*Each question is worth .78 points
NAME: _____________________________________
HU100: Introduction to Humanities
Midterm Exam: 50 points
1.
Which of the following events would NOT have taken place during the time period associated
with Ancient Greece (both pre-Hellenic and Hellenic)?
a. Homer writing the Iliad and Odyssey
b. Birth of Christ
c. Trojan War
d. Thirty Years’ Peace
2. Which of the following key words/values would NOT be associated with Ancient Greek
society/culture?
a. Simplicity
b. Restraint
c. Asymmetry
d. Balance
3. The Hellenic Greeks represented their struggle between excess and moderation with which
gods?
a. Dionysus and Apollo
b. Zeus and Hades
c. Ares and Aphrodite
d. Hera and Athena
4. In Ancient Greek theatre, the part of the staging area reserved for the chorus was called
what?
a. Orchestra
b. Skene
c. Amphitheatre
d. Thespian
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*Each question is worth .78 points
5. In Ancient Greek and Roman theatre, what is the MOST IMPORTANT difference between
comedy and tragedy?
a. Comedy makes you laugh; tragedy makes you cry.
b. Comedy focuses on stories of common people; tragedy focuses on stories of gods
and heroes.
c. Comedy is more experimental; tragedy is more traditional.
d. Comedy means the hero succeeds in his mission; tragedy means the hero fails in his
mission.
6. Which one of the following is NOT one of the classic Greek tragedians?
a. Aeschylus
b. Cicero
c. Sophocles
d. Euripides
7. Which of the following best summarizes the plot of the classic Greek play Antigone?
a. A wife/mother exacts revenge on her cheating husband by killing their two children.
b. A Greek king has sacrificed his daughter for military victory in the Trojan War, so,
once he returns home, his wife murders him.
c. After disobeying her uncle (the king) by burying her cousin, a girl is imprisoned and
hangs herself.
d. A king inadvertently kills his father and marries his mother, so he blinds himself to
atone for his guilt.
8. What Ancient Greek philosopher believed music was a threat to a healthy society?
a. Plato
b. Aristotle
c. Socrates
d. Archimedes
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*Each question is worth .78 points
9. The lyre is an ancient musical instrument most closely related to what modern instrument?
a. Oboe
b. Harp
c. Guitar
d. Bagpipes
10. Which Ancient Greek philosopher believes that experience is rooted in the material world,
observable and knowable by the senses, and advocates a practical method of achieving
happiness?
a. The Sophists
b. Socrates
c. Plato
d. Aristotle
11. Which Ancient Greek doctor rejected spiritual causes for diseases, developed the theory of
the four humors, and is commonly called “the father of medicine”?
a. Archimedes
b. Pythagoras
c. Pericles
d. Hippocrates
12. Which of the following sculptures is depicted in contrapposto stance?
A. Poseidon (or Zeus)
Circa 450 BC
B. Centaur Versus Lapith
C. Doryphoros
Circa 448 BC
Circa 440 BC
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D. Grave Stele of
Hegoso, Ca. 410 BC
*Each question is worth .78 points
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D
13. Which image depicts the Ionic style of columns/architecture?
Second Temple of Hera at Paestum
Temple of Athena Nike, Circa 500 BC
Circa 450 BC
a. The left image
b. The right image
c. Both images
d. Neither image
14. Which of the following events would NOT have occurred during Hellenistic (BCE) Rome
(Roman Kingdom & Roman Republic)?
a. Spartacus’ slave revolt
b. Gladiator battles
c. Julius Caesar’s assassination
d. Founding of Constantinople
15. Which of the following key ideas/terms would NOT characterize Ancient Roman society?
a. Cosmopolitan
b. Simplicity
c. Luxury
d. Expansionism
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*Each question is worth .78 points
16. The origin of which political system can be found in the Ancient Roman Republic?
a. Monarchy
b. Democracy
c. Socialism
d. Communism
17. Which of the following is NOT true of Roman New Comedy?
a. Much of it was satiric portrayals of everyday situations and life
b. Menander and Plautus were prominent playwrights in this style
c. It focused primarily on heroic and high class subjects
d. It birthed the genre called the “comedy of manners,” a humorous play that focuses
on the way people interact in society.
18. What is the term for a poem that praises the virtues and beauty of country life?
a. Epic
b. Sonnet
c. Idyll
d. Pastoral
19. Which Roman philosophy is characterized by the belief that nature/God is rational, and the
key to happiness is accepting God’s pre-designed path/role for you?
a. Cynicism
b. Skepticism
c. Epicureanism
d. Stoicism
20. Who is the god of male passion and war?
a. Ares/Mars
b. Zeus/Jupiter
c. Hermes/Mercury
d. Hephaestus/Vulcan
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*Each question is worth .78 points
21. Study the following image. Identify the option that is NOT a reason this piece exemplifies
Ancient Roman sculpture (as opposed to Ancient Greek sculpture).
