BArch Bachelor of Architecture Bachelor of Architecture History 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which ancient Greek order is characterized by its plain, unadorned capital and sturdy proportions?
- Ionic
- Corinthian
- Doric (Correct answer)
- Composite
Correct answer: Doric
The Doric order is the oldest and simplest Greek order, featuring a plain capital with no ornamentation and robust, heavy proportions.
Question 2: The Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, completed in 537 CE, is best known for pioneering which structural feature?
- The flying buttress
- The pointed arch
- The pendentive dome (Correct answer)
- The barrel vault
Correct answer: The pendentive dome
Hagia Sophia introduced the use of pendentives to transition from a square base to a circular dome, a major Byzantine engineering achievement.
Question 3: Which Renaissance architect wrote 'De Re Aedificatoria,' the first printed book on architecture theory?
- Andrea Palladio
- Leon Battista Alberti (Correct answer)
- Filippo Brunelleschi
- Donato Bramante
Correct answer: Leon Battista Alberti
Leon Battista Alberti wrote 'De Re Aedificatoria' (On the Art of Building) around 1450, modeled on Vitruvius's ancient treatise.
Question 4: The Crystal Palace, built for the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London, was revolutionary primarily because it was constructed from what materials?
- Reinforced concrete and brick
- Cast iron and plate glass (Correct answer)
- Steel and terra cotta
- Timber and corrugated iron
Correct answer: Cast iron and plate glass
Joseph Paxton's Crystal Palace used prefabricated cast iron structural members and large sheets of plate glass, pioneering industrial construction methods.
Question 5: Which 20th-century architectural movement was characterized by the slogan 'form follows function,' rejecting historical ornament?
- Art Nouveau
- Postmodernism
- Modernism / International Style (Correct answer)
- Brutalism
Correct answer: Modernism / International Style
Modernism and the International Style, championed by figures like Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe, embraced the principle that a building's form should be determined by its function.
Question 6: The Fallingwater house (1935–1939), designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, is an example of which architectural philosophy?
- Deconstructivism
- Organic Architecture (Correct answer)
- Brutalism
- Metabolist Architecture
Correct answer: Organic Architecture
Fallingwater exemplifies Wright's concept of Organic Architecture, in which the building grows from and integrates with its natural site.
Question 7: Which Egyptian structure, built around 2560 BCE, represents the pinnacle of Old Kingdom monumental architecture and is the only surviving Wonder of the Ancient World?
- Temple of Karnak
- Great Pyramid of Giza (Correct answer)
- Abu Simbel
- Step Pyramid of Djoser
Correct answer: Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza, built for Pharaoh Khufu, is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing and remains the most massive stone building ever constructed.
BArch Bachelor of Architecture Bachelor of Architecture History 2
Which ancient Greek order is characterized by its plain, unadorned capital and sturdy proportions?