The Foundations of Classical Architecture Part 4: Classical Design Principles - Review Questions

As you watch the video, you can browse by subject using the course outline and timestamps below. As you progress through the units, you can use the below optional (ungraded) questions to help assess your understanding of the material. Please note that these are not the summative assessment questions to be answered at the end of the course. You will also need to complete the summative assessment in order to earn course credit.

0:00: The Palladian Arch

Review: Which of the following is not another name for the Palladian Arch?

1. Serliana.

Incorrect. The Palladian Arch is commonly called a serliana in most of Europe, in reference to the architect Sebastiano Serlio.

2. Florentine Arch.

Correct! This term is very rarely used as a word for a similar arch type with a semi-circular intrados, but is not interchangeable with the term Palladian Arch.

3. Venetian Arch.

Incorrect. This is a common term for a Palladian Arch used in the United Kingdom.


10:50: Temple-Form Churches; Patera

Review:What is the origin of the patera motif?

1. It was a type of dish used for libations in Roman ceremonies.

Correct! The patera motif can be seen in Roman architecture depicting religious ceremonies, such as the Ara Pacis Augustae.

2. It was a type of dish used in Roman banquets.

Incorrect. While the patera was indeed a Roman dish, its context and symbolism is from a different source.

3. It was a type of dish used by the Greeks for mixing wine.

Incorrect. The patera was indeed used for mixing wine, but only in specific contexts and not by the Greeks. The general term for a Greek wine-mixing vessel is a krater.


21:26: Design Principles: Column Shaft; Alignment

Review: Which of the following is not a rationale behind swelling the lower section of a column shaft such that it tapers towards the capital?

1. It corrects the optical illusion produced by a completely straight column.

Incorrect. A completely straight column can give the appearance that it is more slender in the middle; by swelling the lower portion of the column, this can be corrected.

2. It makes the column appear stronger.

Incorrect. An exaggerated version of this process was used by the ancient Greeks, most likely for this very effect.

3. It makes the column as a whole appear more slender.

Correct! Entasis actually increases the appearance of strength and prevents the column from appearing to be too slender in the middle.


33:36: Design Principles: Use of Precedents; Mixing Orders

Review: Which of the following buildings demonstrates a highly unusual but informed usage of classical design principles?

1. Michelangelo’s Porta Pia.

Correct! The Porta Pia is a sculptural, challenging work that nonetheless demonstrates that its designer is familiar with the rules of classicism.

2. Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia State Capitol.

Incorrect. Thomas Jefferson generally strictly followed Palladian precedents and rules in his design.

3. Stanhope Johnson’s Centenary United Methodist Church.

Incorrect. This building does not employ any shocking deviations from classical form and is based on the St. Martin-in-the-Fields archetype.


45:56: Classical Minimalism and Details

Review: Which of the below was an early proponent of classical minimalism?

1. Adolph Loos.

Incorrect. Adolph Loos did utilize classical minimalism including an important building in Vienna, but he was not one of the earliest figures to use classical minimalism.

2. Inigo Jones.

Incorrect. Inigo Jones was highly influential in introducing classical architecture – not classical minimalism – to the United Kingdom.

3. Claude Nicolas Ledeoux.

Correct! Ledoux’s Rotonde de la Villette is an important example of classical minimalism.