Deck 11: Chinese and Korean Art Before 1279

Question 1

How does the Neolithic bowl reveal the advanced technical skills of Chinese potters of the time?

A) the type of clay used
B) the painted marks and images on the surface
C) its perfectly round shape and highly polished surface
D) its excellent condition upon discovery

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The earliest appearance of the taotie motif in Chinese art dates to ___________.

A) a ritual vessel from the Zhou dynasty
B) a bronze fang ding from the Shang dynasty
C) a jade cong from the Liangzhu culture
D) a bell from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng from the Zhou dynasty

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What artistic development in the Six Dynasties period reveals a shift away from Confucianism?

A) the introduction of the handscroll format
B) the use of Feng Ju
C) the emergence of landscape painting
D) the practice of copying paintings of the past

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The ideals of Daoism and Confucianism were formulated during the __________ dynasty.

A) Eastern
B) Zhou
C) Xia
D) Shang

Question 5

The Painted Banner from the tomb of Marquess of Dai reflects the worldview of ancient China through complex iconography that ___________..

A) shows the deceased inhabiting the ideal world of the afterlife
B) glorifies the deceased and her familial ancestors
C) emphasizes the importance of nature in human existence
D) links the human and supernatural realms

Question 6

What is a distinguishing factor in the study of Chinese history?

A) Its geographical terrain is well-suited for archaeological excavation.
B) Its uninterrupted history that can be traced back 8000 years.
C) It lacks industrial development.
D) Its isolationist tradition limited cultural exchange with foreigners.

Question 7

What element of Admonitions of the Imperial Instructress reflects the influence of Daoism in art of the Six Dynasties period?

A) the subject matter
B) the painter's brushwork
C) the lack of any specific setting or background
D) the use of silk as a painting surface

Question 8

In China, calligraphy is closely related to the art of painting and considered ______________.

A) a source of meditation and spiritual renewal
B) an expression of moral values and philosophical beliefs
C) a reflection of the writer's character
D) a necessary requirement to attain enlightenment

Question 9

What aspect of the reliefs from the Wu family shrines in Jiaxiang reinforces Confucian ideas?

A) The lack of detail given to individual figures.
B) The images demonstrating appropriate social order and respect for authority.
C) The images drawn from traditional myths and legends.
D) The use of registers as a compositional device.

Question 10

Fang ding vessels found in royal tombs were used in rituals involving _________.

A) weapons
B) bones
C) food
D) music

Question 11

Which device that appears frequently in Asian architecture supports the broad overhanging eaves of the Nanchan Temple ?

A) modules
B) brackets
C) cantilevers
D) post and lintel construction

Question 12

How did landscape painters of the Sung dynasty attempt to convey the Neo-Confucian concept of li in their art?

A) They carefully observed nature and rendered detailed images of specific environments.
B) They looked for the spiritual essence of objects and expressed it through their painting.
C) They painted the same scene repeatedly in order to capture subtle changes and variations of nature.
D) They created scenes that encouraged viewers to imagine themselves in the landscape.

Question 13

Which of the following distinguishes Guan ware vessels of the Southern Song period?

A) the crackled surface pattern in the glaze
B) the use of celadon glazes
C) freely splashed glazes allowed to run freely over the object
D) cold-painted pigments applied over a white ground

Question 14

Chinese writing has maintained the civilization's unity through the centuries because ______________.

A) ancient script is recognizably close to the characters used today and can be easily translated
B) written characters can be understood regardless of variations in spoken dialects
C) its use in calligraphy is a source of cultural pride
D) of a cultural emphasis on public literacy

Question 15

To what sect of Buddhism can the Altar to Amitabha Buddha be connected?

A) Vajrayana
B) Theravada
C) Pure Land
D) Dharmaguptaka

Question 16

What impact did the Sui dynasty's unification of China have on Buddhist art?

A) Thousands of Buddhist temples, shrines and sculpture were destroyed.
B) It helped synthesize regional styles into a distinctly Chinese aesthetic.
C) It introduced a mystical form of Buddhism characterized by complex symbols and ritual practice.
D) It helped develop a strong middle-class.

Question 17

Why did the Buddhist faith draw many new followers when it first spread into China?

A) It offered consolation and the promise of salvation to a culture beset by warfare.
B) It provided the educated elite an escapist alternative to Confucianism.
C) It provided social order and harmony.
D) It could be practiced without challenging indigenous religious belief systems.

Question 18

In its subject matter and stylistic treatment, the Camel Carrying a Group of Musicians conveys what aspect of Tang Dynasty China?

A) an interest in other cultures
B) a love of naturalism and expressive detail
C) a willingness toward experimentation and spontaneity
D) all of the above

Question 19

The pagoda, a typical East Asian Buddhist structure, developed by combining the multi-storied stupa from India with what architectural form from China?

