Deck 10: Medieval Civilization at Its Height, 900-1300

Question 1

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

A)dominated the religious life of Europe in his lifetime.
B)preached a stricter version of the Benedictine Rule than was followed at Cluny.
C)was the prime mover behind the Cistercians.
D)opposed the wide application of logical approaches to divine truth.
E)All of these.

Answer 1

All of these.

Question 2

What was the significance of the founding of Cluny to the medieval world? Discuss its differences from previous types of religious communities.

Answer 2

Students should discuss the stabilization of religious life, as well as the great contributions of Cluniac architecture.Well-constructed essays will also emphasize how Cluny became relaxed and thus provided the impetus for new religious orders such as the Cistercians.

Question 3

Draw a snapshot of European civilization in the year 1300.Discuss the fundamental aspects of society (economy, social system, political system, religion, and intellectual and cultural life), and show what kind of whole they constitute.

Answer 3

The big picture, in many ways, should be more important to the student than specific, albeit delightful, details.

Question 4

Which of the following was fundamental to the Cistercians?

A)The refusal of all secular entanglements
B)Refusal to admit young boys into their order
C)Refusal to admit women
D)The desire to re-establish the monastic elite of the early twelfth century
E)A return to the strict teachings of St.Benedict

Question 5

Explain the social system of Europe during the High Middle Ages.In the discussion, evaluate the usefulness of the phrase "those who pray, those who fight, and those who work."

Question 6

Explain what is meant by the phrase "those left out." How is this phrase appropriate? In what way were these groups not "left out"?

Question 7

Which reformed group was interested in active, urban ministry?

A)monks
B)clerics
C)canons
D)ascetics
E)hermits

Question 8

In the High Middle Ages, the West was able to address intellectual issues long the concern of its cousins, Islam and Byzantium.What accounts for this intellectual maturation? What were the central philosophic issues? What exactly was the West's reaction: Scholasticism?

Question 9

Explain the spiritual unrest in the High Middle Ages and how it led both to powerful heresies and to new, invigorated religious orders within the church.Explain the heresies and orders themselves.

Question 10

Discuss the life and writings of the Arab scholar Avicenna.What were the results of his research, studies, and writings?

Question 11

The founder of the Cistercians was

A)Bernard of Clairvaux
B)Robert of Molesme
C)Peter Abelard
D)Gerbert of Aurillac
E)Dominic de Guzman

Question 12

Explain the function of the clergy in medieval society and how that class changed from 900 to 1300.

Question 13

Explain serfdom and how it fit into the broader social system of the High Middle Ages.

Question 14

The monastery of Cluny was known for all of the following except

A)that it came under direct papal authority.
B)the prestige of its abbots.
C)the revival of the ascetic eremitic tradition.
D)its support of the idea that the church should be free from lay interference.
E)being free of all lay and Episcopal control.

Question 15

During the Middle Ages, the social order and social relations

A)became increasingly complex.
B)remained static.
C)became increasingly simple.
D)varied in unpredictable ways.
E)had a negative effect on towns.

Question 16

Compare the features of Romanesque and Gothic architecture discussed in the chapter.What are the main similarities and differences between the two styles?

Question 17

Which of the following were not included in the threefold division of medieval society?

A)Clergy
B)Nobility
C)Townspeople
D)Peasants
E)Serfs

Question 18

Discuss the work of Saint Thomas Aquinas.What important distinction does he make in his writings?

Question 19

After the fall of the Carolingian Empire

A)the church became increasingly hierarchical in organization and outlook.
B)sharp disagreements arose between the primacy of monasteries versus that of the bishops.
C)the church increasingly freed itself of lay domination.
D)church offices were usually reserved for the younger sons of the nobility.
E)All of these.

Question 20

What developments and innovations occurred in law during this period? What types of law codes were produced?

Question 21

All of the following were developments that adversely affected the position of noblewomen except

A)a growing focus on Eve as the temptress who lost Paradise.
B)the spread of lordship as defined by military service.
C)a masculine chivalric ethos.
D)an emphasis on family and the church's stress on monogamy.
E)the growth of convents to accommodate unmarried women.

Question 22

All of the following are true of medieval towns except that

A)they provided job opportunities in many crafts and professions.
B)their social structure was more flexible than elsewhere in society.
C)they had virtually no connection with the countryside.
D)they provided opportunities for women.
E)peasants experienced less social differentiation.

Question 23

What profession was not open to townswomen?

A)Brewing
B)Clothmaking
C)Moneylending
D)Tanning
E)Laundering

Question 24

Which of the following founded an influential mendicant order that stressed radical poverty, preaching, and service?

A)Waldo
B)Saint Francis of Assisi
C)Saint Clare of Assisi
D)Saint Dominic
E)Claire of Assisi

Question 25

Medieval heretics saw themselves as

A)one of many groups within the true church.
B)secessionists from the true church.
C)the only representatives of the true church.
D)a danger to church and state.
E)protectors of the various religious relics and icons.

Question 26

What is a mendicant?

