The Classical Period

Question 1

Who wrote the ancient Greek drama Oedipus Rex?

Answer 1

Sophocles

Question 2

Which Greek poet wrote the Iliad?

Answer 2

Homer

Question 3

Greek architecture was based on what structure?

Answer 3

Post-and-lintel

Question 4

What was the Greek building most revered for its use of ratio and perspective?

Answer 4

The Parthenon

Question 5

Where were Greek plays generally shown?

Answer 5

Amphitheater

Question 6

Roman engineering allowed which structure to have the largest single span dome for centuries?

Answer 6

The Pantheon

Question 7

In Plato’s allegory of the cave, what do the shadows represent?

Answer 7

Every day life

Question 8

What is the belief in multiple gods?

Answer 8

Polytheism

Question 9

The ancient Greeks developed what form of government?

Answer 9

Democracy

Question 10

Classical drama consist of what?

Answer 10

Tragedies, comedies, and satyr plays.

Question 11

Is it true that during the renaissance scientist adopted empirical methodology of early Greek practitioners and theorist?

Answer 11

True. 

Question 12

During the enlightenment, what form the foundation of education and intellectual standards?

Answer 12

Roman literature and Greek philosophical and ethical systems formed the foundation of education and intellectual standards.

Question 13

Where do today’s Romance languages come from?

Answer 13

The Roman language of Latin

Question 14

Refers to the aesthetic attitudes and principles reflected in the art and philosophy of ancient Greece and Rome

Answer 14

Classicism

Question 15

These daughters of Zeus were goddesses devoted to memory and inspiration. 

Answer 15

Muses

Question 16

During this age in Greece, important political structures and beginnings of democracy emerged

Answer 16

Archaic Age

Question 17

How did the Greeks and Romans lay the foundations for modern science?

Answer 17

The Greek philosophers used observation to study nature and introduced the idea of a hypothesis that could be tested; through their attention to reason and logic

Question 18

In Greek mythology, who created human beings?

Answer 18

Prometheus

Question 19

Which form of poetry became the dominant form of Greek poetry beginning in the 6th century BCE?

Answer 19

Lyric Poetry

Question 20

Why did the ancient Greeks study rhythm and the relationship between notes?

Answer 20

They believed that music and mathematics had an important connection

Question 21

What does the Greek word “demokratia “ mean?

Answer 21

“Ruled by the people”

Question 22

This work applied reason and logical though to ideas about government and how to live a good, balanced life

Answer 22

The Republic

Question 23

This work is a story of a man who lives his life not knowing the truth of his parentage and whose pride ultimately causes him to ignore his flood humanity, resulting in the ultimate punishment of blindness and exile.

Answer 23

Oedipus Rex

Question 24

This work is an epic poem narrating the story of an ideal Greek hero who combined all the greatest virtues of Greek culture, as well as showing his interaction with a Greek pantheon of gods.

Answer 24

The Odyssey

Question 25

This work emphasize the themes of order and balance in its construction as a temple to the goddess Athena, patron to Athens

Answer 25

The Parthenon

Question 26

This play is about heroic women who withhold sex from their husbands in order to end the Peloponnesian war and force a more democratic, egalitarian political climate

Answer 26

Lysistrata

Question 27

What major theme does Sappho’s lyric poem “A Lament for Adonis” represent?

Answer 27

The theme of humanism because it emphasizes human passions and emotions rather than idealized gods

Question 28

Why is the statue “The Metropolitan Kouros” A notable example of Greek sculpture?

Answer 28

It utilizes vertical and horizontal symmetry in creating the human form

Question 29

What was the innovation during the classical period that was based on balance and reason?

Answer 29

The development of western philosophy and the ideas that underlined the modern scientific method

Question 30

What is the primary difference between Greek and Roman societies?

Answer 30

The Greeks lived in democratically run city states while the Romans had a larger centralized republic and eventually empire.

Question 31

How do the visual art and architecture of Greece and Rome differ?

Answer 31

The Greeks relied on post and lintel construction, and the Romans develop the use of columns and artist to design larger buildings.
Much of the sculpture in Greece was focused on honoring deities and elevating the human form while Rome used art predominantly to glorify the Roman empire.

Question 32

What are two examples of the theme of humanism in the classical period?

Answer 32

Aristotle investigated qualities that led to human excellence and made for a good life.
Greek philosophers questioned the truth of ancient religious myths in which gods acted unjustly. 

Question 33

What kind of cultural exchange took place during the classical period?

Answer 33

The Greeks borrowed the alphabet of the Phoenicians and used Egyptian influences in their sculpture.

Question 34

What were the main means of cultural exchange during the classical period?

Answer 34

Greece and Rome’s proximity to the Mediterranean sea facilitated the exchange of goods and ideas with other civilizations.
The silk road provided access to Asia, allowing eastern religions such as Buddhism and Daoism to filter into Europe along with goods. 

Question 35

What aspects of like today are directly influenced by the classical period?

Answer 35

Democracy and the U.S. National Monuments

Question 36

How does the contemporary film “oh brother, where art thou?” represent classical influence?

Answer 36

The protagonist journey draws on the number of motifs, themes, and characters from the classical epic The Odyssey

Question 37

In his work, The Republic, Plato describes how best to create a fair and orderly society. What most closely represents his argument?

Answer 37

People are to think rationally, but they are predisposed to act in their own self interest, so they should be ruled by a philosopher king who makes decisions based on reason and justice.

Question 38

How did Aristotle’s teaching reflect humanism in the classical period?

Answer 38

He argued that reason is necessary to guide humans to right behavior and that achieving balance through the Golden Mean creates a virtuous character.

Question 39

Which musical fragments were dedicated to the god Apollo and are among the earliest examples of written music?

Answer 39

The Delphic Hymns

Question 40

What are two main themes introduced in the classical period?

Answer 40

A focus on balance and reason

A focus on humanism and truth