Chapter 01 The Art of Prehistory
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. The term “prehistory” means
a. before people wrote history books.
b. before people had written language.
c. before people had libraries.
d. before people could count.
e. before people could talk.
Answer: b
2. The term “Paleolithic” refers to
a. the Old Stone Age.
b. the Middle Stone Age.
c. the New Stone Age.
d. Old Stones.
e. the Old Dispensation.
Answer: a
3. Old Stone Age people
a. had stone houses.
b. used stone tools.
c. worshipped in stone temples.
d. built stone tombs.
e. used stone for building.
Answer: b
4. The term Homo sapiens literally means
a. simple man.
b. stupid man.
c. stoic man.
d. wise man.
e. genius.
Answer: d
5. A good example of a Paleolithic sculpture-in-the-round is
a. the Venus of Laussel.
b. the Tuc d’Audoubert Bison.
c. the Venus of Willendorf.
d. the Wandjina.
e. the Mimi hunters.
Answer: c
6. The main shapes in the Venus of Willendorf are
a. rectangular.
b. oval.
c. cubic.
d. trapezoidal.
e. triangular.
Answer: b
7. As used in this text, a relief refers to
a. a rest.
b. a vacation.
c. a category of sculpture.
d. a painted image.
e. a post-and-lintel.
Answer: c
8. Which of the following is a logical interpretation of the Venus of Willendorf?
a. an obese figure.
b. a wealthy figure.
c. a fertility figure.
d. a pregnant figure.
e. a blind figure.
Answer: c
9. Pigment is
a. a racial characteristic.
b. color.
c. paint.
d. painted relief.
e. watercolor.
Answer: b
10. Paleolithic art has been found in the form of sculpture, friezes and paintings, but ________ is
the earliest.
a. the “fertility figurine” like the Venus of Willendorf
b. the animal frieze at Lascaux
c. Stonehenge
d. the animal frieze at Altamira
Answer: a
11. The artists at Lascaux and Altamira seem to have done their art as
a. decoration for the cave.
b. part of a ceremony to ensure success in the hunt.
c. the totem of the tribal chief.
d. an ex-voto for a man killed in a hunt.
Answer: b
12. Which of the following is NOT Paleolithic?
a. Venus of Laussel
b. Handprint of Pech-Merle
c. “Mother Goddess” from Tarxien
d. Stag from Lascaux
Answer: c
13. The most important Paleolithic cave paintings are located in
a. Spain.
b. France.
c. England.
d. both Spain and France.
Answer: d
14. Which of the following does NOT have a representation of a bison?
a. Altamira
b. Stonehenge
c. Tuc d’Audoubert
d. La Madelaine
Answer: b
15. Which term is NOT related to making sculpture?
a. carving
b. modeling
c. relief
d. post-and-lintel
e. incising
Answer: d
16. A kiln is used
a. for cooking dinner.
b. for heating pigments.
c. for baking clay.
d. for cooking herbs.
e. for drying wet paint.
Answer: c
17. The so-called Shaman cave painting is at
a. Lascaux.
b. Pech-Merle.
c. Chauvet.
d. Trois-Frères.
e. Altamira.
Answer: d
18. Who of the following was never involved in studying cave paintings?
a. Leroi-Gourhan
b. Henri Breuil
c. Pech-Merle
d. Reinach
e. Chauvet
Answer: c
19. By definition, Paleolithic paintings are not
a. endowed with life.
b. abstract.
c. naturalistic.
d. designed to conjure up game for hunters.
Answer: b
20. The caves at Altamira share what in common with Lascaux?
a. they are in France
b. they are in flat, lake country
c. they contain remarkable Paleolithic depictions of animals
d. All these answers are correct.
Answer: c
21. When an animal’s body is shown in perspective but with its head shown full front, the artist
is using
a. twisted perspective.
b. atmospheric perspective.
c. linear perspective.
d. aerial perspective.
Answer: a
22. Lascaux cave paintings of animals could be described as
a. painted relief.
b. stylized.
c. old fashioned.
d. superimposed.
e. stick figures.
Answer: d
23. Which of the following is NOT found at Lascaux?
a. a horned owl
b. a stag
c. horses
d. bulls
e. humans
Answer: a
24. Paleolithic paintings of animals usually have been found
a. in the uninhabited depths of caves.
b. at the mouths of caves.
c. in Neolithic shelters.
d. on rock faces open to the light of day.
Answer: a
25. In which of the following modern countries have the fewest number of megaliths been
found?
a. France
b. Spain
c. Malta
d. Britain
Answer: b
26. To what does the Aboriginal Dreaming most refer?
a. Australian rituals
b. Australian myth
c. Australian dreams
d. Australian art
e. Australian folk tales
Answer: b
27. Which is NOT a subject of Aboriginal rock painting?
a. Mimi
b. kangaroos
c. Wandjina
d. buffalo
Answer: d
28. The oldest known Aboriginal rock painting style is
a. Mimi.
b. x-ray.
c. megalithic.
d. Dreaming.