A) Han palace courtyards
B) Han watchtowers
C) elaborate bracketing systems
D) a bay system of construction

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the 8000 figures that the tomb of Emperor Shihuangdi?

A) They are life-sized.
B) They have individualized faces.
C) They are carved from stone.
D) They stood in military formation.

Question 21

How does the subject matter of the detail from Admonitions of the Imperial Instructress to Court Ladies reinforce notions of Confucianism?

A) It highlights the role of the Emperor to protect his subjects.
B) It emphasizes the Emperor's importance and authority.
C) It instructs women to be virtuous and demure.
D) All of the above.

Question 22

Although the ______dynasty was harsh and repressive, it established mechanisms of a central bureaucracy that molded China into a single entity and gave the country its name.

A) Tang
B) Zhou
C) Qin
D) Han

Question 23

The Daoist emphasis on the close relationship between humans and nature is evident based on what major motif in early Chinese art?

A) nature
B) human figures
C) architecture
D) costumes

Question 24

What ancient bronze-casting technique was developed by the Chinese?

A) hand-forged
B) piece-mold
C) lost-wax
D) form-casting

Question 25

Which detail of the Bodhisattva Seated in Meditation distinguishes it as Korean?

A) the gilt bronze material
B) the pose
C) the tri-lobed crown
D) the clothing drapery

Question 26

What one element distinguishes Chinese paintings from artistic traditions in the West?

A) a view of nature through a distant, all-seeing, mobile viewpoint
B) the use of landscape as a subject matter
C) text sometimes appears in paintings
D) the use of a monochromatic palette

Question 27

What is a common feature of ritual objects from the Chinese Bronze Age?

A) They include images of taotie masks.
B) The use of piece-mold casting for bronze objects.
C) They reflect a mythocentric worldview.
D) All of the above.

Question 28

What characterizes the Northern Song court style of painting under Emperor Huizong?

A) a sophisticated melding of Buddhist and Daoist ideas through a complex iconography
B) precise, exquisitely detailed paintings of a variety of subjects
C) simplified forms, stark contrasts of light and dark, asymmetry and empty spaces
D) extensive copying of paintings from the Tang dynasty

Question 29

Recent archaeological discoveries provide evidence of the existence of the _____ and _____ dynasties, which were previously thought to be mythic cultures.

A) Xia; Shang
B) Zhou; Guang
C) Xia; Han
D) Zhou; Han

Question 30

Why does the text call the Nanchan Temple, Wutaishan the most important example of early Chinese architecture?

A) It is the only surviving Buddhist structure from the Tang dynasty.
B) It is the first known use of the bracketing system that became a standard element in Asian architecture.
C) It exemplifies the synthesis of Indian Buddhist structures with Chinese architectural form.
D) It shows characteristics of both temples and palaces of the Tang dynasty.

Question 31

Which of the following characterizes the viewer's experience when looking at a handscroll?

A) The vantage point continually changes.
B) It can be compared to listening to music.
C) The image is not seen all at once.
D) All of the above.

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT true about the Great Wild Goose Pagoda at Ci'en Temple in Chang'an ?

A) It is a wooden structure.
B) It originally had only five stories.
C) Its simplicity and symmetry is typical of Tang architecture.
D) Its form derives from Buddhist architecture in India.

Question 33

Figurative subject matter was most common during the _______period of Chinese history.

A) Zhou
B) Tang
C) Northern Song
D) Southern Song

Question 34

The Buddhist Temple atop Mount Toham, near Gyeongu in Korea reflects the influence of rock-cut structures in______________.

A) Sri Lanka
B) India
C) China
D) Japan

Question 35

Han dynasty architecture is known only from ceramic models found in _________.

A) stupas
B) caves
C) shrines
D) tombs

Question 36

The detail of Admonitions of the Imperial Instructress to Court Ladies is an example of a format known as the __________.

A) handscroll
B) longscroll
C) landscape scroll
D) vertical scroll

Question 37

What is the significance of the travelers in Fan Kuan's Travelers Among Mountains and Streams ?

A) They symbolize the long journey to enlightenment.
B) They provide narrative detail to animate the image.
C) They call attention to the imposing size of the surrounding mountains.
D) Their figures echo the shapes of the trees above them.

Question 38

A characteristic of Southern Song landscape paintings is________________.

A) the handscroll format, which encourages an intimate viewing experience
B) greater expanses of blank space, which encourages an emotional response and understanding
C) intricate, detailed images throughout the painting, which encourages closer looking
D) technical virtuosity shown through detailed brushwork and imitation of varied textures

Question 39

Which of the following was most common to ceramic objects of the Three Kingdoms period in Korea?

