AP Art History : 3D Art
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Ancient Greek And Roman Architecture
What is a major difference between Greek and Roman temples?
Roman temples were also used as marketplaces
Greek temples had columns with slight bulges, while roman ones did not
Roman temples were built on the ruins of previous structures
Greek temples were meant to be viewed on all sides, while Roman temples were to be viewed from the front
Greek temples never veered from the established orders, while Roman temples were more varied
Greek temples were meant to be viewed on all sides, while Roman temples were to be viewed from the front
The Romans copied many stylistic elements from Greek temples. There was, however, a major difference. Greek temples were built freestanding and without regard for the other buildings around them. Roman temples, on the other hand, were built in conjunction with large municipal building projects and their final design took this into account.
Example Question #2 : Ancient Greek And Roman Architecture
Greek Doric temples _________________.
were still strongly influenced by wooden temple design
doubled as meeting places of governing bodies
were unstable and tended to collapse, leading to a new design: the Ionic temple
emphasized tall and slender architecture
were built without a sense of proportion
were still strongly influenced by wooden temple design
Even centuries after temples were built from stone, they were still strongly influenced by their wooden predecessors. Characteristics that the original temples had, for structural reasons were copied in the stone forms. For instance, the round columns imitated tree trunks, and the square triglyphs above the columns were meant to look like horizontal beams sticking out of the face of the building.
Example Question #1 : Analyzing Ancient Greek And Roman Architecture
The central area of a Greek temple, or cella, was _________________.
was empty, emphasizing the invisible nature of Greek deities
the place where the public would often gather to offer sacrifices
more simply decorated than the outside of the temple
was sometimes omitted
more ornate than the rest of the temple
more simply decorated than the outside of the temple
The cella was the room that housed the statue of the patron deity. It was a place reserved almost exclusively to the priests. Many temples did have an antechamber to the cella where people could leave votive offerings.
Example Question #3 : Ancient Greek And Roman Architecture
The relative width to length of the standard Greek temple ____________________.
was determined by this formula (front columns : side columns = n : n2 - 3)
was determined by which deity it was dedicated to
was determined by the formula (front columns: side columns = n:n + 1)
was determined by the formula (front columns : side columns = n:n + 5)
was roughly twice as long as it was wide
was roughly twice as long as it was wide
The formula used to determine the relative length and width of most temples was front columns: side columns = n:n2+1. This meant that the temple would be roughly twice as long as it was wide. The Greeks used mathematical equations as the basis for many of the proportions of their buildings, feeling that this added to their beauty.
Example Question #201 : 3 D Art
Early temples in Greece were much more basic than the later ones such as the Parthenon in Athens. These newer temples innovated on the earlier design by ________________.
not using mortar
using marble instead of brick for the columns
adding elaborate carvings to the outside of the temple
changing the mathematical proportions of the design
adding a screen of columns around the traditional temple structure
adding a screen of columns around the traditional temple structure
Early Greek temples were similar to those of nearby cultures. That is to say they were simple 4 walled structures that housed the statue of a deity. As time progressed the Greeks innovated on this basic design by adding rows of columns on all sides, that screened, but did not entirely hide the inner structure.
Example Question #12 : Ancient Through Medieval Architecture
The Parthenon is the most famous example of what order?
Doric
Corinthian
Tuscan
Ionic
Composite
Doric
The Parthenon is a beautiful example of a rather severe style: the Doric order. The Doric order was one of the earliest Greek orders, but continued to be used on the Greek mainland even after other orders had been created. It was much less common in cultures that imitated Greek art, such as the Romans and Renaissance Europe.
Example Question #11 : Ancient Greek And Roman Architecture
Why do classical Greek temples not contain arches?
Arches were considered profane because of their practicality, so they were not used to build places of worship
Early arches were poorly made and, while the Greeks used them, none have survived until today
While the Greeks did use arches it was mainly in below ground construction, not temples
Arches have to be made out of brick, not marble, so they could not be used in temple construction
The arch wasn’t invented until Roman times
While the Greeks did use arches it was mainly in below ground construction, not temples
There is a long-standing myth that the Romans invented the arch. This is simply not true, arches can in fact be found among ancient Greek ruins. They were mostly used underground. While the Romans didn’t invent the arch, they were the first to put it to wide use.
Example Question #202 : 3 D Art
Which of the following best describes Ancient Greek architecture?
Greek architecture was developed entirely independent of Egyptian architecture
The Greeks sought beauty based on mathematical proportions
The Greeks used the same style for all their temples
The all the great Greek architectural projects were for tombs and places of worship
The Greeks used size to determine the importance of a building
The Greeks sought beauty based on mathematical proportions
While many early civilizations sought to show the importance of a building by its size, the Greeks aimed, not so much for immense structures, but properly proportioned ones. We are still using their standards of proportion on art and architecture today. This doesn’t mean that there were no large Greek temples, but this was not a common characteristic.
Example Question #12 : Ancient Greek And Roman Architecture
Why are Greek temples smaller than temples found in Egypt?
The stone used by the Greeks wasn’t strong enough for larger structures
Egyptian temples were carved into rock, so size was less of an issue
The Greek economy couldn’t support large building projects
The prevalence of earthquakes in Greece forced the Greeks to focus on smaller, more achievable projects
Proportion mattered more than size to the Greeks; the temples needed to be proportioned to those who used them
Proportion mattered more than size to the Greeks; the temples needed to be proportioned to those who used them
Some Greek temples are in fact massive, but for the Greeks religion and art were centered on man. The people who used the temples were in some ways the focal point, not the afterlife, or strange and exotic deities. Because of this the temples were supposed to be more in proportion to the people who used them.
Example Question #16 : Ancient Through Medieval Architecture
As time progressed Greek temple architecture changed. Columns _________________.
were no longer designed according to the 3 standard categories or orders
grew shorter and more refined
grew taller and had more slender
were removed from the sides of the temple, and only used on the front and rear
were simplified; most of the ornamentation was moved to the architrave
grew taller and had more slender
Ionic and Corinthian architecture was marked by taller, slenderer columns. Even the Doric temples, still built on the Greek mainland were less squat that their predecessors. The Greeks felt that this gave the buildings a lighter and more delicate feel.
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