Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction Test | Mid-Book Test - Hard

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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. From where did much of the new lumber come?

2. Once the mortar cures, what happens?

3. The space between piers is filled with tracery. What is tracery?

4. What is done with the Romanesque crypt?

5. During this time the new stonework and new in-place mortar are covered with what?

Short Essay Questions

1. How long has the cathedral been under construction at this point in the book?

2. Describe the buttresses and how they function.

3. What first takes place in the spring of 1253?

4. What does the carpenter do once the design has been approved?

5. What is completed by this point in the book? How long has the cathedral been under construction?

6. Upon what are the flying buttresses built? Why?

7. What is the job of each master craftsman?

8. What are used to remove some of the strain placed on the walls?

9. What does the floor plan show?

10. Why must many houses be demolished?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are several architects throughout the process of building this cathedral.

Part 1) Who are these architects? What role does each play in the construction of the cathedral?

Part 2) What must be known by an architect in the 12th century? Do you consider an architect today less skilled, as skilled, or more skilled? Why?

Part 3) How different might building a cathedral be today? Why?

Essay Topic 2

Buttresses were used when building this cathedral.

Part 1) What are buttresses? What purpose do they serve? Are they necessary? Why or why not?

Part 2) What are three other aspects of the cathedral that are necessary during the building process? How are they necessary?

Part 3) Why are buttresses not needed today? What is still needed during a building project today? Why?

Essay Topic 3

A rose window is created.

Part 1) What is a rose window? Why is it created? How is it created?

Part 2) What other aspects of the cathedral have more than a purely functional purpose?

Part 3) Is architecture today as aesthetically pleasing as these Gothic cathedrals? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 801 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample