The Renaissance Age MCQs
1. What period in European history is known as the Renaissance?
A. 17th and 18th centuries
B. 12th and 13th centuries
C. 15th and 16th centuries
D. 18th and 19th centuries
2. What does the word “Renaissance” literally mean?
A. Great Discovery
B. New Birth
C. Old Knowledge
D. Age of Reason
3. Where did the Renaissance begin?
A. Italy
B. Spain
C. France
D. Germany
4. What main cultural development defined the Renaissance?
A. The rediscovery of classical Greek and Latin literature
B. The invention of the telescope
C. The establishment of new monarchies
D. The rise of feudalism
5. Which writers are said to have brought Renaissance ideas to Chaucer in England?
A. Virgil and Cicero
B. Homer and Ovid
C. Petrarch and Boccaccio
D. Dante and Machiavelli
6. What invention after Malory’s death changed learning by making more books?
A. The printing press in England
B. The printing press in Germany
C. The printing press in Italy
D. The printing press in France
7. Who brought the printing press to England in 1476?
A. John Colet
B. King Henry VII
C. Sir Thomas Malory
D. William Caxton
8. What was one of the first English classics Caxton printed in 1485?
A. Utopia
B. Malory’s Morte Darthur
C. The Canterbury Tales
D. Piers Plowman
9. What major event in 1492 introduced Europe to the New World?
A. The Cabots discovered North America
B. Christopher Columbus’s voyage to the Americas
C. Ferdinand Magellan circumnavigated the globe
D. Vasco da Gama sailed around Africa
10. What did Martin Luther’s Reformation mainly challenge?
A. Feudalism
B. Scholasticism
C. The orthodox teachings of the Church
D. Chivalry
11. What was the main language of the English Royal Court for three centuries after the Normans?
A. English
B. Anglo-Saxon
C. French
D. Latin
12. Which ruling dynasty (1485-1603) oversaw the rise of modern English?
A. The Tudor dynasty
B. Mary I
C. Henry VIII
D. Edward VI
13. What did Humanists like Erasmus focus on in schools?
A. Practical trade skills
B. Religious dogma
C. Feudal military training
D. Cultivation of the reasoning faculty through classical literature
14. What 19th-century movement focused on Renaissance values and human potential?
A. Humanism
B. Scholasticism
C. Classicism
D. Romanticism
15. Which scientist, born in 1561, promoted experimental science?
A. Copernicus
B. Francis Bacon
C. Isaac Newton
D. Galileo
16. Which 1516 Latin work shows Renaissance ideals in England?
A. The Schoolmaster
B. More’s Utopia
C. Froissart’s Chronicles
D. The Canterbury Tales
17. Which English humanist argued for teaching Greek in elite schools?
A. Thomas More
B. Roger Ascham
C. William Grocyn
D. John Colet
18. The “golden age” of English Renaissance literature occurred during which monarch’s reign?
A. James I
B. Henry VII
C. Queen Elizabeth I
D. Henry VIII
19. In the 15th century, what type of plays did city guilds perform about Bible stories?
A. Morality Plays
B. Mystery Plays
C. Interludes
D. Heroic Plays
20. What is the title of the earliest English comedy, written around 1552?
A. Ralph Roister Doister
B. Gammer Gurton’s Needle
C. Everyman
D. Gorboduc
21. Which type of 15th-century drama was a forerunner to professional theatre?
A. Mystery plays
B. Morality plays
C. Tragedies
D. Comedies
22. What was the main focus of Renaissance humanists?
A. Adherence to medieval scholasticism
B. Emphasis on human experience and appeal
C. Devotion to Christian theology
D. Rejection of all classical thought
23. What 1453 event in Constantinople encouraged the study of Greek in Italy?
A. The Black Death
B. The Wars of the Roses
C. The Fall of Rome
D. Its capture by the Turks
24. Besides Italy, Spain, and England, where else did the Renaissance spread?
A. Portugal
B. France
C. Scotland
D. Germany
25. Why were Renaissance scholars called “humanists”?
A. They believed studying classics best promoted human interests.
B. They promoted political stability above all else.
C. They rejected religious piety.
D. They focused only on scientific advancements.
26. Which famous anatomy book was published by Andreas Vesalius in 1543?
