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AP Art History Early Christian Questions and
Answers (100% Correct Answers)
Torah
Ans: Jewish holy book
Menorah
Ans: a candelabrum with seven branches used in ceremonies to symbolize the seven
days of creation
Cathedral
Ans: any large and important church
Catacombs
Ans: an underground cemetery with recesses dug out for burial
Syncretism
Ans: a blending of two or more religious traditions
Putti
Ans: plump, naked little boys, often winged; in classical art, called cupids, in
Christian art, cherubs
Central Plan
Ans: any structure designed with a primary central space surrounded by
symmetrical areas on each side
Longitudinal Plan
Ans: any structure designed with a rectangular shape; the nave is longer than the
transept, and in which parts are symmetrical
against an axis
Basilica Plan
Ans: a large, rectangular building; often built with a clerestory, side aisles separated
from the center nave by colonnades and an apse at one or both ends; Roman centers
for church use; Constantine's architects added a transverse aisle at the end of the
nave called a transept
Cruciform
Ans: a term describing anything that is cross-shaped, as in a plan of a church
Conches
Ans: semicircular domes that expand outward from a central dome, in Byzantine
architecture to cover the narthex on one side and sanctuary apse on the othe
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Orant
Ans: The representation of a standing figure praying with outstretched and upraised
hands
Apse
Ans: a large semicircular or polygonal (and usually vaulted) niche protruding from
the end wall of a building; in a Christian church, it contains the altar
Narthex
Ans: the vestibule or entrance porch of a church
Nave
Ans: the central space of a basilica, two or three stories high and usually flanked by
aisles
Transcept
Ans: the arm of a cruciform church, perpendicular to the nave; the point where the
nave and this cross is called the crossing; beyond the crossing lies the sanctuary,
whether apse, choir, or chevet
Pendentives
Ans: the concave triangular sections of a vault that form the transition between a
square or polygonal space and the circular base of a dome
Galleries
Ans: in church architecture, the stories found above the side aisles of a church,
usually open to and overlooking the nave
Martyrium
Ans: in Christian architecture, a church, chapel, or shrine built over the grave of a
martyr or the site of a great miracle
Relic
Ans: a venerated object associated with a saint or martyr
Pilgrimage
Ans: A journey to a place considered sacred for religious purposes
Mosaic
Ans: images formed by small colored stone or glass pieces (tesserae), affixed to a
hard, stable surface
Codex
Ans: a book, or a group of manuscript pages (folios), held together by stitching or
other binding on one side
AP Art History Early Christian Questions and
Answers (100% Correct Answers)
Torah
Ans: Jewish holy book
Menorah
Ans: a candelabrum with seven branches used in ceremonies to symbolize the seven
days of creation
Cathedral
Ans: any large and important church
Catacombs
Ans: an underground cemetery with recesses dug out for burial
Syncretism
Ans: a blending of two or more religious traditions
Putti
Ans: plump, naked little boys, often winged; in classical art, called cupids, in
Christian art, cherubs
Central Plan
Ans: any structure designed with a primary central space surrounded by
symmetrical areas on each side
Longitudinal Plan
Ans: any structure designed with a rectangular shape; the nave is longer than the
transept, and in which parts are symmetrical
against an axis
Basilica Plan
Ans: a large, rectangular building; often built with a clerestory, side aisles separated
from the center nave by colonnades and an apse at one or both ends; Roman centers
for church use; Constantine's architects added a transverse aisle at the end of the
nave called a transept
Cruciform
Ans: a term describing anything that is cross-shaped, as in a plan of a church
Conches
Ans: semicircular domes that expand outward from a central dome, in Byzantine
architecture to cover the narthex on one side and sanctuary apse on the othe
, 2 Inquire through: | Professional | Confidential Support
Orant
Ans: The representation of a standing figure praying with outstretched and upraised
hands
Apse
Ans: a large semicircular or polygonal (and usually vaulted) niche protruding from
the end wall of a building; in a Christian church, it contains the altar
Narthex
Ans: the vestibule or entrance porch of a church
Nave
Ans: the central space of a basilica, two or three stories high and usually flanked by
aisles
Transcept
Ans: the arm of a cruciform church, perpendicular to the nave; the point where the
nave and this cross is called the crossing; beyond the crossing lies the sanctuary,
whether apse, choir, or chevet
Pendentives
Ans: the concave triangular sections of a vault that form the transition between a
square or polygonal space and the circular base of a dome
Galleries
Ans: in church architecture, the stories found above the side aisles of a church,
usually open to and overlooking the nave
Martyrium
Ans: in Christian architecture, a church, chapel, or shrine built over the grave of a
martyr or the site of a great miracle
Relic
Ans: a venerated object associated with a saint or martyr
Pilgrimage
Ans: A journey to a place considered sacred for religious purposes
Mosaic
Ans: images formed by small colored stone or glass pieces (tesserae), affixed to a
hard, stable surface
Codex
Ans: a book, or a group of manuscript pages (folios), held together by stitching or
other binding on one side
