ART HISTORY SURVEY 1 Sample Test Questions and Instructions for Success

The exams for Art History Survey I will be conducted on-line.  The test will be posted to the Internet at approximately 7:00 a.m. of the day listed for the exam in your class schedule;  answers are due back to your instructor by 7:00 a.m. on the following day.  You will receive an email through the LISTSERV to remind you of these dates shortly before exam day. Following are two types of questions that will be asked on your exam.     The first type of question asks you to compare two or more images, which may be taken directly from the textbook or may be very similar.  The question asked will refer to one of the questions/issues from #3 in the Chapter page, may combine questions from two chapter pages to compare and contrast the images, or may ask you to compare images listed in #4 from two different chapters.  Below is an example of the first type of question:

Question No. 1:  Examine the two images to the right.  Identify each by title, culture, and date.  Based on the imagery seen here and the possible meanings explored in the textbook, what is the possible purpose of each object?  How are they similar? (Click on each image to enlarge)

The second type of question, while drawing upon an issue from #3 in the Chapter page or an image from #4 in the Chapter page, may ask you to search out an image on the internet as an example or to prove your point.  You will be asked to provide the URL to the image;  the URL should go directly to the image, not to a search engine or to a page that links to the image.  Following is an example of that type of question:

Question No. 2:  What is Polykleitos' Prescription for a Perfect Statue?  On the Internet, locate an image that provides an example of what Polykleitos meant.  Provide the URL to the image.

To answer both questions above successfully,  you need to have kept up with readings in the textbook and with on-line materials and discussions.  The questions and images from which the exam questions are drawn are the issues/questions listed in #3 of the chapter pages and the images listed in #4 of the chapter pages.  Use those parts of the chapter pages to review for the exam. The exam should take you no longer than two and one-half hours, the equivalent time allowed  on campus for final exams.   Students who complain that the exam takes longer are usually those who have not kept up with the readings and do not know where to locate the information sought.  For example, in question No. 1 above, you should know exactly in what chapter each of those images appears and should remember some of the on-line discussion about each of the images. Finally, it is helpful to open a word document in a separate window to write your answers.  BE SURE TO SAVE PERIODICALLY.   Be sure to answer all parts of the questions -- forgetting to answer part of the question is the most common reason for points lost.  When you are finished, either copy and paste your answers into an email or send it to your instructor as an attachment.  DO NOT SEND YOUR ANSWERS THROUGH THE LISTSERV!!!