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This text is about art and the Renaissance. There are some words in this text that you won’t see very often when you are reading but are important for this text. These words are in bold in the text. Look at the questions below about these vocabulary items and try to answer them. You should use a dictionary if you are unsure of the answers.
A: Pre-reading Vocabulary
1. To rediscover something (v) and a rediscovery (n)
‘People rediscovered ideas that had been forgotten about.’
‘This period of history is considered to be a rebirth of learning and a
rediscovery of ideas which were lost during the Dark Ages.’
Does rediscovery mean (a) to find something that existed before but was lost or (b) to try to forget about something?
2. To set out on a journey (v)
‘People set out on dangerous voyages to explore unknown lands.’
Does set out on mean (a) to do something that is very dangerous or (b) to begin a journey/trip?
3. A period (n)
‘This was the period during which Michelangelo sculpted and Botticelli
painted.’
Is a period (a) a length of time or (b) a group of artists?
B: Scanning for Information
How are you going to answer these questions?
These are scanning questions – to answer these questions in the time available, you will have to look at the text very quickly! Remember; you are looking for names, dates or numbers.
- Allow yourself only sixty (60) seconds to answer these questions.
- You are only looking at paragraphs 3, 4 and 5.
- Who is the sculptor mentioned in the text?
- The Renaissance was the revival of ideas from which two ancient civilizations?
C: Comprehension Questions 1
How are you going to answer these questions?
These questions relate to the writing style of the author. It is necessary for you to read the whole paragraph to answer each question. You are trying to get a general feeling of what the author is writing about. Think about the techniques you use for writing: for example, try to identify topic sentences, key words, etc.
- Read paragraphs 1 and 2 on the next page. Read each question. Find the
answer to the question from the text. Highlight the part of the text you
found the answer in. Use the information you found to answer each
question.
T he R enaissance
The word Renaissance means rebirth. This period of history is
considered to be a rebirth of learning and a rediscovery of ideas
which were lost during the Dark Ages^3. The Renaissance was a time
when people began to question and explore everything. This
period of time from about 1300-1600 A.D.
was an age of adventure and curiosity.
3
4
5
People became fascinated with the world
around them. They set out on dangerous
voyages to explore unknown lands. Artists
began to paint beautiful pictures in quite a
different style from medieval times. Music
changed. Scientists studied plants, animals,
man, the world around themselves, and even space. People’s ideas
about the earth and the Universe changed. Many new things were
invented such as the printing press and the telescope. This was the
period during which Michelangelo sculpted, Botticelli painted,
Columbus sailed to North America, Shakespeare wrote his plays,
and Mercator created world maps
using longitude and latitude.
Everything that concerned man and
his life on earth became important
to the people of the Renaissance.
The people began to investigate the
study of what is known as humanism (thinking about the interests
and ideals of man). This was not a new idea. It was a revival of
ideas that had been explored by the Greek and Roman
civilizations a long time before. It fact, people of the Renaissance
became fascinated with many Greek and Roman ideas including
those involving sculpture, philosophy, painting and science.
Text adapted from www.manatee.k12.fl.us/sites/elementary/palmasola/rcdowni5.htm
(^3) Medieval times are also known as the Dark ages.
D: Comprehension Questions 2
Use the information from paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 to help you answer the
following questions. Write your answers as complete sentences.
1. The main idea in this text is.....
A. Renaissance was an age of adventure and curiosity. B. Ideas and learning were popular during the Dark Ages. C. Columbus was an important painter in the 1500s.
2. The author's purpose in paragraph 4 is...
A. To tell you about map making techniques. B. To convince you that history was very boring before the Renaissance. C. To inform you that people began to explore and investigate many different things during the Renaissance.
3. Which two people that are mentioned in paragraph 4 must have
been artists?
________________________________________________________________________
4. Explain how you know that these two people were artists:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5. What does humanism mean? Who first began the study of
humanism?
________________________________________________________________________
Answer Key
A: Vocabulary
- To find something that existed before but was lost.
- To begin a journey/trip
- A length of time
B: Scanning
- Michelangelo
- Greek and Roman
C: Comprehension 1
- C. the Renaissance was a time of adventure and curiosity.
- A. to inform you that people explored, and created many different things during the Renaissance.
D: Comprehension 1
- C. the Renaissance was an age of adventure and curiosity.
- C. To inform you that people began to explore and investigate many different things during the Renaissance.
Paragraphs 3 and 4 are basically the same as paragraphs 1 and 2. They are slightly bigger, with more vocabulary. Therefore, your answers should be the same.
- Michelangelo and Botticelli.
- The 5 people mentioned are Michelangelo, Botticelli, Columbus, Shakespeare and Mercator. Michelangelo sculpted, Botticelli painted – we know that sculpting and painting are art. WE also know that sailing, writing plays and making maps are not art.
- Humanism is defined as thinking about the interests and ideals of man. This was a revival of ideas that had been explored by the Greek and Roman civilizations a long time before the Renaissance.
