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Tests and Exams - under
construction
For each unit in World Civ. 2
Honors, students will be given a test. Additionally, at
the mid-term (in January) there is, in addition to the Unit IV
test, a 1st semester Music and Slides comprehensive test.
At the end of the year there is a Comprehensive Final Exam in
three parts: (1) Music, (2) Slides, and (3) History. The
History portion consists of 100 multiple-choice questions and is
open note. Students may use their text books if they also
bring proof of purchase to the test itself.
What follows is a description of
the various test formats and test subsections which have been
given in class. Every unit has a variation on these test
formats
One of the more unusual features
of this course is the heavy reliance on Art and Music to create
a cultural context for the time periods we are studying.
The Art and Music are tested on, as are the readings.
Since this is the first time many students have taken a test on
Art or Music, I will explain here how the tests are formatted in
order to help guide students in how to study for them. The
Art and Music tests are usually only given extensively at the
end of each semester.
Music
For the
music tests, I will play a 10 - 60 second excerpt of the music
which has been presented in class. Although there are
three categories of music questions, regardless of the category,
there are three basic things which students must identify for
all music examples:
(1) The
complete title of the piece (ie. "Circuses" from Roman
Festivals)
(2) The
name of the composer (ie. Ottorino Respighi)
(3) The
time period to which the piece either refers or is
actually from (ie. Imperial Rome - Roman Empire)
Often I
will have a "Quick Picks" portion in the test where all I ask is
for students to identify these three basic elements. The
bulk of a Music Test, however, is made up of three basic
Categories: (A) Identification and Significance, (B) Text
Analysis, and (C) Stylistic Analysis. The information
required for each of these is slightly different, though all ask
for the abovementioned basic three bits of information.
The differences are as follows:
(A)
Identification and Significance - this sort of question is
only asked of pieces which are about a time period, and not
authentically from a particular time period. Satie's
Gymnopaedie #1 is a good example of this: while it may be
about and reflect values of Classical Greece, is was written in
France in the late 19th century. In the context of our
class, it is used to describe the aesthetic values of Classical
Greece since we have no authenticated way of re-creating
accurately the music of the period. Thus in addition
the the basic identification of the three elements of the piece
listed above (Title, Composer, Period to which it
refers), students are asked to provide at least two (2)
explanations of the way in which the music evokes the time
period with which we have associated it. For example,
in the case of Satie's Gymnopaedie #1, students could note the
following:
| (1) Title: Gymnopaedie #1 |
| (2) Composer: Erik Satie |
| (3) Period: Classical Greece |
| (4/5) Characteristics: music
reflects Classical Greek ideals of balance and proportion
with long arcs and resolutions; emphasizes tranquility,
like Greek aesthetics in sculpture, through its slow and
regular tempo; no wild passionate outbursts, music is
controlled; perfection is sought in the clarity and
gracefulness of the melody. |
(B)
Text Analysis - this will be used for works with feature a
text from the time period. This will not be used for
purely instrumental works. Aside from the basics (Title,
Composer, Period) students need to identify the Language
and the Basic Meaning of the text. For example, for
Gustav Holst's "Hymn to the Dawn" from Choruses from the Rig
Veda, students would need to identify that the piece is an
English translation from the original Sanskrit language.
Additionally they would need to identify the basic function of
the text: A Prayer to the Goddess of the Dawn. For full
credit students need to identify at least one element of the
text which clearly points to the time period from which the
text comes. In the case of the "Hymn to the Dawn,"
students could note any of the following:
| (1) Title: "Hymn to the Dawn" from
Choruses from the Rig Veda |
| (2) Composer: Gustav Holst |
| (3) Period: Ancient India,
Emergence of Hinduism |
| (4) Language: English translation
of Sanskrit original |
| (5) Basic Translation: It is a hymn
to the goddess of the Dawn, characterizing her and
indicating offerings to her |
| (6) Relation to the Period:
polytheistic beliefs indicated in this hymn simply to the
goddess of Dawn; traditional Hindu use of aphorisms (wise
sayings) in the riddling character of the lines "ever
young yet ancient"; use of all female chorus and simple
harp accompaniment adds element of mystery and grace |
(C)
Stylistic Analysis - the most complex of the Music test
items, this category is only used for pieces which authentically
were written during and come from the time period of study.
For example, Hildegard of Bingen's "O Splendidissima Gemma" from
her Ordo Virtutum, is a work from the High Middle Ages
and is not referring to any other time period in particular.
After identifying the basics (Title, Composer, and Period)
students need to identify at least two (2) different
musicological elements (elements of music technology or
style) which specifically help identify the piece as being from
that particular time period. In the case of "O
Splendidissima Gemma" students might note any of the following:
| (1) Title: O Splendidissima Gemma
from Ordo Virtutum |
| (2) Composer: Hildegard of Bingen |
| (3) Period: High Middle Ages |
| (4) Stylistic Characteristics:
Latin text reflects dominance of Catholic church in the
arts; alternation of soloist and group indicates public
performance (entertainment) elements; use of a drone to
create accidental harmonies; complex melismas indicate
more highly trained musicians than used in Early Medieval
music; subject of the poem in a meditation on the beauty
of Christ - very appropriate to the Catholic culture of
the period |
Note:
Occasionally I will introduce a new piece of music from a time
period we have studied and ask students to perform a Stylistic
Analysis on it, although they may never have heard it in class
before. Clearly I do not necessarily expect students to
guess the title if it is an obscure one, but there may be clues
(a movement from a symphony, an opera aria, a "Kyrie" from a
mass, etc.) and credit will be awarded for guessing composers
who, although incorrect, may write in a similar style (such as
W.A. Mozart and F.J. Haydn).
