Download WHII Renaissance Introduction M Lynde

WHII
Renaissance Introduction
Name_________________________________ Date __________________ Pd_________
M Lynde
Directions: Read the following summary and you may need to research on your own in
order to answer the following multiple choice questions.
Renaissance means reawakening or rebirth, and it refers to a rebirth of learning from
classical Greece and Rome. In the late middle ages, Italians became interested in learning
about the glories of their ancestors in the Roman Empire. They searched for classical
literature forgotten in monasteries, and they acquired classical works from Muslim and
Byzantine scholars. Archeologist uncovered classical art and architecture.
Italians became interested in humanism, the concern with human values in this life as
opposed to religious beliefs and the afterlife. Renaissance architecture abandoned the
church’s Gothic style and adopted the simplicity and balance of more classical forms.
Artists including Michelangelo and Da Vinci shaped Western art. Shakespeare wrote
plays that explored human nature, and Gutenberg’s printing press spread Renaissance
knowledge through cheaper books that encouraged people to learn how to read and write.
The Renaissance began in Florence, Italy about 1350 and spread to Rome and finally to
much of Europe before it ended in the early 1600s. The Renaissance was a bridge
between the middle ages and the modern world.
Questions
____1. In Europe, a major characteristic of humanism was
a. a belief in the supremacy of the state in relation to individual rights
b. a rejection of ancient civilizations and their cultures
c. an emphasis on social control and obedience to national rulers
d. an appreciation for the basic worth of individual achievement
____ 2. Which statement describes a direct effect of the Renaissance on Western Europe?
a. the philosophy of humanism brought about a decrease in the power of the
Roman Catholic Church
b. art began to reflect an increased emphasis on religious themes
c. nationalist movements among the minority ethnic groups on the region declines
d. the feudal system was developed to provide stability in a decentralized political
structure
____ 3. On factor that enabled the Renaissance to flourish in Northern Italy was that the
region had
a. a wealthy class that invested in the arts
b. a socialist form of government
c. limited contact with the Byzantine Empire
d. a shrinking middle class
____4. European society during the Renaissance differed from European society during
the Middle Ages in that during the Renaissance
WHII
Renaissance Introduction
Name_________________________________ Date __________________ Pd_________
M Lynde
a. the Church was no longer influential
b. the emphasis on individual worth increased
c. economic activity declined
d. art no longer contained religious themes
___5. Which statement concerning the Renaissance in Europe is based on opinion rather
than on fact?
a. Literature began to appear in languages other than Latin
b. The art of the Northern Renaissance was superior to the Italian Renaissance
c. Art reflected the ideas of humanism and individualism
d. Art produced during the Renaissance had religious as well as secular themes