A)One who does penance
B)An itinerant preacher
C)A beggar
D)A holy man
E)A hermit

Question 27

As the nobility became better defined as a class

A)it guaranteed all of its members a high standard of living.
B)vassalage, including fief-holding, became widespread.
C)it soon came to constitute about half the population.
D)it developed an extraordinary uniformity throughout Europe.
E)primogeniture was abandoned.

Question 28

What was the percentage of Jews in medieval Europe?

A)1 percent
B)5 percent
C)10 percent
D)25 percent
E)statistically negligible

Question 29

In the tenth and eleventh centuries, rural society was reshaped by all of the following except

A)a consolidation of villages into communities.
B)improved living conditions and legal status for peasants.
C)a tendency for the labor service requirements to decrease.
D)growing tensions among the peasants.
E)proximity to a castle meant access to resources that were provided by the lord in return for services.

Question 30

Originally knights were

A)the king's relatives.
B)high officials at Church court.
C)vassals, usually on the lowest lever of the feudal ladder.
D)a specifically military rank.
E)None of these.

Question 31

What was the main theological position of the Cathars?

A)A critique of the clergy
B)The desire to preach without a license
C)Salvation by faith
D)Extreme dualism
E)None of these.

Question 32

Which of the following was not a factor adversely affecting the Jewish population of the West in the High Middle Ages?

A)Growing competition from Christians in an expanding economy
B)The Crusades
C)Jewish support for Christian heretics in Europe
D)The church's focus on proper Christian living
E)Many popes' reactions to Jews

Question 33

Which of the following does not describe the work of Francis of Assisi?

A)He spent his life repairing churches.
B)He preached repentance to all who would listen.
C)He prepared a simple Rule based on the understanding of the Scriptural ideals.
D)He established the order of Franciscans.
E)He repealed the service of charity and service, while emphasizing a life of seclusion.

Question 34

What was the main devotional ideal for both heretics and mendicant orders?

A)imitation of Christ
B)purity of life
C)monasticism
D)the Apostolic life of poverty and preaching
E)penitence

Question 35

Which of the following is not true in regard to the special responsibility of the clergy?

A)creation of the perfect knight
B)regulation of disputes in society
C)officiate at Ordeals
D)create military orders
E)to shed one's blood, if necessary for one's brethren

Question 36

What is a serf?

A)a medieval slave
B)a free farmer
C)a soldier
D)a person bound to the soil
E)a class of religious brothers

Question 37

What was an ordeal?

A)a trial before the inquisition
B)a tournament
C)single combat
D)a judicial procedure to determine guilt by making the accused perform a painful test
E)a declaration of the papacy regarding an excommunication or interdict

Question 38

Originally what was chivalry?

A)a code of conduct between the sexes
B)a battle plan
C)a code of conduct for mounted warriors
D)a rule for Church knights
E)None of these.

Question 39

Which place did not expel the Jews in the Middle Ages?

A)France
B)Papal States
C)England
D)Germany
E)None of these.

Question 40

What is the purpose of primogeniture?

A)to create a class of fighting men
B)to breed strong war horses
C)to deprive younger sons of their rightful inheritance
D)to concentrate the power of dynasties across generations
E)to equally distribute inheritances

Question 41

The two vernacular classics, Beowulf and the Song of Roland,

A)exemplified the new courtly love literature.
B)were two of the greatest achievements of English literature.
C)dealt with personal hopes, fears, and motivations.
D)reflected a male chivalric world that almost totally excluded women.
E)were fundamental to the Christian way of life.

Question 42

The scholastic approach is born with the conflict between

A)Notions of good and evil
B)Realists and nominalists
C)Universities and bishops
D)The papacy and the empire
E)Law vs.theology

Question 43

What is meant by the term Courtly Love?

A)a medieval guide to marriage
B)a moralistic handbook
C)an adaptation of chivalry to relations between the sexes
D)a divorce proceeding
E)a genre of ethical writing

Question 44

Which University is not paired with its specialty?

A)Bologna and law
B)Paris and Mathematics
C)Montpellier and Medicine
D)Oxford and Mathematics
E)Paris and Theology

Question 45

The female branch of the Franciscans was called

A)Beguines
B)Canonesses
C)Poor Clares
D)Franciscas
E)Mystics

Question 46

Romanesque architecture includes all the following except

A)the barrel vault.
B)pointed arches and stained glass.
C)thick walls.
D)greater internal height than Roman and Carolingian buildings.
E)a transition to a refined verticality.

Question 47

All of the following describe The Divine Comedy except it

A)completely ignored the theology and philosophy of its time.
B)is a long and difficult poem.
C)was written in exquisite Italian.
D)combines a hoard of individual stories.
E)weaves an allegorical presentation of the whole human race.

Question 48

What was not a type of medieval vernacular culture?

