Western Art Readings Exam 1

Question on Reading 1.1: Which of the follow best describes the kind of human pursuit that Plato discusses  and promotes in his Symposium?

 (1) Helping to relieve the suffering of the poor, by eliminating injustices in the social order

 (2) Serving the will of a divine king by giving up one's own freedoms and material comforts

 (3) Entering a realm of perfection through contemplation of perfectly formed entities

 (4) Amassing great wealth and commissioning beautiful works of art and literature

(3) Entering a realm of perfection through contemplation of perfectly formed entities

Question on Reading 1.1: Which of the following is TRUE about the passage you read from Plato’s Symposium?

 (1) Plato says that “absolute beauty” does not exist, because beauty appears differently to everyone who sees it

 (2) Plato says that physical beauty is wicked because it produces sexual desire

 (3) Plato says that physical beauty is a distraction that leads one away from God

 (4) Plato says that the perception of physical beauty is a step toward the goal of perceiving ‘absolute beauty’

(4) Plato says that the perception of physical beauty is a step toward the goal of perceiving ‘absolute beauty’

Question on Reading 1.1: Which of the following does Plato refer to as examples of ‘beautiful’ entities?

(1) Scientific ideas

 (2) Human bodies

 (3) Laws

 (4) All of the above (human bodies, laws and scientific ideas)

(4) All of the above (human bodies, laws and scientific ideas)

Question on Reading 1.1: Which of the following best approximates a point that Plato makes in his Symposium?

(1) beauty is the quality that physically attractive people and persons of virtuous character have in common

(2) physical beauty and moral beauty are opposite and opposed to each other

(3) works of art depicting nudity should be prohibited, as they can lead young people to vice

(4) different people have different conceptions about what is beautiful, thus beauty is “in the eye of the beholder”

(1) beauty is the quality that physically attractive people and persons of virtuous character have in common

Question on Reading 1.1: Plato says that ‘absolute beauty’ is:

(1) always in a state of flux

(2) perceived differently by each person

(3) found primarily in mundane household objects

(4) eternal and unchanging

(4) eternal and unchanging

Question on Reading 1.2: In this passage, Quintilian compares the art of writing and speaking to the art of:

(1) sculpture

(2) medicine

(3) astrology

(4) Singing

(1) sculpture

Question on Reading 1.2: Quintilian’s remarks in this passage suggest that he would value which of the following qualities in a work of art:

(1) abstraction

(2) innovation

(3) conformity to tradition

(4) religious piety

(2) innovation

Question on reading 1.3: Aristotle was:

(1) A Greek sculptor and the teacher of the sculptor Polykleitos

(2) A Greek sculptor, and a student of the sculptor Polykleitos

(3) A Greek philosopher, and the teacher of the philosopher Plato

(4) A Greek philosopher, and a student of the philosopher Plato

(4) A Greek philosopher, and a student of the philosopher Plato

Question on Reading 1.3: In this passage, Aristotle:

(1) recommends the use of nude statues to inspire young people to appreciate beauty

(2) recommends the use of nude statues to promote fertility

(3) suggests that ‘indecent’ paintings and sculptures can be permitted in some cases

(4) suggests that ‘indecent’ paintings and sculptures should be banished from the temples

(3) suggests that ‘indecent’ paintings and sculptures can be permitted in some cases

Question on Reading 1.3: Why does Aristotle suggest that exposure to ‘ribaldry’ can be permitted to those who have reached maturity?

(1) mature persons must be allowed the freedom to make choices in accordance with their own conscience

(2) mature persons are protected by the wisdom they derive from the education they receive in youth

(3) mature persons rely on the stimulus provided by ribaldry in order to remain energetic

(4) all of the above    

(2) mature persons are protected by the wisdom they derive from the education they receive in youth

Question on Reading 1.3:  In the comments that he makes in this passage, Aristotle seems to be mainly concerned with:

(1) Aesthetics (i.e. beauty visual pleasure)

(2) Morality (i.e. concern with what is right and wrong, appropriate and inappropriate)

(3) Artistic technique (i.e. the range of skills required to produce a work of art)

(2) Morality (i.e. concern with what is right and wrong, appropriate and inappropriate)

Question on Reading 1.4: What is meant in Snyder’s article by the phrase "gender construction"?

(1) Males and females (i.e. persons of both genders) were involved in the planning and execution of ancient Greek vases

(2) Artistic representations of men and women “construct” the assumptions about gender roles that predominate in a given culture

(3) It is difficult to construct hypotheses regarding the gender of an artist on the basis of compositional elements and other stylistic qualities of a work

(4) none of the above

(2) Artistic representations of men and women “construct” the assumptions about gender roles that predominate in a given culture

Question on Reading 1.4: Which of the following, according to Snyder, is Sappho never shown doing in depictions of her in ancient vase painting?

