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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. The Florentine tradition known as disegno lineamentum used what to create forms and designs?

2. The first version of Leonardo's painting Virgin of the Rocks was completed in what year?

3. The center of medical research in Milan during the Renaissance was what university?

4. The four universal conditions of men, according to Leonardo, were mirth, weeping, fighting, and what?

5. What painting was named by the Louvre in 2012 as Leonardo's ultimate masterpiece?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Leonardo use his knowledge of geology to inform his painting of Virgin of the Rocks?

2. How does Walter Isaacson link the qualities of genius and the qualities of obsession within the chapter about Leonardo's first round of anatomy studies?

3. What was the significance of Leonardo's depiction of the human frontal sinus?

4. What does Walter Isaacson point to in Leonardo's creation of the painting Virgin of the Rocks that he says illustrates Leonardo's insistence on realism in his art?

5. For how long did Leonardo live in Florence upon his return there in 1500 and where did he live?

6. What types of commissions did Leonardo refuse to accept?

7. What was the event known as the Bonfire of the Vanities?

8. On whom was the painting Lady with an Ermine based?

9. While Leonardo came to the court of Ludovico Sforza hoping to work primarily as a military and civil engineer, what was the nature of most of the work he completed in the decade he was in service to Ludovico Sforza?

10. What evidence does Walter Isaacson provide for his claim that much of Leonardo's thinking was collegial?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Walter Isaacson utilize irony within the text? Discuss at least three uses of irony within the book and explore each instance's connection to larger themes contained within the narrative.

Essay Topic 2

How does the author use sensory details in order to paint a vivid portrait of the historical events he depicts within the book? Discuss at least two scenes that include extensive use of sensory details and pull quotes from these scenes to support your claim.

Essay Topic 3

Examine the role of Leonardo's longtime companion Salai within the events depicted in Walter Isaacson's biography. How does the author use his role to highlight the themes within the overall narrative?

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