A. De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium
B. De humani corporis fabrica libri septem
C. The Sceptical Chemist
D. Novum Organum
27. What did Pico della Mirandola’s “Of the Dignity of Man” say humans could do?
A. Predetermine their own fate
B. Understand the limits of their intellect
C. Ascend the scale of creation and shape themselves
D. Accept their inherent sinfulness
28. What was a key feature of Italian culture in the 14th and 15th centuries?
A. Its intellectual keenness
B. Its moral purity
C. Its military strength
D. Its rigid adherence to medieval thought
29. How did the classical texts “discovered” during the Renaissance survive the Middle Ages?
A. They were newly created by Renaissance scholars.
B. They were brought exclusively from the Middle East.
C. They were copied into medieval manuscripts.
D. They had been entirely lost for centuries.
30. Which English king was named “Defender of the Faith” in 1521?
A. Henry VIII
B. Elizabeth I
C. Edward VI
D. Henry VII
31. The Tudor dynasty used propaganda to claim they descended from which legendary figure?
A. Beowulf
B. King Alfred
C. King Arthur
D. King Lear
32. In what year was William Tyndale’s printed New Testament very successful?
A. 1509
B. 1516
C. 1535
D. 1526
33. Which Bible translation, published in 1611, marked the victory of English prose over Latin in the church?
A. The Book of Common Prayer
B. The Geneva Bible
C. The Authorized Version (King James Bible)
D. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
34. Who were among the greatest painters of the early 16th century?
A. Donatello, Botticelli, Giotto
B. Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese
C. Lionardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo
D. Holbein, Dürer, Bruegel
35. What language did Roger Ascham prefer for his writing?
A. English
B. Latin or Greek
C. Italian
D. French
36. In what year did the first public theatre open in London?
A. 1576
B. 1599
C. 1476
D. 1558
37. What 1588 event showed England’s growing power?
A. The Battle of Bosworth Field
B. The defeat of the Spanish Armada
C. The War of the Roses
D. The Peasants’ Revolt
38. What type of school produced many classically learned men in the late 1500s?
A. Charity schools
B. Grammar schools
C. Petty schools
D. Monastic schools
39. Which book by Roger Ascham, published in 1570, contains his views on education?
A. The Courtier
B. The Governor
C. The Schoolmaster
D. Toxophilus
40. Which early printed book was one of the first to depict urban society without the court?
A. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
B. Malory’s Morte Darthur
C. More’s Utopia
D. Castiglione’s The Courtier
41. Which philosophy, with its deductive logic, was challenged by Humanism?
A. Empiricism
B. Platonism
C. Scholasticism
D. Deism
42. What did Francis Bacon’s “The Advancement of Learning” encourage King James I to support?
A. To advocate for military expansion
B. To support methodical scientific research
C. To document the history of the world
D. To promote religious conversion
43. Which document from King John’s reign aimed to limit a king’s absolute power?
A. The Provisions of Oxford
B. The Bill of Rights
C. The Magna Carta
D. The Domesday Book
44. How did academic drama begin in the Renaissance?
A. Through performances of ancient plays in schools and colleges
B. Through professional theatre companies
C. Through court masques
D. Through church rituals
45. What was the chosen motto of Renaissance scholars?
A. Human
B. Reason
C. Divinity
D. Spirituality
46. Which literary form, like Aesop’s Fables, became widely adaptable in the 16th century?
A. Romantic narratives
B. Satirical verse
C. Epic poetry
D. Fables or “apologues”
47. According to Cranmer’s 1540 preface, who was the Bible in English intended for?
A. Only the rich and learned
B. All types of people
C. Only priests and lords
D. Only men and boys
48. Which new theatre opened in 1599 with Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”?
A. The Rose
B. The Theatre
C. The Globe
D. The Swan