A)the poetry of the French lays
B)mystical literature
C)mystery plays
D)novels
E)romances

Question 49

The new literary form, the romance, combined a complex narrative with

A)powerful and conflicting emotional and moral dilemmas.
B)a strong message of Christian love and asceticism.
C)the basic developments in Scholasticism.
D)the inevitable happy ending.
E)an emphasis on the negative dilemma of women in society.

Question 50

As the intellectual climate improved in the High Middle Ages

A)logic replaced grammar as the heart of the curriculum.
B)the literate use of the vernacular increased.
C)universities emerged.
D)Romanesque art appeared.
E)All of these.

Question 51

What was the main thrust of Dominican life?

A)poverty
B)penitence
C)a monastic lifestyle
D)creating well-educated preachers
E)None of these.

Question 52

Who propounded an anti-Eucharistic heresy?

A)Anselm
B)Berengar
C)Thomas Aquinas
D)Bernard of Clairvaux
E)Hildegard of Bingen

Question 53

The great compiler of Canon Law was called

A)Gerbert of Aurillac
B)Fulbert of Chartres
C)Gratian
D)Alfonso X
E)Thomas Aquinas

Question 54

Beguines were

A)courtly dances.
B)communities of pious laywomen.
C)troubadours.
D)landless peasants in the Rhineland.
E)women who did not take vows.

Question 55

Which of the following was not one of the Greek, Arab, and Jewish contributions to the Medieval Ages?

A)Aristotle's writings on logic pertaining to the eternal universe
B)Aristotle's questions pertaining to the Scriptures as true or untrue
C)Avicenna's questioning of objects that exist in the real world and those found in the human mind
D)Jewish writers who disputed the existence of both Jesus and Muhammad
E)Moses ben Maimon's attempt to reconcile reason and faith

Question 56

The greatest of the Scholastics was

A)Gerbert of Aurillac.
B)Anselm.
C)Abelard.
D)Saint Thomas Aquinas.
E)Bernard of Clairvaux.

Question 57

Several theories were important in developing a wider application of logic over grammar in the evolution of Western theology.Which of the following does not fall into this group?

A)Through the use of Aristotelian logic, Christ's presence in the Eucharist was proven correct.
B)There was logical proof for the existence of God.
C)Contradictions in the Scriptures were reconciled.
D)Language was not important in developing logic.
E)Faith and immediate divine inspiration were primary to any application.

Question 58

Which of the following cannot be associated with medieval universities?

A)Students were reputed to be noisy, quarrelsome, prone to drinking, and fond of prostitutes.
B)The basic method of teaching was the recitation of passages from authoritative texts followed by commentary.
C)A university education very seldom produced original thinkers.
D)The bachelor's degree licensed a person to teach but a master's was required to teach at a university.
E)University masters attempt to prescribe a standard curriculum and requirements for entry.

Question 59

All of the following refer to canon law except

A)canon law declined because of the spiritual revival associated with the rise of the Franciscans and Dominicans.
B)canon law was church law.
C)the greatest medieval compilation of canon law was the Decretum.
D)canon law reflected a growing concern for precise rules and a growing number of disputes.
E)the increasing sophistication of urban life demanded a better understanding of law.

Question 60

Where were the first two universities?

A)Oxford and Cambridge
B)Rome and Paris
C)Rome and Bologna
D)Paris and Bologna
E)Paris and Oxford

Question 61

The mendicant "Order of Preachers, " who adopted the rule of Saint Augustine, was established in 1215.One of their primary rules besides preaching was their attachment to the call of poverty, by their founder Francis.

Question 62

Convents for women offered great opportunities for women of noble birth, through excellent education and control over their own affairs.

Question 63

A medieval nominalist would say that a universal concept will exist in our minds before we ever encounter any particular object.

Question 64

The term "Gothic, " originally meaning outdated and ugly, first appeared in the sixteenth century.

Question 65

What is an identifying architectural characteristic of Gothic architecture?

A)ribbed vaults
B)flying Buttresses
C)spires
D)apses
E)barrel Vaults

Question 66

The great innovator of Gothic architecture was

A)Thomas Aquinas
B)Peter Abelard
C)The School of Chartres
D)Abbot Suger of St.Denis
E)Unknown

Question 67

By 1150 the church had expanded the number of bishoprics by 50 percent.

Question 68

The two most powerful ideas promoted by Cluny were the emphasis on public life and works, and freedom from the control of the laity.

Question 69

The eleventh and twelfth centuries saw a steep decline in the prosperity of peasants in both lifestyle and legal rights.

Question 70

Gothic architecture

A)attempted to capture a dark serenity.
B)sought a verticality and translucency in which stone surfaces seemed to disappear.
C)intended to impress by its accurate reproduction of Greco-Roman styles.
D)combined the mathematics of Euclid with the ordered logic of Aristotle.
E)All of these.

Question 71

The epic poem Beowulf is the first classic Germanic poem written in the vernacular.

Question 72

The Albigensian movement began in Lyon in 1173, by a French merchant who preached on the duality of nature and was declared heretical in 1184.

Question 73

One of the primary characteristics of Romanesque architecture is the Barrel Vault.