Answer: a
29. Wandjina are
a. Mimi hunters.
b. Aboriginal kangaroos.
c. shaman.
d. cloud spirits.
e. Aboriginal X-rays.
Answer: d
30. Taboo means that something or someone is
a. a saint and a sinner.
b. good and evil.
c. sacred and profane.
d. magic and sacred.
e. untouchable.
Answer: c
31. Civilization received its greatest push forward from the
a. discovery of fire.
b. agricultural revolution.
c. discovery of the potter’s wheel.
d. domestication of animals.
Answer: b
32. An important cultural change from Paleolithic to Neolithic is
a. from nomadic to agricultural.
b. from megalithic to caves.
c. from pottery to sculpture.
d. from warlike to peaceful.
e. from illiterate to literate.
Answer: a
33. Which of the following is NOT connected to Malta?
a. Gozo
b. Cosquer
c. Ggantija
d. Tarxien
Answer: b
34. Which of the following is NOT a Celtic term?
a. Dolmen
b. Cromlech
c. Menhir
d. Hal Saflieni
e. Druid
Answer: d
35. A trilithon is a
a. basic single post-and-lintel form.
b. three posts-and-lintels.
c. fossil.
d. basic three-part painting.
e. triple stone.
Answer: a
36. Stonehenge dates from the ________ period.
a. Paleolithic
b. Late Jurassic
c. Mesolithic
d. Neolithic
Answer: d
37. Stonehenge is located at
a. Marlborough Downs.
b. Carnac.
c. Crucuno.
d. Sussex.
e. Salisbury Plain.
Answer: e
38. Which of the following is NOT connected to Stonehenge?
a. Aubrey Holes
b. Camelot
c. Sarsen
d. Marlborough Downs
e. Heel Stone
Answer: b
39. Which is true of the Beaker People?
a. they hunted ducks
b. they were nomads
c. they made pottery
d. they destroyed Stonehenge
e. they were literate
Answer: c
40. The last Ice Age in western Europe occurred around
a. 18,000 to 15,000 B.C.
b. 25,000 to 22,000 B.C.
c. 100,000 to 98,000 B.C.
d. 52,000 to 50,000 B.C.
e. 12,000 to 11,000 B.C.
Answer: a
41. The sun rises over the Heel Stone at Stonehenge at
a. the winter solstice.
b. the summer solstice.
c. Easter.
d. Christmas.
e. dawn.
Answer: b
Key Works
Venus of Willendorf, Austria, c. 25,000–21,000 B.C.
Venus of Laussel, France, c. 25,000–23,000 B.C.
Bison with turned head, La Madeleine, France, c. 11,000–9,000 B.C.
Bison, Tuc d’Audoubert, France, 13,000–8,000 B.C.
Jellyfish, Cosquer cave, France, c. 25,000 B.C.
Hyena and panther, Chauvet cave, France, c. 25,000–17,000 B.C.
Mammoths and horses, Chauvet cave, France, c. 25,000–17,000 B.C.
“Lion Panel,” Chauvet cave, France, c. 25,000–17,000 B.C.
Handprints from Pech-Merle, France, c. 16,000 B.C.
Shaman, Trois-Frères cave, Ariège, France, 13,000–11,000 B.C.
Drawing by Henri Breuil based on cave art
Hall of Running Bulls, Lascaux, France, c. 15,000–13,000 B.C.
“Chinese Horse,” Lascaux, France, c. 15,000–13,000 B.C.
Reindeer, Lascaux, France, c. 15,000–13,000 B.C.
Ceiling view, Altamira cave, Spain, c. 12,000 B.C.
Standing bison, Altamira cave, Spain, c. 12,000 B.C.
Saharan rock painting, Tassili, Algeria, 5th–4th millennium B.C.
“Mother Goddess,” Tarxien, Malta, before 2500 B.C.
Menhirs, Carnac, France, c. 4000 B.C.
“Sleeping Lady,” from Hal Saflieni, before 2500 B.C.
Dolmen, Carnac, Brittany, France, c. 4000 B.C.
Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain, England, c. 2800–1500 B.C.
The inside ring of Stonehenge
Maps, Diagrams, and Projections
Map of sites in prehistoric Europe
Diagram of Lascaux cave system
Map of Australia
Reconstruction drawing of temple at Ggantija, Malta
Plan of Stonehenge
Post-and-lintel construction
Lintel and tenon
Key Terms
abstract
binder
cromlech
dolmen
façade
fire
incised
kiln
lintel
medium
megalith
menhir
modeling
monolith
necropolis
parapet
pigment
plane
polychrome
post-and-lintel construction
relief (low relief, high relief)
sculpture in the round
support
tenon
trilithon
twisted perspective
vehicle
Window on the World
Rock Paintings of Australia
(c. 75,000/50,000 B.C.–the Present)
Wandjina, Rowalumbin, Kimberley, Australia
Mimi hunters, Kakadu National Park, Australia
Men and women hunting kangaroos, Unbalanya Hill, Australia
Kangaroo with Lightning Man, Nourlangie Rock, Kakadu National Park, Australia