49. Which 1579 work showed renewed confidence in English literature?
A. Sir Philip Sidney’s Defence of Poesy
B. Arcadia
C. The Faerie Queene
D. Astrophil and Stella
50. What was the main goal of John Colet’s plan for St. Paul’s School?
A. Athletic training
B. Commercial enterprise
C. Military strategy
D. Training in rhetoric and Christian manners
51. What major event in 1642 divided the 17th century in England?
A. The outbreak of the Civil War
B. The Restoration of the Monarchy
C. The Great Fire of London
D. The Glorious Revolution
52. What was a key economic change in the 14th century?
A. Decline of international trade
B. Collapse of the money economy
C. Expansion of the merchant class and international trade
D. Decrease in the merchant class
53. How did Gavin Douglas describe the English language in 1513?
A. As superior to Latin
B. As perfect for poetry
C. As imperfect compared to Latin
D. As ready to replace Latin
54. What did Renaissance thinkers believe about human nature?
A. That man was unchangeable.
B. That change was only possible through divine intervention.
C. That man was capable of changing and fashioning himself.
D. That human nature was inherently fixed.
55. What was the subject of William Harvey’s 1628 scientific work “De Motu Cordis”?
A. The movement of planets
B. The circulation of the blood
C. The structure of the human body
D. The principles of chemistry
56. What type of musical literature was popular around the year 1600?
A. Sonnet sequences
B. Songbooks with airs and madrigals
C. Ballads
D. Dramatic tragedies
57. What ulterior motive was sometimes argued to be behind Renaissance love sonnets?
A. A desire for religious conversion
B. A struggle for patronage
C. A secret political message
D. A critique of the monarchy
58. Which English city’s population grew dramatically during the 16th and 17th centuries?
A. Bristol
B. York
C. London
D. Norwich
59. Which author wrote an unfinished “History of the World” while in prison?
A. Francis Bacon
B. John Milton
C. Sir Philip Sidney
D. Sir Walter Ralegh
60. Which literary device was often used in the Renaissance to teach moral lessons?
A. Satire
B. Allegory
C. Heroic couplet
D. Sonnet
61. How did literary output in the Elizabethan Age compare to the time before it?
A. It was much smaller in quantity.
B. It was less varied in form.
C. It was of “prodigal issue” and almost embarrassing in abundance.
D. It was primarily focused on religious themes.
62. What kind of language did the Royal Society, founded in 1662, promote?
A. A close, naked, natural way of speaking.
B. Verbose and ornate language.
C. Highly figurative language.
D. French as the official language.
63. Which author’s early work was condemned by the Church as licentious?
A. Robert Burton
B. John Donne
C. Joseph Hall
D. James Ussher
64. How accurate were Renaissance translators with their source texts?
A. They were meticulous in preserving original wording.
B. They cared little for verbal accuracy and sometimes used other translations.
C. They always translated directly from the source language.
D. They prioritized scholarship over all else.
65. Which famous collection of essays from around 1580 influenced Francis Bacon?
A. Cowley’s Essays
B. Addison’s Spectator
C. Temple’s Essay of Poetry
D. Montaigne’s Essays
66. What new class of professional writer emerged during the Renaissance?
A. Court poets
B. Monastic scribes
C. Academics
D. Literary hacks/pamphleteers
67. What was the style of Elizabethan pamphleteering?
A. Formal and academic
B. Reserved and polite
C. Buoyant, vigorous, and keenly satirical
D. Highly structured and logical
68. What did Dr. Johnson call the poetry of writers like John Donne?
A. Augustan Poetry
B. Romantic Poetry
C. Metaphysical Poetry
D. Cavalier Poetry
69. Which group of poets followed Ben Jonson’s classical and concise style?
A. Metaphysical Poets
B. Spenserian Poets
C. Puritan Poets
D. Cavalier Poets
70. What is Izaak Walton’s classic 1653 book?
A. The Compleat Angler
B. Religio Medici
C. Hydriotaphia
D. Resolves
71. What happened to Sir Thomas More in 1535?
