AP World History : Literature, Art, and Architecture 600 BCE to 600 CE

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP World History

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Literature, Art, And Architecture 600 Bce To 600 Ce

What was the name of the primary meeting place in early Roman colonial cities?

Possible Answers:

The Temple

The Basilica

The Agora

The Forum

The Horologium

Correct answer:

The Forum

Explanation:

The Forum would be located at the intersection of the two main roads in and out of a city, or municipum, where public events and open markets would take place. The Agora performed a similar function in ancient Greek city-states. The Basilica were open-air court buildings. The Temple refers to religious structures in ancient Jerusalem. The Horologium was a giant monument built by Augustus, which included a solar marker and was also known as the Solarium Augusti.

Example Question #2 : Literature, Art, And Architecture 600 Bce To 600 Ce

Which ancient figure was referred to as "the face that launched a thousand ships" by Christopher Marlowe?

Possible Answers:

Helen of Troy

Elizabeth I

Mary Magdalene

Bathsheba

Cleopatra

Correct answer:

Helen of Troy

Explanation:

Legend holds that Helen of Troy was so beautiful that men pledged their loyalty to her with such fierceness that they would go to war for her hand in marriage. Such oaths reportedly led to the invasion of Troy and the Trojan War.

Example Question #3 : Literature, Art, And Architecture 600 Bce To 600 Ce

Which ancient historian wrote the definitive history of the Pelopennesian War? 

Possible Answers:

Plutarch

Thucydides

Herodotus

Socrates

Plato

Correct answer:

Thucydides

Explanation:

Thucydides is considered one of the fathers of modern history. Unlike Herodotus, whose tone was very familiar, Thucydides was more dry and tried to stick to objective facts. He was, however, an Athenian soldier during the war, which colored his account of the conflict.

Example Question #3 : Literature, Art, And Architecture 600 Bce To 600 Ce

Although Nero is primarily remembered for his poor showing as Emperor, what important architectural landmark is he responsible for? 

Possible Answers:

The Nero Road

The Flavian Way

The Colosseum 

Nero's Bathes 

Nero's Aquaduct

Correct answer:

Nero's Bathes 

Explanation:

Nero, seeking pleasure, paid for and built the so-called Bathes of Nero. The largest baths in Rome, they were still in use up to the 5th century. While other Roman landmarks came and went depending on economic and political stability, the longevity of the bathes, as well as their complexity, set them apart. 

Example Question #4 : Literature, Art, And Architecture 600 Bce To 600 Ce

The Colossus, one of the Ancient Wonders of the World, stood on each island?

Possible Answers:

Crete

Rhodes

Cyprus

Sardinia 

Sicily

Correct answer:

Rhodes

Explanation:

The Colossus of Rhodes was one of the most impressive structures in the ancient world. Originally erected to celebrate a victory over the island of Cyprus, the Colossus stood over the island's harbor for thousands of years. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 226 BCE, never to be rebuilt. 

Example Question #5 : Literature, Art, And Architecture 600 Bce To 600 Ce

Which epic poem relates the story of Aeneas? 

Possible Answers:

The Illiad

The Odyssey 

Gilgamesh 

The Arabian Nights

The Aeneid 

Correct answer:

The Aeneid 

Explanation:

The Aeneid, written by Virgil, it considered one of the most important works in Roman literature. Telling the story of Aeneas, who traveled from the ruins of Troy to the Italian peninsula, the Aeneid stands as the Roman response to Homer. This seminal work is still read in Classical Literature and History classes today. 

Example Question #6 : Literature, Art, And Architecture 600 Bce To 600 Ce

Who wrote the Orestia? 

Possible Answers:

Socrates

Aeschylus 

Sophocles 

Euripedes

Plato

Correct answer:

Aeschylus 

Explanation:

The Oresteia, Aeschylus' trilogy of plays detailing the fall of the House of Atreus, is one of the finest examples of Greek tragedy. Starting with Agamemnon's murder at the hands of his wife and finishing with Orestes, Agamemnon's son, being tried for the murder of the aforementioned wife (and Orestes mother), the plays explore the themes of justice, revenge and family like few other works. Extremely popular from the time of their first performance, the cultural impact of the Oresteia can still be felt today. 

Example Question #7 : Literature, Art, And Architecture 600 Bce To 600 Ce

The Allegory of the Cave is a famous example of Greek philosophy. Who's work is it? 

Possible Answers:

Socrates

Pericles 

Glaucon

Aristotle

Plato

Correct answer:

Plato

Explanation:

Written as a conversation between Socrates and Glaucon, the Allegory of the Cave is one of the more famous ideas presented in his Republic. Positing that man sees reality like a man trapped in a cave sees a shadow, the Allegory of the Cave invites us to admit that not only do we not see the whole of reality, it would be nigh impossible to see the whole. The allegory continues to find new life today as it lives on in Western thought and culture. 

Example Question #8 : Literature, Art, And Architecture 600 Bce To 600 Ce

Which Greek playwright wrote Oedipus Rex?

Possible Answers:

Aristophanes 

Aeschylus 

Virgil

Euripedes

Sophocles 

Correct answer:

Sophocles 

Explanation:

Oedipus Rex is one of the most popular of the ancient Greek tragedies. Chronicling the rise and fall of Oedipus, king of Thebes, as he goes from popular king to blind beggar. Sophocles regarded it as the great Greek tragedy, and his masterwork; history tends to agree with him.  

Example Question #9 : Literature, Art, And Architecture 600 Bce To 600 Ce

The Hagia Sophia was built in Constantinople during the reign of _____________.

Possible Answers:

Mehmed II

Justinian I

Suleiman the Magnificent

Constantine

Augustus Caesar

Correct answer:

Justinian I

Explanation:

The Hagia Sophia was built in Constantinople in 537 CE, during the reign of Justinian I. For several hundred years it served as a church of Eastern Orthodoxy, and was the seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople (sort of like the Pope of Eastern Orthodoxy), until it was converted into an Islamic mosque, following the Ottoman conquest of the city in 1453.

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