Deck 25: Art of Africa and the Pacific Islands

Question 1

Match the kente cloth color with its meaning:
a.royalty, wealth, and spiritual purity
b.growth and good health
c.strong political and spiritual feelings
d.holy and precious
gold

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Terra-cotta heads with prominent holes in the pupils,nostrils,mouth,and ears were made by the ________ culture of ________.

A) Nok . . . Nigeria
B) Yoruba . . . Nigeria
C) Fon . . . Benin
D) Akan . . . Ghana
E) Maori . . . New Zealand

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The cross bars on the Kanaga mask made by the Dogon people of Mali (3.5.6)represent ________.

A) railroad tracks crossing West Africa
B) the upper realm of the sky and the realm of the earth below
C) the branches of two trees that have grown together
D) the alter ego of the performer
E) all of the other answers

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Because they were made of durable materials,such as stone,almost every building ever made on the continent of Africa survives.

Question 5

Over time,the Nok sculptures of human figures have:

A) remained exactly as they looked when they were first made
B) had parts broken off many of them
C) all been smashed to bits and cannot be put back together
D) ceased to exist
E) none of the other answers

Question 6

The artistic traditions of Africa and the Pacific Islands share:

A) a tendency to integrate and respond to the environment
B) a prominence given to mythological beliefs, ancestor worship, and lineage
C) a reliance on traditional methods of construction and decoration
D) all of the previous answers
E) none of the previous answers

Question 7

A ________ would activate a nkisi Mangaaka by ________.

A) king . . . setting it on fire
B) ritual specialist . . . driving metal objects into it
C) dog . . . peeing on it
D) child . . . breaking it
E) none of the other answers

Question 8

Twin figures were traditionally made by the Yoruba of western Nigeria:

A) because twins were almost never born
B) instead of planting a tree
C) to create confusion for kidnappers
D) when a twin died at birth or in infancy
E) none of the previous answers

Question 9

Many of the artworks made in Africa must be activated and serve as reminders of appropriate behavior and societal expectations.Given this context,compare and contrast the standing male figure (nkisi Mangaaka)made by the Yombe (3.5.4)and the Kanaga mask made by the Dogon (3.5.6).How would each of these objects have been "activated?" How would the desired message have been communicated to viewers? In what ways can this method of communication be seen as necessary and/or effective?

Question 10

Sacred Yombe objects are called minkisi nkondi.The singular nkisi means ________.

A) little man
B) sacred medicine
C) hungry beast
D) magic tree
E) divine person

Question 11

African masks are most meaningful to the groups that made them:

A) when they are being stored between performances
B) when they are displayed on museum walls
C) when they are being used in ceremonial performances or masquerades
D) before they are ever made
E) none of the other answers

Question 12

Because art from Africa and the Pacific Islands follows traditional methods,it:

A) tends to look the same over long periods of time
B) changes frequently with each new generation of artists
C) never develops a distinctive stylistic appearance
D) is always made from wood
E) none of the other answers

Question 13

African masks,such as the Kanaga mask made by the Dogon of Mali (3.5.6),are most "alive" in museum cases.

Question 14

Match the kente cloth color with its meaning:
a.royalty, wealth, and spiritual purity
b.growth and good health
c.strong political and spiritual feelings
d.holy and precious
green

Question 15

Kente cloth and Kanaga masks are artworks that are meant to be worn.How does this make their design and appearance different from artworks that are just looked at? In what ways do wearers of artworks interact differently with them,compared to viewers?

Question 16

Kente cloth is now worn by non-royal members of the Asante and Akan groups as well as people living entirely outside of Ghana.

Question 17

Match the kente cloth color with its meaning:
a.royalty, wealth, and spiritual purity
b.growth and good health
c.strong political and spiritual feelings
d.holy and precious
red

Question 18

Cowrie shells in artworks by both African and Pacific Island peoples often represent:

A) shelter
B) rain
C) fertility
D) food
E) none of the other answers

Question 19

Abstract designs and patterns can convey information that is as important,recognizable,and specific as both representational and narrative imagery.

Question 20

Match the kente cloth color with its meaning:
a.royalty, wealth, and spiritual purity
b.growth and good health
c.strong political and spiritual feelings
d.holy and precious
yellow

Question 21

Figures in Australian rock art are only ever depicted in outline.

Question 22

The Great Mosque at Djenné in Mali is:

A) not a mosque at all
B) the largest mud-brick building in the world
C) no longer standing
D) designed to look like a porcupine
E) underground

Question 23

What is the importance of the construction method for Hawaiian feather cloaks?

A) knots reflect metaphorical binding between humans and gods
B) hanging a textile in a tree is a sign of good luck
C) working underwater was difficult and made them more valuable
D) digital printing is a quick and efficient process
E) the construction method used to make the cloaks is not important

Question 24

Match the term with its definition:
a.a ritual object used in ceremonies to assist the deceased in their journey into the spiritual realm
b.a bearded, standing figure, which served as a reservoir for magical properties
c.a tower on a mosque, used to call the faithful to prayer
d.a woven fabric traditionally worn only by royalty and state officials
minaret

Question 25

The parts of Great Zimbabwe in southern Africa that remain are made of:

A) mud-brick
B) wood
C) stone
D) gold
E) reinforced concrete

Question 26

The Easter Island moai figures are identical,with no unique individual features.