(1) Eating

(2) Sleeping

(3) Writing

(4) Singing

(4) Singing

Question on Reading 1.4: What seems to be Snyder’s point in referring to Alma-Tadema’s nineteenth-century painting of Sappho?

(1) That nineteenth century art reveals a change in attitudes toward women, giving them more agency

(2) That, as in the ancient Greek vases, in this painting Sappho again appears in an inactive role  

(3) That Alma-Tadema’s painting is drastically more naturalistic than the ancient Greek images

(4) That oil-on-canvas provides a better medium for naturalistic art than the painting technique employed by the ancient vase painters

(2) That, as in the ancient Greek vases, in this painting Sappho again appears in an inactive role

Which of the following types of “art” does NOT appear in either of the Gladiator clips?

(1) armor decorated with ornamentation

(2) swords and spears

(3) votive statues dedicated to Mars, the Roman god of war

(4) battle standards

(3) votive statues dedicated to Mars, the Roman god of war

In the second Gladiator clip, in Maximus’s speech to his cavalry, how does following sentence end? “Hold the line! Stay with me! If you find yourself alone, riding in green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled, for you are in Elysium…

(1) … and you’re doing just fine!”

(2) … and your horse knows the way!”

(3) … and the infantry will cover you!”

(4)… and you’re already dead!”

(4)… and you’re already dead!”

Question on Reading 2.2: Which of these works from our image list does Pliny refer to?

(1) Myron’s Discobolos

(2) Praxiteles’, Aphrodite of Knidos

(3) Doryphoros

(4) The Laocoon Group

(2) Praxiteles’, Aphrodite of Knidos

Question on Reading 2.2: Which of the following persons or groups mentioned in Pliny’s text seems most likely to have been influenced by the kind of concerns that Aristotle raises in the passage from his Politics which you read in Reading #1, last week?

(1) The people of Knidos

(2) King Nikomedes

(3) The people of Kos

(3) The people of Kos

Question on Reading 2.3: Who, on the basis of Lucian’s account was permitted inside the sanctuary of Aphrodite?

(1) Lucian does not say that only certain people, and not others, were permitted to enter

(2) Only the woman who possessed the keys

(3) Only the priests and temple guards

(4) Only members of the upper class

(1) Lucian does not say that only certain people, and not others, were permitted to enter

Question on Reading 2.3: What is the function of the door at the back of the temple?

(1) to keep the flow of visitors moving through the building

(2) to let light in from behind, so that the statue is back-lit when viewed from the front

(3) to give the priests access to the temple from their living quarters

(4) to provide a view of the statue’s back side

(4) to provide a view of the statue’s back side

Question on Reading 2.4: Which of the following themes does NOT appear in these passages from the Gospel of Matthew?

(1) the relationship between votive offerings and the afterlife

(2) the relationship between social class and the afterlife

(3) none of the themes above appears in the passages

(4) the relationship between sexual desire and the afterlife

(1) the relationship between votive offerings and the afterlife

Question on Reading 2.4: On the basis of what you read in Lucian’s account of a visit to the temple of Aphrodite at Knidos, what would Jesus of Nazareth’s opinion of that temple and its visitors most likely be?

(1) he would approve, because the visitors show strong religious devotion

(2) he would disapprove, because the visitors look at the statue lustfully

(3) he would disapprove, because only the rich can enter the temple

(4) he would approve, because the visitors reject sexual temptation

(2) he would disapprove, because the visitors look at the statue lustfully

Question on Reading 2.5: How do Augustine’s ideas about nudity compare to those of the Greeks?

(1) Augustine, like the Greeks, valued athleticism and promoted “gymnastics”, or “exercise in the nude”

(2) Augustine sees nudity is a sign of wickedness, while the Greeks saw it as a sign of virtue and beauty

(3) Augustine, unlike the Greeks, believed that nudity should be limited statues of the gods, while statues of mortals should be clothed

(4) Augustine sees nudity as symbol of spiritual purity, while the Greeks see it only as a symbol of physical desire  

(2) Augustine sees nudity is a sign of wickedness, while the Greeks saw it as a sign of virtue and beauty

Question on Reading 2.5: According to Augustine’s interpretation of the Old Testament, the shame and embarrassment that humans feel about their own nude bodies is:

(1) a punishment inflicted on humans by God, resulting from Adam and Eve’s disobedience

(2) something from which one can free oneself by making offerings at an altar

(3) a means devised by Satan (the Devil) to torment human beings

(4) a result of complex psychological tensions stemming from the instinct for procreation

(1) a punishment inflicted on humans by God, resulting from Adam and Eve’s disobedience