Deck 16: African Art

Question 1

What makes art historians believe that Ife heads were not true portraits?

A)They show abstract rather than naturalistic figures.
B)They represent individuals of the same age and are idealized.
C)They have found written records that provide names.
D)They show aesthetically pleasing features.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which people made the oldest known sculpture from West and Central Africa?

A)Nok
B)Yoruba
C)Shona
D)Kongo

Answer 2

A

Question 3

In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries,when rival warfare caused the decline of the city of Old Jenné,which of the following traditions came to an end?

A)weaving
B)stone architecture
C)bronze casting
D)ceramic sculpture

Answer 3

D

Question 4

How was the pendant representing an iyoba displayed?

A)on the king's crown
B)in the doorway of a shrine
C)as the king's belt or hip ornament
D)on the neck of the king's panther

Question 5

Which of the following is a specialist in ritual that opens the lines of communication between the supernatural and human worlds?

A)diviner
B)oba
C)iyoba
D)oni

Question 6

The Nok sculpture,Head,is made of

A)sand.
B)basalt.
C)terracotta.
D)iron.

Question 7

An ere ibeji is made when

A)a contract is agreed upon.
B)a youth is initiated into adulthood.
C)a woman cannot conceive children.
D)a twin dies.

Question 8

In Benin sculpture,such as that of the iyoba,what represents Olokun,the Lord of the Great Waters?

A)a Portuguese soldier
B)a mudfish
C)a panther
D)coral-beads

Question 9

Which of the following are objects harnessing spirit forces or powers?

A)minkisi
B)ere ibeji
C)bwoon
D)faprenu

Question 10

What was the function of the Nkisi Nkonde?

A)It protected the home from malicious gods.
B)It accompanied the owner on treacherous journeys.
C)It was carried into the fields for luck.
D)It acted as an impartial arbiter of justice.

Question 11

Where did Europeans have the most contact with African cultures?

A)the coastal areas
B)the Mediterranean sea
C)the Cape of Good Hope
D)the Nile River

Question 12

The potters,called numumusow,among the Mande-speaking peoples are

A)diviners.
B)sculptors.
C)blacksmiths.
D)women.

Question 13

What were the major commodities traded through the city of Great Zimbabwe?

A)tobacco and silver
B)slaves and traditional masks
C)diamonds and precious stones
D)gold,ivory,and skins

Question 14

Why did figures such as the Spirit Spouse display the most admired and desirable marks of beauty?

A)to please the owners
B)to encourage spirits to assist the owners of the figures
C)to transform the power of the figure to the gods
D)to represent the beauty of the ancestors

Question 15

Which method does the numumusow use to make pottery?

A)coiling
B)wheel-thrown
C)molds
D)slab construction

Question 16

What are the parallel lines on the Ife portrait heads?

A)tattoos
B)ceremonial paint
C)a beaded veil
D)scarification patterns

Question 17

What did the tall Conical Tower at Great Zimbabwe represent?

A)a pyramid,symbol of stability
B)connection between the natural and supernatural worlds
C)a good harvest and prosperity
D)the king's power

Question 18

How does the performance style of Ngady mwaash differ from Bwoom?

A)It is performed by women.
B)It is celebrating the life of the deceased.
C)It is graceful and nonthreatening.
D)It is accompanied by weaponry.

Question 19

The first mosque of Jenné was constructed from

A)stone.
B)brick.
C)adobe.
D)wood.

Question 20

Yoruba kings manifested their power through

A)elaborate manuscripts.
B)monumental sculpture.
C)large and lavish palaces.
D)a controlled artistic style.

Question 21

How is pattern used to enhance cultural identity at the Nankani compound in Sirigu,Ghana? What kinds of patterns are used and on what kinds of objects and surfaces?

Question 22

Discuss the iconography and technique of the Olowe of Ise palace door.How did it express power?

Question 23

Which of the following was true of kente cloth?

A)It was made of pounded bark.
B)Only women wore it.
C)Some patterns were restricted to certain classes of people.
D)It could not be traded or sold to non-Ashanti people.

Question 24

The word for woven textiles among the Ashanti culture is

A)kente.
B)ere ibeji.
C)bilongo.
D)weft.

Question 25

In Ghana,the Ashanti ruler's spokesperson was identified

A)by his staff.
B)by his jewelry.
C)by the stance.
D)by the medium.

Question 26

How does a hierarchy of materials or subject differ in African cultures compared to Western cultures? How do African cultures differ from Western cultures in their assessment of "fine art" as opposed to "craft"?

Question 27

Describe the purpose of how a nkisi nkonde changes over time to become a visual record of a community.

Question 28

How does African art differ in function from European art?

A)Africans did not use a wide variety of materials.
B)Africans did not create monumental architecture.
C)Africans did not produce ritual or political objects as works of art.
D)Africans did not use nature as a source of inspiration.

Question 29

Explain the myth of "primitive" art and how it applies to African art.