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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. Rather than being shown in profile, as was traditional, the subject of Lady with an Ermine is shown in what way?

2. What is the primary characteristic of Leonardo's angel in the painting Virgin of the Rocks that causes it to be much discussed by scholars?

3. What are diabase?

4. The fashions worn by the subject of Lady with an Ermine became fashionable in Milan in 1489 when Gian Galeazzo Sforza was married to whom?

5. Santissima Annunziata had a library with how many volumes of books?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the mid-1490s, Leonardo put aside his work on anatomy and would not return to it for another decade. What endeavor did he begin upon dropping his anatomy studies?

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

3. What were the two colors most favored by Leonardo in the tailoring of both his clothes and the clothes of Salai?

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. What is the significance of the inventory Leonardo made of a trunk of clothing sometime between 1500 and 1506?

6. When Leonardo returned to Florence in 1500, how had Florence changed in the time he had been away?

7. When Leonardo moved to Milan in 1482, what did he discover about the study of anatomy in that location?

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

9. What are the two possibilities concerning the angel's identity within the painting Virgin of the Rocks?

10. What signature element of Leonardo's paintings is missing from the second version of Virgin of the Rocks but is present in the first version?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the significance of Leonardo's resignation from the service of Cesare Borgia? How does this event connect to the narrative's overarching themes?

Essay Topic 2

How is the theme of eccentricity depicted within the narrative of Walter Isaacson's book?

Essay Topic 3

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.

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This section contains 959 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample