Deck 4: Cloister and Culture

Question 1

Which of the following are examples of ascetic behavior? (Select all that apply.)

A) Overindulgence
B) Prayerful solitude
C) Self-discipline
D) Founding a monastery

Answer 1

B,C

Question 2

What was an unintended consequence of St Anthony's ascetic rigor?

A) He drew followers to him who interrupted his solitude
B) He was targeted by Diocletian's Great Persecution
C) He founded the monastery of Monte Cassino
D) He died shortly after pursuing a hermit's life

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The Rule of ______________ centered exclusively around reading the Bible but no other types of literature.

Answer 3

Pachomius

Question 4

How did St Basil's Rule differ from that of St Pachomius?

A) It removed the emphasis on prayer and worship
B) It restricted monks from any kind of intellectual activity
C) It emphasized isolation and solitude
D) It emphasized community and service

Question 5

The Greek-originated term ____________ refers to a saint's Life that usually recounted performed miracles.

Question 6

How does Irish monasticism differ from continental European versions?

A) Irish monks and nuns established isolated communities
B) Irish bishops directly ran the monasteries
C) Most monasteries were founded in the center of Irish cities
D) Most monasteries were 'double' monasteries

Question 7

What characteristic(s) of Christ did early images emphasize?

A) His lovingkindness towards his followers
B) His power to judge souls for punishment or redemption
C) His identity as the son of the Virgin Mary
D) His persona of militant victoriousness

Question 8

How did early medieval monasteries primarily earn income?

A) Through donations by those who entered monastic life
B) Through selling goods for cash at markets
C) Through imperial funding
D) They earned no income

Question 9

What were Cassiodorus' major contributions to sixth-century Christianity? (Select all that apply.)

A) He pursued a solitary ascetic life in the wilderness
B) He wrote the Institutes, which established a monastic curriculum
C) He built numerous monasteries throughout Italy
D) He translated, compiled, and commented on early Christian texts

Question 10

Together, the trivium and the quadrivium comprise the curriculum known as the _______________________.

Question 11

Which scholar was seminal for transmitting Greek philosophy to the Middle Ages?

A) St Benedict
B) Boethius
C) Aristotle
D) Alfred the Great

Question 12

What achievements did the monastic community at Monte Cassino yield? (Select all that apply)

A) The production of illuminated manuscripts
B) The translation of the Bible into the vernacular
C) The collection of a vast library
D) The invention of a new script

Question 13

How was life under the Benedictine Rule ordered?

A) Cycles of prayer services divided up the day
B) Monks and nuns could do whatever they liked
C) The abbot or abbess changed the routine every day
D) No activities besides prayer were permitted

Question 14

How was a Benedictine community structured?

A) All monks and nuns had the same status
B) Monks and nuns were obedient to an abbot or abbess
C) The abbot and abbess were above human law
D) Each monastery operated completely differently

Question 15

What area had the densest population of monasteries c. 800 CE?

A) The Italian peninsula
B) England and Scotland
C) Northern France and the Rhine Valley
D) Asia Minor

Question 16

What was the early medieval expectation of salvation?

A) That only monks and nuns could be assured salvation
B) That all believing Christians could be assured salvation
C) That only members of royal families could be assured salvation
D) That no one could hope for salvation

Question 17

For what religious purpose might medieval Christians learn mathematics?

A) To become closer to God
B) To learn for learning's sake
C) To achieve higher status within the monastery
D) To date Biblical events through calendrical calculations

Question 18

Which of the following did Boethius include in his divisions of philosophy? (Select all that apply.)

A) Ethics
B) Theology
C) Natural philosophy
D) Forensics

Question 19

Boethius' text _______________________ was his most famous and influential work.

Question 20

What prompted St Benedict to retire to a cave, beginning his religious life?

A) The threats of an abbot
B) His father's wishes
C) The corruption and materialism of Rome
D) An ulcer that developed on his leg