Renaissance Chapter 3

Question 1

What took place during the Renaissance?

Answer 1

A new way of thinking.

Question 2

Where did the new way of thinking start?

Answer 2

Northern Italian city-states. Scholars known as humanists looked back to the ancient classical civilizations of Greece and Rome. These scholars studied Greek and Roman writing as arts and applied classical ideas to their own lives and work.

Question 3

Which two civilizations did the humanists take inspiration from?

Answer 3

Greek and Roman civilizations.

Question 4

What did the humanists believe? (4)

Answer 4

1. Human beings can use the power of reason, that is, thinking to find the truth for themselves.
2. It is important for a person to have an open, curious, and questioning mind.
3. People can achieve great things through learning.
4. Individuals should be skilled in many different areas; they should develop not just their minds but also their bodies and spirits.

Question 5

Where does the word “civic” come from?

Answer 5

It comes from the Latin word to mean “citizen”.

Question 6

What did civic humanists believe? (2)

Answer 6

1. Educating yourself about history and political issues.

2. Helping to improve society.

Question 7

What was the most important way a humanist could create change?

Answer 7

Through education.

Question 8

What career did many humanists pursue?

Answer 8

Many humanists were teachers who ran their own schools.

Question 9

What did humanists believe it was important to teach? (2)

Answer 9

1. Train young people to have good character, good bodies, and minds (educating the whole-child approach).
2. Encourage people to be curious and to question things.

Question 10

What was the whole-child approach?

Answer 10

Training young people to have good character, bodies, and minds.

Question 11

What was the importance of religion in the humanist’s perspective?

Answer 11

Religion continued to play an important part in their lives, just as it had during the middle ages. But it wasn’t all and everything. Humanists emphasized ideas and values such as individual achievements and the importance of history and the arts. Education was all of a sudden also very important, although religion was still ahead.

Question 12

What was the purpose of art during the Renaissance times? (2)

Answer 12

1. To portray the beauty of the human body and the natural world.
2. To decorate private homes or public places.

Question 13

Who played an important role in promoting the importance of arts during the Renaissance? (2)

Answer 13

1. Wealthy merchants.

2. The government.

Question 14

Art can be expressed in the form of… (6)

Answer 14

1. Music.
2. Literature.
3. Theatre.
4. Paintings.
5. Architecture.
6. Sculptures.

Question 15

How were sculptors seen in the Middle Ages?

Answer 15

As craftspeople rather than artists. They were part of a construction team and usually didn’t even sign their work.

Question 16

How were sculptors seen during the Renaissance?

Answer 16

Artistic genius raised the status of artists. Sculptors like Michelangelo became celebrities with international reputations.

Question 17

What are the key points about literature during the Renaissance? (3)

Answer 17

1. In the early Renaissance, writers focused on translating the works of Roman and Greek writers and copying their styles.
2. Books/texts written in the vernacular became more accessible.
3. Much of the writing during the Renaissance questioned the traditional ways of seeing the world.

Question 18

Define classical.

Answer 18

The ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome.

Question 19

Define rhetoric.

Answer 19

The art of making speeches.

Question 20

Define humanist.

Answer 20

A person who adopts a system of thought that centers on humans and their values, capacities, and worth; concern with the interests, needs, and welfare of humans.

Question 21

Define aqueduct.

Answer 21

A channel used to move water, usually supported on a bridge structure when it had to cross a valley.

Question 22

Define Colosseum.

Answer 22

The Colosseum is an amphitheater built in Rome under the Flavian emperors of the Roman Empire; the Colosseum was famously used for gladiatorial combat.

Question 23

Define philosopher.

Answer 23

One who studies the truth and principles underlying human conduct and knowledge and the nature of the universe.

Question 24

Define democracy.

Answer 24

A form of government in which people elect representatives to rule the country.

Question 25

Define patrons.

Answer 25

People who paid artists to produce works of art or any other type of work.

Question 26

Define vernacular.

Answer 26

The language commonly spoken by the people who live in that region.

Question 27

What were the accomplishments of the Roman Civilization? (5)

Answer 27

1. Great poetry, drama, and history were produced by Roman writers.
2. Created a legal code in use in Europe until the end of the 1700s.
3. Colosseum in Rome; gladiators sometimes fought to the death.
4. Aqueducts still in use today.
5. Roads that allowed travel throughout the vast Roman Empire.

Question 28

What were the accomplishments of the Greek Civilization? (6)

Answer 28

1. Masters of drama, sculpture, and architecture.
2. Brilliant mathematicians and historians.
3. Developed the jury system.
4. Developed the Olympic Games.
5. Democracy is named after the Greek system of participatory government.
6. Had philosophers who taught people how to improve themselves/their society.