A) celadon glazes
B) minimal or no surface decoration
C) jadeite inlaid in simple geometric patterns
D) painted images using black and white slip

Question 40

The artwork decorating numerous rock-cut caves at Dunhuang, a major stop on the _____________, suggests that commercial trade had an important role in the spread of Buddhism in China.

A) Shanxi Road
B) Yungang Road
C) Silk Road
D) Gansu Road

Question 41

The Chinese view the stamped characters or _____ that often appear on art not as disfigurations, but as additional layer of interest in the work.

A) coat of arms
B) punches
C) blazons
D) seals

Question 42

The ______________ is the protuberance on the head of Buddha, one of several traditional attributes of the figure.

A) mathura
B) ushnisha
C) sutra
D) laksana

Question 43

As was the case in India and China, some of the finest examples of Buddhist art in Korea were produced for ________patrons.

A) lower-class
B) male
C) royal
D) female

Question 44

Plum bottles, or maebyeong, of the Goryeo Dynasty in Korea were used for what purpose?

A) dry goods
B) aesthetic appreciation
C) storage jars for liquids
D) holding scrolls

Question 45

What was the cornerstone technology of Neolithic China?

Question 46

The spectacular discovery of 65 bronze _______in the tomb of Marquis Yi suggests that music may have played a part in rituals for communicating with the supernatural.

A) scrolls
B) bells
C) drums
D) figures

Question 47

How did Shang priests communicate with the supernatural world?

Question 48

What was the Silk Road and what was its purpose?

Question 49

How and when did Shihuangdi decorate his mausoleum?

Question 50

What two vaults of terra-cotta "guards" have recently been unearthed in China?

Question 51

Chinese __________are paintings that are meant to be viewed in small sections at a time.

A) longscrolls
B) handscrolls
C) landscape scrolls
D) vertical scrolls

Question 52

Traditional Chinese judge a painting above all by the quality of its _____________.

A) provenance
B) materials
C) subject
D) brushwork

Question 53

What does Daoism teach?

Question 54

The only information about Han dynasty architecture comes from models. What material was used to create the Tomb Model of a House and Tower ?

A) granite
B) bronze
C) wood
D) clay

Question 55

Xie-He's writings on the importance of the "spirit consonance" of painting reflect the Daoist notion of _____, the energy flowing through all things.

A) qi
B) dao
C) xizhi
D) li

Question 56

The ____________ from the tomb of Prince Liu Sheng (died 113 BCE) represents a popular Daoist legend that tells of the Land of the Immortals in the Eastern Sea.

A) Handscroll
B) Incense Burner
C) Rock-cut relief
D) Bodhisattva

Question 57

Although Chinese potters invented___________, Korean artists of the Goryeo period developed new styles and methods of decoration to create wares that rivaled the best court ceramics in China.

A) celadon glazes
B) translucent glazes
C) sapphire glazes
D) jade glazes

Question 58

The Covered Ritual Wine Pouring Vessel with Tiger and Owl Decor was created during what Chinese Bronze Age dynasty?

A) Shang
B) Zhou
C) Xia
D) Han

Question 59

Two earthenware Equestrian Figures from the Tang dynasty were used for what purpose during this period?

A) toys for children
B) household shrines
C) tomb furnishings
D) stupa sculptures

Question 60

What does Confucianism teach?

Question 61

What happened to the Chinese people during the period known as Six Dynasties?

Question 62

How is Fan Kuan's work Travelers Among Mountains and Streams like a drama?

Question 63

What does Neo-Confucianism teach?

Question 64

What three independent nation-states were established during the Three Kingdoms period?

Question 65

What structure, dating earlier than 1400 CE, shows characteristics of both a temple and a palace of the Tang dynasty?

Question 66

How does Xu Daoning's work Fishing in a Mountain Stream create a sense of shifting perspective?

Question 67

What is bracketing and how is it used?

Question 68

What forms blended together to create the pagoda?

Question 69

How did the Chinese present philosophical ideals through the theme of landscape?

Question 70

What is an example of a work of Buddhist art, which survives from the Six Dynasties period?

Question 71

How do Northern Song paintings record "eternal essence?"

Question 72

What did Confucius say calligraphy revealed about the ruler?

Question 73

Who was Amitabha and what was his message?

Question 74

What are the principles of Chinese painting as set out by the Xie He?

Question 75

How did Chinese art explore human relationships and heroic ideals?

Question 76

How is the Seated Guanyin Bodhisattva represented?

Question 77

How did Xia Gui's work contrast with the works created by the Academy of Painters?

Question 78

Discuss how Chinese and Korean art demonstrate an exchange of cultural, religious and artistic ideas with India and other foreign countries.

Question 79

What were the favorite subjects of the Academy of Painters of the Southern Song dynasty?