Question 27

The moai of Easter Island represent:

A) animals at the top of the food chain
B) abstract designs based on the sea
C) deified ancestors who were chiefs
D) hieroglyphic texts with important historical information
E) none of the other answers

Question 28

Hawaiian feather cloaks could be:

A) passed from generation to generation
B) collected by enemies as war trophies
C) presented as political gifts
D) all of the previous answers
E) none of the previous answers

Question 29

According to the Shona,sculptures at the Great Zimbabwe represent birds (3.5.9),which they consider to be:

A) the most desired meal
B) the indicators of the truth
C) the messengers of the spirits
D) the key to a good night's sleep
E) the best pets to own

Question 30

The objects made by the Pacific Island cultures often have both ________.

A) practical usefulness and sacred significance
B) medical and political power
C) landscapes and sea monsters depicted on them
D) purple and gold on them
E) all of the other answers

Question 31

Match the term with its definition:
a.a ritual object used in ceremonies to assist the deceased in their journey into the spiritual realm
b.a bearded, standing figure, which served as a reservoir for magical properties
c.a tower on a mosque, used to call the faithful to prayer
d.a woven fabric traditionally worn only by royalty and state officials
nkisi Mangaaka

Question 32

The most prized feather cloaks made by Hawaiians are ________ in color.

A) red
B) yellow
C) blue
D) indigo
E) white

Question 33

Match the term with its definition:
a.a ritual object used in ceremonies to assist the deceased in their journey into the spiritual realm
b.a bearded, standing figure, which served as a reservoir for magical properties
c.a tower on a mosque, used to call the faithful to prayer
d.a woven fabric traditionally worn only by royalty and state officials
Kanaga mask

Question 34

"Mimis" in Australian rock art represent:

A) kangaroos
B) houses
C) grandmothers
D) spirits
E) bus drivers

Question 35

There are ________ placed on the spires of the Great Mosque at Djenné in Mali.

A) torches
B) ostrich eggs
C) water glasses
D) wind socks
E) none of the other answers

Question 36

For the Abelam of Papua New Guinea,the person who grows the largest yams:

A) gets to eat whatever he or she wants for an entire year
B) achieves higher social status and secures prosperity for the village
C) wins a vacation to the destination of his or her choice
D) is required to dance in the town center on festival night
E) none of the other answers

Question 37

The tattooed facial designs of the Maori were so distinctive and specific to an individual that at times they have been used as a form of legal signature.

Question 38

The Abelam of Papua New Guinea hold festivals in which:

A) mummies are carried into the streets
B) water is collected for several months at a time
C) yams wear masks
D) dangerous spirits are called to dinner
E) none of the other answers

Question 39

Match the term with its definition:
a.a ritual object used in ceremonies to assist the deceased in their journey into the spiritual realm
b.a bearded, standing figure, which served as a reservoir for magical properties
c.a tower on a mosque, used to call the faithful to prayer
d.a woven fabric traditionally worn only by royalty and state officials
kente

Question 40

Choose two or three artworks from this Chapter that represent ancestors or relate to families and lineage.In each case,describe how the artwork represents a particular ancestor,or group of ancestors,and why this might be important to the artist or community who made it.Why might depicting ancestors in art be especially important to cultures who have no formal,written language?

Question 41

Match the term with its definition:
a.the practice of tattooing or permanently marking the skin
b.feather cloaks used for physical and divine protection during war
c.monolithic stone sculptures found throughout Polynesia, especially huge figures made from volcanic rock
d.one of the spirits who taught humans to hunt and paint during an early era of the "Dreaming"
e.a massive structure consisting of a single block of stone
Mimi

Question 42

The cult houses of the Abelam of Papua New Guinea are used as part of the initiation cycle for male members of the community.These ceremonies take place over the course of ________.

A) twenty to thirty years
B) one calendar year
C) one day from sunrise to sunset
D) the same hour as the one when the initiate was born
E) none of the other answers

Question 43

Match the term with its definition:
a.the practice of tattooing or permanently marking the skin
b.feather cloaks used for physical and divine protection during war
c.monolithic stone sculptures found throughout Polynesia, especially huge figures made from volcanic rock
d.one of the spirits who taught humans to hunt and paint during an early era of the "Dreaming"
e.a massive structure consisting of a single block of stone
ta moko

Question 44

Match the term with its definition:
a.the practice of tattooing or permanently marking the skin
b.feather cloaks used for physical and divine protection during war
c.monolithic stone sculptures found throughout Polynesia, especially huge figures made from volcanic rock
d.one of the spirits who taught humans to hunt and paint during an early era of the "Dreaming"
e.a massive structure consisting of a single block of stone
ahu'ula

Question 45

Match the term with its definition:
a.the practice of tattooing or permanently marking the skin
b.feather cloaks used for physical and divine protection during war
c.monolithic stone sculptures found throughout Polynesia, especially huge figures made from volcanic rock
d.one of the spirits who taught humans to hunt and paint during an early era of the "Dreaming"
e.a massive structure consisting of a single block of stone
monolith

Question 46

Match the term with its definition:
a.the practice of tattooing or permanently marking the skin
b.feather cloaks used for physical and divine protection during war
c.monolithic stone sculptures found throughout Polynesia, especially huge figures made from volcanic rock
d.one of the spirits who taught humans to hunt and paint during an early era of the "Dreaming"
e.a massive structure consisting of a single block of stone
moai

Question 47

The cult houses of the Abelam of Papua New Guinea are designed to:

A) self-destruct at sunset
B) impress initiates with the power and complexity of their culture's deities and traditions
C) be so confusing that they would weed out unprepared initiates
D) look like they are under water
E) mimic the spring located at the place where humans were believed to originate