Question 1

Why do memorial sculptures of the oba represent only the ruler's head?

Accepted Answer

A)  The brass head would have originally been attached to a wooden body. 
B)  The head is the symbolic center of a person's wisdom and ability to communicate with spiritual forces. 
C)  The facial features give the most accurate representation of the ruler's actual appearance. 
D)  Lost-wax casting could not be used for full figures. 
A)  The brass head would have originally been attached to a wooden body. 
B)  The head is the symbolic center of a person's wisdom and ability to communicate with spiritual forces. 
C)  The facial features give the most accurate representation of the ruler's actual appearance. 
D)  Lost-wax casting could not be used for full figures.

Question 2

Which culture produced artwork recording the daily lives of ordinary people?

Accepted Answer

A)  Saharan rock artists 
B)  Nok 
C)  Old Jenné 
D)  Aksumite 
A)  Saharan rock artists 
B)  Nok 
C)  Old Jenné 
D)  Aksumite

Question 3

What was the original function of almost 900 brass plaques, depicting a variety of subjects, which were made in Benin during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries?

Accepted Answer

A)  They were placed at ritual altars. 
B)  They decorated the tombs of obas 
C)  They were traded with the Portuguese. 
D)  They decorated the royal palace in Benin. 
A)  They were placed at ritual altars. 
B)  They decorated the tombs of obas 
C)  They were traded with the Portuguese. 
D)  They decorated the royal palace in Benin.

Question 4

What was the function of textiles in Kongo culture?

Accepted Answer

A)  They were signs of wealth and status. 
B)  They were used in funerary rituals. 
C)  They were exchanged as currency. 
D)  All of the above. 
A)  They were signs of wealth and status. 
B)  They were used in funerary rituals. 
C)  They were exchanged as currency. 
D)  All of the above.

Question 5

How did the burial chamber at Igbo-Ukwu reflect the power and authority of the deceased?

Accepted Answer

A)  The individual was dressed elaborately, placed in a seated position, and surrounded by symbolic objects. 
B)  The individual was surrounded by bronze heads, probably depicting his ancestors. 
C)  The individual was in a gold sarcophagus. 
D)  The chamber was filled with ritual objects that ensured his comfort in the afterlife. 
A)  The individual was dressed elaborately, placed in a seated position, and surrounded by symbolic objects. 
B)  The individual was surrounded by bronze heads, probably depicting his ancestors. 
C)  The individual was in a gold sarcophagus. 
D)  The chamber was filled with ritual objects that ensured his comfort in the afterlife.

Question 6

Evidence of the geological changes in the Saharan region of Africa is found in vivid images of _____________seen in rock art from around 8000 BCE.

Accepted Answer

A)  figures dancing 
B)  primitive masks associated with rituals to ensure rainfall 
C)  round thatched houses 
D)  hippopotamus, elephant, and other wildlife 
A)  figures dancing 
B)  primitive masks associated with rituals to ensure rainfall 
C)  round thatched houses 
D)  hippopotamus, elephant, and other wildlife

Question 7

What is the extensive iconography of the Hip Pendant in (14-9)?

Accepted Answer

The Hip Pendant of Queen Mother Idia (14

Question 8

What were some of the urban centers of ancient Africa, besides Ife and Benin?

Accepted Answer

Ancient Africa was home to numerous urba

Question 9

The elaborate pavement mosaics covering much of Ife's open spaces gave us the name for the artistic time known as the __________ period.

Accepted Answer

A)  Ceramic 
B)  Pavement 
C)  Roadway 
D)  Asphalt 
A)  Ceramic 
B)  Pavement 
C)  Roadway 
D)  Asphalt

Question 10

Why is the art of Benin considered "royal art"?

Accepted Answer

A)  All artistic subject matter relates to the oba, his family, and court life. 
B)  Only the oba could commission works in brass. 
C)  Only members of the most elite class could become artists. 
D)  All of the above. 
A)  All artistic subject matter relates to the oba, his family, and court life. 
B)  Only the oba could commission works in brass. 
C)  Only members of the most elite class could become artists. 
D)  All of the above.

