CLEP Humanities : Architecture

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for CLEP Humanities

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Example Questions

Example Question #2 : Identifying Architects, Buildings, And Schools Of Architecture

Which of the following architects designed the landmark modern skyscraper the Seagram Building?

Possible Answers:

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Frank Lloyd Wright

John Ruskin

Walter Gropius

Frank Gehry

Correct answer:

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Explanation:

The Seagram Building is one of the most significant modern buildings, and, as a skyscraper in Manhattan, one of the most visible. The building was designed by the German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe as one of his first American commissions and was influential thanks to its modern, functional aesthetic. Van der Rohe desired to show the building's construction, but due to building codes had to create much of the "visible" construction.

Example Question #3 : Identifying Architects, Buildings, And Schools Of Architecture

White stone, columns, and marble are distinctive features of which architectural style?

Possible Answers:

Neo-Classicism

Rococo

Modernist

Baroque

Beaux-Arts

Correct answer:

Neo-Classicism

Explanation:

In the enlightenment era of the eighteenth century, many artists and architects looked to classical Greece and Rome as models, spawning the architectural style known as "Neo-Classicism." Featuring white stone, columns, and extensive use of marble, this style is most famous as being used in many of America's government buildings.

Example Question #1 : Identifying Artists, Works, Or Schools Of Gothic Architecture

Which of the following churches is NOT an example of Gothic architecture?

Possible Answers:

Notre Dame Cathedral

Lincoln Cathedral

Westminster Abbey

Rouen Cathedral

Hagia Sophia

Correct answer:

Hagia Sophia

Explanation:

Beginning in the twelfth century in Europe, Gothic architecture dominated the building of churches across the continent, with its massive facades, extreme buliding heights, and ornate stone work. This style was used both in new churches like Rouen Cathedral and Lincoln Cathedral, and also in the rebuilding and renovation of structures, as with both Westminster Abbey and Notre Dame Cathedral. This was not the only church style, however, as the Greek churches developed their own massive church architectural style, exemplified by the Hagia Sofia in Constantinople (present day Istanbul).

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