The Laocöon Group, Ca. 50 BC
a. The focal point of the sculpture is off-center
b. The excessive detailing in the hair, musculature, robes, etc.
c. The use of three figures
d. The emotion and movement of the figures
22. In Judaism and Christianity, what is the term that means the study of the end of the world?
a. Apocalypse
b. Gematria
c. Talmud
d. Eschatology
23. The Torah is equivalent to what in Christianity?
a. The Book of Genesis
b. The Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible)
c. The Old Testament
d. The Bible
24. The Wailing Wall is a remnant of what destroyed Jewish temple?
a. The Second Temple
b. Solomon’s Temple (First Temple)
c. Temple Mount
d. Cave of the Patricians
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*Each question is worth .78 points
25. Which of the following events did NOT happen during the Roman Empire?
a. Constantine founded Constantinople.
b. Constantine converts to Christianity.
c. Rome accepts Christianity as the official religion.
d. Cicero was a famous orator and writer.
26. What is the translation of Pax Romana?
a. Roman Peace
b. Roman Power
c. Roman Patriots
d. Roman Place
27. What classic Roman epic tells the story of the foundation of Rome by its hero?
a. Aeneid
b. Arts of Love
c. The Divine Comedy
d. Metamorphoses
28. Which of the following is NOT true about the Ages of Man?
a. Throughout the progression of the ages, civilization declines.
b. The Ages are Golden, Silver, Bronze, and Iron.
c. They appear in Metamorphoses.
d. Virgil wrote them.
29. What design element is NOT found in Roman architecture?
a. Dome
b. Spire
c. Column
d. Barrel Vault
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*Each question is worth .78 points
30. Study the design of the following image. What is the term for the circled area?
Florence Cathedral Floor Plan
a. Nave
b. Transept
c. Apse
d. Choir
31. Which of the following about the Roman gladiators is NOT true?
a. Some gladiators trained at special schools called Ludis.
b. Some gladiators were women.
c. Constantine outlawed gladiatorial contests.
d. A gladiator died in every battle.
32. Which of the following is NOT one of the five Pillars of Islam?
a. Completing a religious mission
b. Praying five times a day
c. Making a pilgrimage to Mecca
d. Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan
33. What is the name of the Islamic prophet?
a. Jihad
b. Muhammad
c. Sunni
d. Shiite
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*Each question is worth .78 points
34. Which of the following events happened in the Early Middle Ages (pre-1000 AD)?
a. 100 Years’ War
b. Writing of Beowulf
c. Crusades
d. Bubonic Plague
35. Which of the following best summarizes the plot of The Divine Comedy?
a. A collection of characters, representing all parts of the social spectrum, tells
outlandish morality tales while on a Christian pilgrimage.
b. A Danish hero battles an evil king, his mother, and a dragon before he dies.
c. The author’s alter ego travels through hell, purgatory, and heaven, representing his
spiritual and moral journey through life as a Christian sinner.
d. A young girl receives a Christian vision and leads a French army.
36. Who wrote the Canterbury Tales?
a. John Wycliffe
b. Pico della Mirandola
c. Dante Alighieri
d. Geoffrey Chaucer
37. In his Christian writings, Thomas Aquinas incorporates the philosophy of what Ancient Greek
thinker?
a. Aristotle
b. Plato
c. Socrates
d. Sophocles
38. What was the cause of the Investiture Controversy?
a. Nobles thought the Church made too much money.
b. Peasants stopped paying their taxes.
c. Nobles and clergy disagreed about who could appoint church officials.
d. Clergy wanted more personal freedom.