Question 11

How are the buildings of Great Zimbabwe constructed, and why do we believe that they were NOT fortresses?

Accepted Answer

The buildings of Great Zimbabwe were con

Question 12

Similar to masks and sculptures made in the twentieth century, the Zoomorphic Head discovered in Angola is significant because ________________.

Accepted Answer

A)  it is the oldest representational sculpture from central Africa 
B)  of its unusual surface patterning and decoration 
C)  it is the oldest woodcarving from central Africa 
D)  it demonstrates the technical skills of Kongo culture 
A)  it is the oldest representational sculpture from central Africa 
B)  of its unusual surface patterning and decoration 
C)  it is the oldest woodcarving from central Africa 
D)  it demonstrates the technical skills of Kongo culture

Question 13

What role did textiles play in the Kongo kingdom?

Accepted Answer

Textiles played a significant role in th

Question 14

What were some of the locations where the terra-cotta heads of Ife were found?

Accepted Answer

The terracotta heads of Ife, which are c

Question 15

The technical skills of the Nok culture in western Sudan are demonstrated by their use of _______to make the earliest known sculpture in sub-Saharan Africa.

Accepted Answer

A)  bronze 
B)  terra-cotta 
C)  glass 
D)  ivory 
A)  bronze 
B)  terra-cotta 
C)  glass 
D)  ivory

Question 16

How did Benin rise, fall, and then rise again?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How did Benin rise, fall, and then...

Question 17

How was the ancient city of Ife configured?

Accepted Answer

The ancient city of Ife, also known as I

Question 18

The extraordinary artisans of the Yoruba peoples modeled flesh with what thin, parallel patterns?

Accepted Answer

A)  acidification 
B)  scarification 
C)  rectification 
D)  justification 
A)  acidification 
B)  scarification 
C)  rectification 
D)  justification

Question 19

What architectural characteristic gives Great Zimbabwe its name?

Accepted Answer

A)  the use of stone as a building material 
B)  the ornamental stonework on buildings 
C)  the technique of building without mortar 
D)  distinctive conical thatch roofs 
A)  the use of stone as a building material 
B)  the ornamental stonework on buildings 
C)  the technique of building without mortar 
D)  distinctive conical thatch roofs

Exam 14: Early African Art

Why do memorial sculptures of the oba represent only the ruler's head?

Which culture produced artwork recording the daily lives of ordinary people?

What was the original function of almost 900 brass plaques, depicting a variety of subjects, which were made in Benin during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries?

What was the function of textiles in Kongo culture?

How did the burial chamber at Igbo-Ukwu reflect the power and authority of the deceased?

Evidence of the geological changes in the Saharan region of Africa is found in vivid images of _____________seen in rock art from around 8000 BCE.

What is the extensive iconography of the Hip Pendant in (14-9)?

What were some of the urban centers of ancient Africa, besides Ife and Benin?

The elaborate pavement mosaics covering much of Ife's open spaces gave us the name for the artistic time known as the __________ period.

Why is the art of Benin considered "royal art"?

How are the buildings of Great Zimbabwe constructed, and why do we believe that they were NOT fortresses?

Similar to masks and sculptures made in the twentieth century, the Zoomorphic Head discovered in Angola is significant because ________________.

What role did textiles play in the Kongo kingdom?

What were some of the locations where the terra-cotta heads of Ife were found?

The technical skills of the Nok culture in western Sudan are demonstrated by their use of _______to make the earliest known sculpture in sub-Saharan Africa.

How did Benin rise, fall, and then rise again?

How was the ancient city of Ife configured?

The extraordinary artisans of the Yoruba peoples modeled flesh with what thin, parallel patterns?

What architectural characteristic gives Great Zimbabwe its name?

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