Name : ________________________
Date : ___________________________
Social Studies 8 – Quest (The Renaissance)
Write all answers on a seperate lined sheet of paper – DO NOT write on this booklet!
Short answer questions (COMPLETE SENTENCES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
1. What is Worldview?
2. What were the Middle Ages?
3. List three events that set the stage for the Renaissance.
4. What was feudalism?
True or False
1. Canada is a multicultural and pluralistic nation.
2. The word Renaissance comes from the French word meaning “rebirth”.
3. The Renaissance originated in England.
4. Scribes were pleased with the invention of the printing press because their work would be
cherished and more widely recognized.
5. Urbanization means to move from one country to another.
Multiple choice (CIRCLE YOUR ANSWER)
1. The European feudal system was:
a. Designed to promote political and economic equality
b. Controlled by the middle class
c. Intended to provide opportunities for social mobility
d. Supported by the work of the peasants
2. Which statement below is NOT true about the changes in the way people lived in large Italian
city states?
a. Workers began to find and create jobs that were not part of the feudal system and,
thus, became les dependant on nobles.
b. Some communities became so prosperous from trade, industry, and banking that they
became city states.
c. Individuals began to feel as if they did not belong to their larger communities and they
still felt tied to the monarchy.
d. Industries began to specialize in goods for trade, such as textiles, furniture, and
handicrafts.
3. Which were the three Italian city-states to emerge during the Renaissance?
a. Florence, Rome, Venice
b. Venice, Genoa, Florence
c. Rome, Genoa, Venice
d. Genoa, Florence, Rome
4. What sets Venice apart from the other Italian city-states of the Renaissance?
a. It was most successful in sea trade
b. Crusaders came into the city and paid them for their services
c. It was built by the Arno River
d. Ruled by the Medicci family
5. Humanism is?
a. The views that human rights should be ignored
b. The view that all humans have potential, rights and should be taken care of
c. The view of men that women should not be treated like humans
d. The view that all humans should have the same amount of money
6. The era that is recognized for its cultural rebirth in the revival of classical art, architecture,
literature and learning is called the:
a. Expansionism period
b. Renaissance
c. Middle Ages
d. Age of Exploration
7. Which of the following most accurately defines the term “humanism” in the context of the ideas
and beliefs of the Renaissance?
a. A work in which the character an events are a symbolic representation of a deeper
moral or political meaning
b. The collective point of view of a specific group of humans which is expressed to others
by a human leader with the authority to speak for the group
c. The belief that humans can and should use these abilities to shape their own ideas and
make their own choices
d. An attempt to manipulate people by using exaggerated or biased information
8. During the Renaissance, social classes and social structure changed from being based on
______________ to being based on _______________.
a. Personal freedom; feudalism
b. Peasantry; nobility
c. Ownership of land; ownership of people
d. Feudalism; wealth
9. The following factors affect worldview
a. Geography, political/economic systems and contact with other groups
b. Geography, ideas and knowledge and culture
c. Geography, ideas and knowledge and contact with other groups
d. Geography, contact with other groups and social systems
10. Which statement below is NOT true about the changes in the way people lived in large Italian
city states?
a. Workers began to find and create jobs that were not part of the feudal system and,
thus, became les dependant on nobles.
b. Some communities became so prosperous from trade, industry, and banking that they
became city states.
c. Individuals began to feel as if they did not belong to their larger communities and they
still felt tied to the monarchy.
d. Industries began to specialize in goods for trade, such as textiles, furniture, and
handicrafts.
Long answer questions – Pick 3 and answer them (COMPLETE SENTENCES AND DETAILED ANSWERS)
1. Where did the Renaissance being and how did it spread?
2. How did the growth of cities contribute to the changing worldview?
3. What role did trade and the Silk Road play during the Renaissance?
4. How did humanism contribute to the rise of the merchant or middle class?
5. How did, scholars, artists, philosophers affect the Renaissance and humanism?
6. List several ways in which you might consider that life began to improve during the Renaissance.
Select one way and describe how it continues to have an impact on people’s lives today – how is
it still part or today’s Western Worldview?