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CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHINESE AND KOREAN ART BEFORE 1279
11
Multiple Choice
1. What is a distinguishing factor in the study of China’s history?
A. Its geographical terrain is well suited for archaeological excavation.
B. Its uninterrupted history that can be traced back 8,000 years.
C. It lacked industrial development throughout the Bronze Age.
D. Its isolationist tradition limited cultural exchange with foreigners.
2. During which dynasty were the ideals of Daoism and Confucianism formulated?
A. Han
B. Zhou
C. Xia
D. Shang
3. The Painted Banner from the tomb of Marquess of Dai (Fig. 11-7) reflects the worldview of
ancient China through complex iconography that
A. shows the deceased inhabiting the ideal world of the afterlife.
B. glorifies the deceased and her familial ancestors.
C. emphasizes the importance of nature in human existence.
D. links the human and supernatural realms.
4. Why did the Buddhist faith draw many new followers when it first spread into China?
A. It offered consolation and the promise of salvation to a culture beset by warfare.
B. It provided the educated elite an escapist alternative to Confucianism.
C. It provided social order and harmony in a morally unjust society.
D. It could be practiced without challenging indigenous religious belief systems.
5. How does the Neolithic bowl (Fig. 11-2) reveal the advanced technical skills of Chinese
potters of the time?
A. the type of clay used
B. the painted images
C. its perfectly round shape
D. its condition on discovery
6. What aspect of the reliefs from the Wu family shrine in Jiaxiang reinforces Confucian ideas?
A. the lack of detail given to individual figures
B. the images demonstrating appropriate social order
C. the images drawn from traditional myths and legends
D. the use of registers as a compositional device
7. The pagoda, a typical East Asian Buddhist structure, developed by combining the multi-
storied stupa from India with what architectural form from China?
A. palace courtyards
B. watchtowers
C. bracketing systems
D. bay systems
8. To what sect of Buddhism can the Altar to Amitabha Buddha (Fig. 11-14) be connected?
A. Vajrayana
B. Theravada
C. Pure Land
D. Dharmaguptaka
9. Chinese writing has maintained the civilization’s unity through the centuries because
A. ancient script is recognizably close to the characters used today.
B. written characters can be understood regardless of variations in spoken dialects
C. its use in calligraphy is a source of cultural pride and artistic skill.
D. of a cultural emphasis on public literacy and Confucianism.
10. In China, calligraphy is closely related to the art of painting and considered
A. a source of meditation and spiritual renewal.
B. an expression of moral values and philosophical beliefs.
C. a reflection of the writer’s character.
D. a necessary requirement to attain enlightenment.
11. What is the significance of the travelers in Fan Kuan’s Travelers Among Mountains and
Streams (Fig. 11-22)?
A. They symbolize the long journey to enlightenment.
B. They provide narrative detail to animate the image.
C. They call attention to the imposing size of the surrounding mountains.
D. Their figures echo the shapes of the trees above them.
12. During which dynasty was figurative subject matter the most common?
A. Tang
B. Zhou
C. Northern Song
D. Southern Song
13. What characterizes the Northern Song court style of painting under Emperor Huizong?
A. a melding of Buddhist and Daoist ideas through a complex iconography
B. precise, exquisitely detailed paintings of a variety of subjects
C. simplified forms, stark contrasts of light and dark, asymmetry and empty spaces
D. extensive copying of paintings from the Sui and Tang dynasties
14. The Buddhist Temple atop Mount Toham, near Gyeongu in Korea, reflects the influence of
rock-cut structures in
A. Sri Lanka.
B. India.
C. China.
D. Japan.
15. Which detail of the Bodhisattva Seated in Meditation (Fig. 11-29) distinguishes it as Korean?
A. the crown
B. the pose
C. the gesture
D. the ears
16. Which dynasties that were previously thought to be mythic cultures have been established as
historical based on recent archaeological discoveries?
A. Xia and Shang
B. Zhou and Guang
C. Xia and Han
D. Zhou and Han
17. Which format can be seen in the detail of Admonitions of the Imperial Instructress to Court
Ladies (Fig. 11-11)?
A. handscroll
B. longscroll
C. landscape scroll
D. hanging scroll
18. What often appears on Chinese paintings, not as disfigurations, but as an additional layer of
interest in the work?
A. coat of arms
B. punches
C. blazons
D. seals
19. As was the case in India and China, some of the finest examples of Buddhist art in Korea
were produced for
A. monks.
B. literati.
C. royalty.
D. artists.
20. Traditional Chinese judge a painting above all by the quality of its
A. provenance.
B. materials.
C. subject.
D. brushwork.
21. Which Daoist notion did Xie He’s writings on the importance of the “spirit consonance” of
painting reflect?
A. qi
B. dao
C. xizhi
D. li
22. “Plum bottles,” or maebyeong, of the Goryeo Dynasty in Korea were used for what purpose?
A. dry goods
B. aesthetic appreciation
C. jars for liquids
D. incense burners
23. Which work from the tomb of Prince Liu Sheng represents a popular Daoist legend that tells
of the Land of the Immortals in the Eastern Sea?
A. Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk
B. Incense Burner
C. Seated Buddha
D. Bodhisattva Seated in Meditation
24. The Covered Ritual Wine-Pouring Vessel with Tiger and Owl Decor (Fig. 11-5) was created
during which Chinese Bronze Age dynasty?
A. Shang
B. Zhou
C. Xia
D. Han
25. Earthenware such as Camel Carrying a Group of Musicians (Fig. 11-19) was used for what
purpose during the Tang Dynasty?
A. toys for children
B. household shrines
C. tomb furnishings
D. stupa sculptures
Short Answer
1. What is the significance of the tomb of Qin Shihuangdi that has recently been unearthed in
China?
2. How did Shang priests communicate with the supernatural world?
3. What was the Silk Road and what was its purpose?
4. What does Confucianism teach?
5. What happened to the Chinese people during the period known as Six Dynasties?
6. How is the Seated Guanyin Bodhisattva (Fig. 11-21) represented?
7. How does Xu Daoning’s work Fishing in a Mountain Stream (Fig. 11-23) create a sense of
shifting perspective?
8. How did Xia Gui’s work (Fig. 11-25) contrast with the works created by the Academy of
Painters?
9. What three independent nation-states were established during the Three Kingdoms period?
10. Describe the purpose and aesthetics of the crown from the Gold Crown Tomb (Fig. 11-27).
Essay
1. How did Chinese art explore human relationships and heroic ideals?
2. Discuss how Chinese and Korean art demonstrate an exchange of cultural, religious, and
artistic ideas with India and other foreign countries.
3. How did the Chinese present philosophical ideals through the theme of landscape?
4. Discuss the representations of Buddha throughout early Chinese and Korean history.
5. Compare and contrast the detail of Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk (Fig. 11-18) and detail
of Admonitions of the Imperial Instructress to Court Ladies (Fig. 11-11).