Art
The Art
we study (via the slides) in class breaks into three basic
categories, each of which has a slightly different requirement
for what is asked on a test. Those three basic categories
are: (A) Architecture, (B) Objects (including furniture,
clothing, sculpture, etc.) and (C) Painting (which includes
frescos, icons, and canvases. Each of these categories is
discussed below.
(A)
Architecture - there are several things need to identify for
architectural sites. First: the Name and Function
of the site. (ie. Notre Dame de Strasbourg, Cathedral)
Second: the location of the site: city, if applicable,
and modern-day country (ie. Strasbourg, France). Third:
the architectural style and/or time period of the site (ie.
Gothic - High/Late Medieval). Fourth: students must
identlfy at least two (2) elements of the style which
associate the work with the period in which it was built (names
of architects may be included here as well). In the case
of the Strasbourg Cathedral, students could include any of the
following:
|
(1) Name and Function: Strasbourg
Cathedral |
|
(2) Location: Strasbourg, France |
|
(3) Period: Gothic - High Medieval |
|
(4/5) Stylistic Characteristics: lack
of symmetry; profusion of spires and architectural details
such as gargoyles and carved sculptures above the portals
(doorways); large rose windows with stained-glass;
cruciform shape; pointed "Gothic" arches rather than
earlier Romanesque rounded arches; high vaulted ceilings
and many windows for maximum interior light |
(B)
Objects - Generally portable, unlike architectural monuments,
these have no fixed location. A few have titles (and known
artists) which should be included along with their function
(what it is).
For example: Michelangelo's sculpture: David. Most have no
known artist, such as the Gold Bull-head earrings (from the
Hellenistic period). Second, the material the
object is made of needs to be noted: marble for David, gold for
the earrings. Third: the culture and period from
which the object comes. (David = Italian Renaissance; earrings =
Hellenistic Greece). Finally, students must identify at
least two (2) characteristics of the object which associates it
to the time period it is from. The David and the earrings
could be described using any of the following:
| (1) Function: Michelangelo's David,
statue of human figure |
(1) Function: earrings |
| (2) Material: marble |
(2) Material: gold |
| (3) Period: Italian Renaissance |
(3) Period: Hellenistic |
| (4/5) Characteristics: idealized,
perfect conception of male figure; presented nude to
display the artist's skill at recreating realistic and
life-like figures from stone; reflects Greco-Roman ideal
of tranquility and beauty; vaguely Biblical title
references possible political allegory of the
people/Republic of Florence against their enemy (David vs.
Goliath) although there is no explicit Goliath reference. |
(4/5) Characteristics: ornate,
complex mixture of realism (bulls' head), stylization
(flower patterns), and idealized art (acorns) reflecting
the blend and mix of cultures of the Hellenistic era; use
of fantasticalism in composition - disparate objects
incongruously yet beautifully arranged; references several
cultures: Minoan bulls, Mesopotamian floral patterns, and
Macedonian symbols of royalty (acorns) |
(C)
Paintings - The initial three things to be identified for the
paintings we study in this class are direct: (1) Title
of the Painting (ie. "Gluttony" from the Table of the Seven
Deadly Sins) (2) Artist: Heironymous Bosch, (3)
Time Period, Northern or Flemish Renaissance (4) and
ultimately two (2) characteristics which associate this
painting with the time period. In the case of the Bosch
work, any of the following could be used:
|
(1) Title: "Gluttony" from The Table of
the Seven Deadly Sins |
|
(2) Artist: Heironymous Bosch |
|
(3) Period: Northern/Flemish
Renaissance |
|
(4) Stylistic Characteristics:
photographic realism with high degree of detail;
moralistic Christian message emphasizing the dangers and
pit-falls of sin; cryptic and comic symbolic references
(toilet, crutch, arrow in hat, twisted facial expressions,
roasted pig); full illumination of the scene (no extreme
shadow); generally balanced composition; oil paint on wood
panel typical of the painting technology of the period. |
Among the test formats
used recently are the following:
(1) No
notes, no nothing (You have to study, but these are the easiest)
(2)
Open notecard - as many 3 x 5 notecards as you want
(3)
Open note - including all handouts and typed notes
(4)
Open book - no notes, just the book
(5) One
page of notes - 8 1/2 x 11 inches, both sides
(6)
Open everything - notes, book, handouts, etc. (Frighteningly
hard!)
(7)
Take-home essay (my personal least favorite - I grade cruelly)
(8)
Partner test - no talking, but you may write notes to each other
(9)
Group test - again, no talking, but in groups of 3 or 4
(10)
Voided test - cancelled test (a very popular option)
(11)
Student-generated test - see the details on how to Write Them
(12)
Single-notecard test - just like quizzes are normally done
Types of Questions
Frequently Found on Unit Tests (and usual points):
(1)
Matching (1 pt. each)
(2)
Chronologies (1 x 5 points each set)
(3)
Fill-in-the-Blanks (2 pts. each)
(4)
Mapping (2 points each)
(5)
Short Answer (5 points each)
(6)
Quote/Text identification (5 points each)
(7)
Chart completion (2 points per item)
(8)
Multiple Choice (1 point each)
(9)
Short Essay (10 points)
(10)
Cause and Effect Wheels (10 - 20 points)
The eight chronological units
of the course are as follows:
Unit I - The Ancient Mediterranean
Unit II - Classical Greece and Rome
Unit III - Asia to 1648
Unit IVa - Medieval Europe
Unit IVb - Renaissance, Reformation, and the Age of
Exploration
Unit V - The Baroque and the Age of Reason
Unit VIa - 19th Century Europe and the Industrial Revolution
Unit VIb - 19th Century Colonialization
Unit VII - The World at
War (WWI and WWII)
Unit VIII - In the Shadow of
the Bomb: Cold War and Beyond
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