for preferring to use diplomatic intrigue rather than feudal armies to undermine and defeat his enemies.

Question 46

Thomas More's book, Utopia, shows an English rejection of Renaissance values.

Question 47

The Renaissance began in ________.

Question 48

The Renaissance idea of an optimistic faith in the potential of humans is often called ________.

Question 49

The word normally used to describe the Renaissance course of study is ________.

Question 50

An important Renaissance woman, patron of art and literature and duchess of Mantua, was ________.

Question 51

Moveable type printing was developed by Johannes ________.

Question 52

The city that was the birthplace of the Renaissance was ________.

Question 53

Although a republic, Renaissance Florence fell under the domination of the ________ family, who began to rule like princes.

Question 54

Styling itself the "Most Serene Republic" was the Italian city of ________.

Question 55

The author of The Prince, which advocated that rulers needed to be both ruthless and clever to succeed, was Niccolò ________.

Question 56

A people often expelled from many cities and countries in the fifteenth century were the ________.

Question 57

Many Renaissance architects urged that buildings should have proportions based on the proportions of the ________ form.

Question 58

The statue by Michelangelo that shows his mastery of anatomical realism and his devotion to the republic of Florence was ________.

Question 59

The first of the great Florentine artists to show his figures as three-dimensional with realistic emotion was ________.

Question 60

The Renaissance artist who supposedly personified the idea of the "Renaissance Man" was ________.

Question 61

A French king whose diplomatic wiles earned him the nickname of "the Spider" was ________.

Question 62

The French king Charles VIII discovered the Renaissance in his 1494 invasion of Italy, but a successor, ________, became the great French royal patron of Renaissance learning.

Question 63

The great English dramatist of the late Renaissance was _________.

Question 64

The text identifies four basic patterns of the Renaissance as individualism, realism, activism and a secular spirit. Define these terms and show how they contributed to the politics and the art of the Renaissance.

Question 65

How did Renaissance ideas spread northward and how were they transformed in France and in England?

Question 66

How did the political structure and situation in Italy differ from that of northern Europe? Did this have any effect on the Renaissance?

Question 67

Describe daily life in Renaissance Italy. Did this affect the production of art?

Question 68

What are the outstanding characteristics of Renaissance art and architecture? Illustrate with specific artists and artistic works.

Question 69

Was the Renaissance a rebirth of arts and sciences or was it striking out on a new path? Answer with specific reference not only to the Middle Ages, but also to Latin and Greek antiquity.

Question 70

One theme of Chapter 10 is the relationship between ideas-such as realism and activism-and actual events and accomplishments. Analyze some aspects of life and accomplishments of Renaissance Italy in light of these values and consider how they were related.

Question 71

Who, in your view, were the three outstanding figures, political or cultural, of the Renaissance? What did they do to earn this status and what has been their long-term influence?

Question 72

Was the Renaissance the dawn of a new era in the history of humanity or did it still retain many features of the Middle Ages?