SAT II World History : Europe

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT II World History

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Example Questions

Example Question #258 : Sat Subject Test In World History

The Last Supper can be attributed to which Renaissance artist?

Possible Answers:

Michaelangelo

Cosimo de Medici

Raphael

Leonardo da Vinci

Dante

Correct answer:

Leonardo da Vinci

Explanation:

Leonardo da Vinci is often considered the ultimate "Renaissance man," a term that suggests being supremely skilled in many different areas of life, particularly artistically and intellectually. Perhaps Da Vinci's most famous work is The Last Supper

Example Question #259 : Sat Subject Test In World History

Which of the following was not an Italian city-state during the Italian Renaissance? 

Possible Answers:

The United Provinces

The Papal States

The Republic of Florence

The Duchy of Milan

The Kingdom of Naples

Correct answer:

The United Provinces

Explanation:

During the Italian Renaissance, the country we now know as Italy was divided up into several independent city-states. All of the answer choices were city-states except for the United Provinces. The United Provinces refers to territory in what is now the Netherlands and Belgium during the time when this territory was under Spanish control.

Example Question #1 : The Renaissance

Cosimo de Medici was the ruler of __________.

Possible Answers:

Milan

Florence

Naples

Geneva

Berlin

Correct answer:

Florence

Explanation:

Cosimo de Medici was the ruler of Florence throughout a large period of the Italian Renaissance. He is renowned as a patron of the arts who encouraged the Renaissance to flourish in his city-state.

Example Question #31 : 1500 C.E. To 1900 C.E.

The Sistine Chapel and David are works of art and architecture that are attributed to which Renaissance artist?

Possible Answers:

Michelangelo

Leonardo da Vinci

Albrecht Durer

Jan van Eyck

Raphael

Correct answer:

Michelangelo

Explanation:

The Sistine Chapel and David are two of the most famous works of the famous Renaissance artist and sculptor Michelangelo.

Example Question #32 : 1500 C.E. To 1900 C.E.

The Renaissance most likely evolved first in Italy due to __________.

Possible Answers:

the wealth of the Papacy

Italy's political and religious unity 

Italy's cultural legacy of artistic and scientific accomplishment 

Italy's urban society and emerging middle class

Italy's extensive mercenary class that protected the cities from barbarian raids 

Correct answer:

Italy's urban society and emerging middle class

Explanation:

Italy's relatively large urban society and emerging middle class allowed for a large number of individuals to be free to pursue artistic or scientific pursuits. This was in contrast to most of the rest of Europe and the world, where the vast majority of people had no free time for pursuits unrelated to simply surviving. This allowed the Renaissance to flourish first in Italy.

Example Question #33 : 1500 C.E. To 1900 C.E.

The Decameron, by Giovanni Boccaccio, tells a series of stories about __________.

Possible Answers:

Greek mythology 

The Italian Renaissance 

The Roman Empire 

The Hundred Years' War 

The Black Death

Correct answer:

The Black Death

Explanation:

The Decameron was written by Giovanni Boccaccio in the fourteenth century. It is considered one of the most important works of early Humanism and the Italian Renaissance. It is centered around a series of tales about the Black Death. The Black Death was a devastating plague that hit Europe in the fourteenth century and led to widespread death and suffering. By some estimates as many as a third of all Europeans perished as a direct result of the Black Death. It would take almost two hundred years for population levels to recover.

Example Question #34 : 1500 C.E. To 1900 C.E.

The Medici rose to prominence in which Italian city-state?

Possible Answers:

Milan

Florence

Venice

Naples

The Papal States

Correct answer:

Florence

Explanation:

The Medici rose to prominence in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries in Florence. The Medici were a banking family, and in the fifteenth century, the Medici Bank was the largest in Europe. The Medici are significant because they were frequent and enthusiastic patrons of the early Renaissance in Italy. They funded artistic works and spectacular architectural wonders.

Example Question #35 : 1500 C.E. To 1900 C.E.

The School of Athens is one of the most famous works of which Renaissance artist?

Possible Answers:

Jan Van Eyck

Michaelangelo

Petrarch

Leonardo da Vinci

Raphael

Correct answer:

Raphael

Explanation:

The School of Athens is one of the most famous Renaissance paintings, and it is still considered a masterpiece today. It was painted by the Renaissance artist, Raphael, in the early sixteenth century. The fresco can be found in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.

Example Question #1 : Europe

Lorenzo the Magnificent is best remembered as __________.

Possible Answers:

a religious dissident

a patron of the arts

a Northern Renaissance artist

an Enlightenment philosopher

an Italian mercenary captain

Correct answer:

a patron of the arts

Explanation:

Lorenzo the Magnificent was a ruler of Florence in the fifteenth century. At the time, Florence was an economic center of Europe and one of the most prominent cities of the Italian Renaissance. Lorenzo the Magnificent is most commonly remembered as a generous and enthusiastic patron of the arts. He sponsored the works of Michelangelo, among many others.

Example Question #2 : Europe

Which of these treaties provided religious toleration for Huguenots in France, but required them to disarm?

Possible Answers:

The Peace of Alais

The Edict of Fontainebleau

The Edict of Nantes

The Peace of Lyon

The Peace of Westphalia

Correct answer:

The Peace of Alais

Explanation:

The Peace of Alais was a treaty signed in 1629 between the French monarchy and the leaders of the Huguenots, French Protestants. The peace provided religious toleration for the Huguenots but required them to disarm so that they would no longer be a threat to the crown. The peace did not last, however, as later in the seventeenth century, Louis XIV revoked the arrangement and began official state persecution of Protestants in France.

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