CLEP Humanities : Answering Other Questions About Modern Architecture

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for CLEP Humanities

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Example Questions

Example Question #164 : Architecture

The modern architectural masterpiece Fallingwater, a residence in rural Pennsylvania, was designed by which architect?

Possible Answers:

Mies van der Rohe

Frank Gehry

I.M. Pei

Philip Johnson

Frank Lloyd Wright

Correct answer:

Frank Lloyd Wright

Explanation:

Fallingwater is generally considered Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece, as the residence was constructed above and incorporated a waterfall. The residence, built in 1939, blended the interior and exterior of the building into Wright's perfect distillation of his "organic" philosophy of architecture. The property remained a residence for many years, but became a protected site in the mid-1960s.

Example Question #161 : Architecture

Who was the architect famous for designing a Glass House as his own residence?

Possible Answers:

Frank Gehry

Frank Lloyd Wright

Mies van der Rohe

I. M. Pei

Philip Johnson

Correct answer:

Philip Johnson

Explanation:

Philip Johnson was a modernist architect who sought clean lines, used steel and glass construction, and valued function in his design. Inspired by the Farnsworth House designed by Mies van der Rohe, Johnson designed his own house in Connecticut as made almost entirely of glass. The rectangular abode is now a tourist site, along with Johnson's entire property, including other buildings and his massive art collection.

Example Question #955 : Ap Art History

John Augustus Roebling is the architect responsible for which New York City landmark?

Possible Answers:

The George Washington Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge

The Statue of Liberty

The Empire State Building

Trinity Church

Correct answer:

The Brooklyn Bridge

Explanation:

John Augustus Roebling, a German immigrant, was the leading designer of bridges throughout the mid-nineteenth century in America. His masterpiece, however, was the Brooklyn Bridge, which was the first steel-wire suspension bridge ever built. Unfortunately, Roebling died in 1870, just as it was beginning construction, and his son Washington Roebling had to take over construction.

Example Question #163 : Architecture

The unfinished Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona was designed by whom?

Possible Answers:

Joan Miró

Enrique Nieto

Pablo Picasso

Antoni Gaudí

Salvador Dalí

Correct answer:

Antoni Gaudí

Explanation:

La Sagrada Familia was planned as a massive church in Barcelona that would rival its Cathedral in size. After breaking ground in 1882, the church is still not totally finished. Importantly, its architect Antoni Gaudí was killed in a 1926 tram accident, and the work had to continue on under architects with different design aesthetics than its singular original designer.

Example Question #162 : Architecture

The architect Frank Gehry is famous for designing the building for which art museum?

Possible Answers:

The Musee D'Orsay in Paris

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles

The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago

The Museum of Modern Art in New York

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao

Correct answer:

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao

Explanation:

Gehry, a modernist architect well known for flowing lines and unusual shapes, has built concert halls, museums, and government buildings around the world. Among his most notable works is the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, constructed out of titanium and glass, in shapes that are meant to evoke the countryside of Bilbao's Basque region.

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