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This text is about art and the Renaissance. There are some words in this text that
you won’t see very often when you are reading but are important for this text.
These words are in bold in the text. Look at the questions below about these
vocabulary items and try to answer them. You should use a dictionary if you are
unsure of the answers.
A: Pre-reading Vocabulary
1. To rediscover something (v) and a rediscovery (n)
‘People rediscovered ideas that had been forgotten about.’
‘This period of history is considered to be a rebirth of learning and a
rediscovery of ideas which were lost during the Dark Ages.’
Does rediscovery mean (a) to find something that existed before but was lost
or (b) to try to forget about something?
2. To set out on a journey (v)
‘People set out on dangerous voyages to explore unknown lands.’
Does set out on mean (a) to do something that is very dangerous or (b) to
begin a journey/trip?
3. A period (n)
‘This was the period during which Michelangelo sculpted and Botticelli
painted.’
Is a period (a) a length of time or (b) a group of artists?
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B: Scanning for Information
How are you going to answer these questions?
These are scanning questions – to answer these questions in the time available,
you will have to look at the text very quickly! Remember; you are looking for
names, dates or numbers.
 Allow yourself only sixty (60) seconds to answer these questions.
 You are only looking at paragraphs 3, 4 and 5.
1. Who is the sculptor mentioned in the text?
__________________
2. The Renaissance was the revival of ideas from which two ancient
civilizations?
__________________
C: Comprehension Questions 1
How are you going to answer these questions?
These questions relate to the writing style of the author. It is necessary for you to
read the whole paragraph to answer each question. You are trying to get a
general feeling of what the author is writing about. Think about the techniques
you use for writing: for example, try to identify topic sentences, key words, etc.
 Read paragraphs 1 and 2 on the next page. Read each question. Find the
answer to the question from the text. Highlight the part of the text you
found the answer in. Use the information you found to answer each
question.
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The Renaissance
The Renaissance took place between 1300 and 1600 A.D. It was a
time of adventure and curiosity. The word Renaissance means
rebirth. People think of this period of history as a rebirth of
learning! People rediscovered ideas that had been forgotten about.
The Renaissance was a time when people began to explore the
world around them and ask questions about everything.
1
1. The main idea in paragraph 1 is.....
A. Renaissance means rebirth.
B. Ideas and learning had been lost
C. The Renaissance was a time of adventure and curiosity.
People became very interested in the world around them. They set
out on dangerous voyages, or trips, to explore unknown lands.
Artists began to paint beautiful pictures in quite a different way
than they did in Medieval1 times. Music changed. Scientists studied
plants, animals, man, the world around themselves, and even
space. People’s ideas about the earth and the Universe changed.
Many new things were invented such as the printing press. This
was the period during which Michelangelo sculpted, or made,
beautiful statues, Botticelli painted, Columbus sailed to North
America, Shakespeare wrote his plays, and Mercator created
world maps using longitude and latitude2.
2
2. The author's purpose in paragraph 2 is...
A. To inform you that people explored, and created many different
things during the Renaissance.
B. To persuade you that the world was better during the
Renaissance.
C. To teach you about famous people of the Renaissance and what
they did.
1
2
Medieval times were before 1300 A.D in Europe.
Longitude and Latidude are lines drawn on a map to show where places are in relation to the rest of the
World.
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The Renaissance
The word Renaissance means rebirth. This period of history is
considered to be a rebirth of learning and a rediscovery of ideas
which were lost during the Dark Ages3. The Renaissance was a time
when people began to question and explore everything. This
period of time from about 1300-1600 A.D. was an age of adventure
and curiosity.
3
People became fascinated with the world around them. They set
out on dangerous voyages to explore unknown lands. Artists
began to paint beautiful pictures in quite a different style from
medieval times. Music changed. Scientists studied plants, animals,
man, the world around themselves, and even space. People’s ideas
about the earth and the Universe changed. Many new things were
invented such as the printing press and the telescope. This was the
period during which Michelangelo sculpted, Botticelli painted,
Columbus sailed to North America, Shakespeare wrote his plays,
and Mercator created world maps using longitude and latitude.
4
Everything that concerned man and his life on earth became
important to the people of the Renaissance. The people began to
investigate the study of what is known as humanism (thinking
about the interests and ideals of man). This was not a new idea. It
was a revival of ideas that had been explored by the Greek and
Roman civilizations a long time before. It fact, people of the
Renaissance became fascinated with many Greek and Roman
ideas including those involving sculpture, philosophy, painting
and science.
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Text adapted from www.manatee.k12.fl.us/sites/elementary/palmasola/rcdowni5.htm
Comprehension Questions 2
Use the information from paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 to help you answer the
following questions. Write your answers as complete sentences.
3
Medieval times are also known as the Dark ages.
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1. The main idea in this text is.....
A. Renaissance was an age of adventure and curiosity.
B. Ideas and learning were popular during the Dark Ages.
C. Columbus was an important painter in the 1500s.
2. The author's purpose in paragraph 4 is...
A. To tell you about map making techniques.
B. To convince you that history was very boring before the Renaissance.
C. To inform you that people began to explore and investigate many different things
during the Renaissance.
3. Which two people that are mentioned in paragraph 4 must have
been artists?
________________________________________________________________________
4. Explain how you know that these two people were artists:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5. What does humanism mean? Who first began the study of
humanism?
________________________________________________________________________
Answer Key
A: Vocabulary
1. To find something that existed before but was lost.
2. To begin a journey/trip
3. A length of time
B: Scanning
1. Michelangelo
2. Greek and Roman
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1. C. the Renaissance was a time of adventure and curiosity.
2. A. to inform you that people explored, and created many different things
during the Renaissance.
D: Comprehension 1
1. C. the Renaissance was an age of adventure and curiosity.
2. C. To inform you that people began to explore and investigate many different
things during the Renaissance.
Paragraphs 3 and 4 are basically the same as paragraphs 1 and 2. They are slightly
bigger, with more vocabulary. Therefore, your answers should be the same.
3. Michelangelo and Botticelli.
4. The 5 people mentioned are Michelangelo, Botticelli, Columbus, Shakespeare
and Mercator. Michelangelo sculpted, Botticelli painted – we know that
sculpting and painting are art. WE also know that sailing, writing plays and
making maps are not art.
5. Humanism is defined as thinking about the interests and ideals of man. This
was a revival of ideas that had been explored by the Greek and Roman
civilizations a long time before the Renaissance.
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