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*Each question is worth .78 points
39. In medieval government, what is the term for a piece of land owned by a lord and tended to
by servants?
a. Feudalism
b. Vassal
c. Fief
d. Serf
40. Which of the following is NOT a feature of Romanesque architecture?
a. Made of stone
b. Arches
c. Massive walls
d. Stained glass
41. Which of the following is NOT a feature of Gothic architecture?
a. Spires
b. Columns
c. Flying Buttresses
d. Ribboned Vaults
42. Which image depicts Gothic Architecture architecture?
Milan Cathedral, Ca. 1386
Notre Dame Cathedral, Ca. 1220
a. The left image
b. The right image
c. Both images
d. Neither image
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*Each question is worth .78 points
43. Which of the following is a part of a traditional Latin mass?
a. Kyrie
b. Madrigal
c. Troubador
d. Consort
44. What is the definition of atmospheric perspective?
a. Placing objects proportionally to one another
b. Objects become blurrier with distance
c. Identifying a vanishing point
d. Using inanimate objects to determine scale
45. Who is credited with inventing linear perspective?
a. Alberti
b. Brunelleschi
c. Da Vinci
d. Donatello
46. Which of the following statements defined the artistic mode fresco?
a. Mixing pigment with fresh plaster, then applying it to a wall
b. Using a binding agent, like egg yolk, to apply pigment to a dry wall
c. Any work that features raised portions (3-D element)
d. Mixing pigment with drying oil, then applying it to canvas
47. Who painted the following image?
a. Botticelli
b. Da Vinci
c. Masaccio
d. Brunelleschi
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*Each question is worth .78 points
For Questions 48 and 49, study the following images:
A) The Holy Trinity
B) Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter
C) Feast of Herod
D) Pieta
48. Which of the following images does NOT use linear perspective?
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D
49. Which image was created by Donatello?
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D
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*Each question is worth .78 points
50. Which of the following events would NOT have occurred during the period of time
associated with the High Renaissance/Early Mannerism?
a. France invades Italy.
b. The first universities are founded.
c. Portugal begins “trading” with West Africa, commencing the Atlantic Slave Trade.
d. Leonardo da Vinci dies.
51. Which of the following words or phrases would NOT be a principle/idea associated with the
Renaissance?
a. Optimism
b. Idealization of Ancient Greek and Roman culture
c. Passion
d. Rational God and universe
52. Which of the following words or phrases would NOT be a principle/idea associated with
Mannerism?
a. Tranquility
b. Doubt in man’s greatness
c. Beauty in abnormal subjects
d. Disproportion
53. Which of the following is NOT true of Castiglione’s The Book of the Courtier?
a. Essentially, it’s an etiquette manual for nobles in the Italian court.
b. It is written in dialogue format, similar to that used by Plato and Cicero.
c. The author advocates the concept of sprezzatura, a sophisticated game of wordplay
and behavior that reflects a manipulated or feigned nonchalance.
d. The author contends that the majority of people are weak and selfish.
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*Each question is worth .78 points
54. Which of the following is NOT true of Machiavelli’s The Prince?
a. The author concludes, as a ruler, it is better to be loved than feared.
b. The author believes the State should not be bound by the moral laws of the Church,
and in effect argues for the separation of the two.
c. Although the Church condemned the book, many European rulers read it secretly.
d. The statement “the ends justify the means” is from this book.
For questions #55 and #56, refer to the following image:
55. Who painted this image?
a. Michelangelo
b. Leonardo da Vinci
c. Raphael
d. Donatello
The Last Supper
56. Which of the following is NOT a reason this image exemplifies High Renaissance art?
a. It uses a vanishing point and places it directly above the head of the central figure,
Jesus.
b. It organizes the subjects in groups of three, reflecting the idea that God (the trinity)
has divined a well-ordered, mathematical universe.
c. It depicts passionate expressions on the faces of the subjects, attempting to elicit an
emotional response from the viewer as a reaction to Christ’s betrayal.
d. It uses symbolic objects, coloring, and placement to identify key historical figures.
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*Each question is worth .78 points
For questions #57 to #60, refer to the following images:
A) The Creation of Adam
B) The School of Athens
D) David
C) The Last Judgment
57. Which of the following images is NOT by Michelangelo?
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D
58. Who created the answer to question #57 (the image not created by Michelangelo)?
a. Donatello
b. Boticelli
c. Brunelleschi
d. Raphael
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59. Which image is NOT created in the Renaissance style?
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. D
60. What style is associated with the answer to question #59 (the image NOT created in the
Renaissance style)?
a. Mannerism
b. Gothic
c. Romanesque
d. Hellenic
For questions #61 to #63, refer to the following images:
A) Pieta
B) Pieta
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*Each question is worth .78 points
61. Which sculpture is created in the Renaissance style?
a. A
b. B
c. Both
d. Neither
62. Which sculpture is created in the Mannerist style?
a. A
b. B
c. Both
d. Neither
63. Who created the sculptures?
a. Michelangelo
b. Donatello
c. Leonardo da Vinci
d. Raphael
64. Which of the following musical instruments was invented and popularized during the
Renaissance?
a. Harpsichord
b. Lyre
c. Piano
d. Violin
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