A. He was exiled.
B. He became Archbishop of Canterbury.
C. He died as “the king’s good servant, but God’s first.”
D. He retired from public life.
72. What was the focus of the “second and greater Renaissance”?
A. The Puritan Movement
B. The Romantic Movement
C. The Enlightenment
D. The Revival of Learning
73. What did early Tudor humanist learning emphasize?
A. Humanist learning
B. Feudalism
C. Religious asceticism
D. Scholasticism
74. What was the title of Baldassare Castiglione’s influential book on court life?
A. The Prince
B. Utopia
C. Il Libro del Cortegiano / The Courtyer
D. The Schoolmaster
75. What significant linguistic change happened in the 15th century?
A. Decline of the printing press
B. Dominance of Latin in writing
C. Amalgamation of French and English
D. Suppression of regional dialects
76. What did Sir Philip Sidney suggest a poet could create?
A. A world of pure reason
B. A perfect replica of nature
C. “another nature,” or things better than or entirely new to nature
D. A literal representation of historical events
77. What was the purpose of “courtesy books” in the Renaissance?
A. To provide religious instruction.
B. To give advice to aspiring young courtiers on etiquette and behavior.
C. To detail military strategies.
D. To record historical events.
78. Which type of play became a “mechanical and soulless device” in the Renaissance?
A. Comedy
B. Pastoral plays
C. Allegories
D. Tragedy
79. Which great English classic did William Caxton print in 1485?
A. John Lydgate’s works
B. Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur
C. Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales
D. The Paston Letters
80. In the 16th century, what did Renaissance writing often explore?
A. The “geography of the human soul”
B. Medieval romances
C. Traditional chronicles
D. Early ballads
81. What was King James I’s reported reaction to Francis Bacon’s “Novum Organum”?
A. He said it was “like the peace of God, past all understanding.”
B. He fully embraced Bacon’s scientific plea.
C. He immediately funded scientific research.
D. He recognized it as a revolutionary work.
82. The Renaissance was a major historical movement that shifted Europe from the medieval to the modern world.
A. The Protestant Reformation
B. The Renaissance
C. The Industrial Revolution
D. The Enlightenment
83. What artistic trait typified the High Renaissance painters like Leonardo da Vinci?
A. A balance of physical, spiritual, moral, and intellectual faculties
B. Strict adherence to religious iconography
C. Focus on abstract forms
D. Exclusive use of monochrome palettes
84. What is the term for the Renaissance movement that combined Christian and classical cultures?
A. “Christian humanism”
B. “Scholasticism”
C. “The Reformation”
D. “The New Learning”
85. What was a major linguistic concern in 16th-century England?
A. The decline of English grammar
B. Inadequate vocabulary for everyday use
C. Lack of new words
D. Too many Latin-derived words pouring into English
86. What was the first English tragedy, based on classical models?
A. Comedy
B. Interludes
C. Elizabethan Romantic Drama (specifically Senecan tragedy)
D. Miracle Plays
87. What did the accession of King James I in 1603 signal for Britain?
A. The discovery of America
B. The defeat of the Spanish Armada
C. The establishment of the Royal Society
D. That it was “poised for empire”
88. Why did the Pope grant Henry VIII the title “Defender of the Faith”?
A. For his patronage of the arts
B. For his support for humanism
C. For his defense of the Catholic Church against Martin Luther
D. For his opposition to geographical exploration
89. What new ideal, embodied by multi-talented figures like Leonardo da Vinci, was central to Renaissance thought?
A. The chivalrous knight
B. The stoic philosopher
C. The Renaissance man (or universal man)
D. The ascetic saint
90. During which century did literary activity shift from the court to a more urban focus?
A. 15th century
B. 16th century
C. 17th century
D. 18th century
91. What was one result of the growing demand for cultural texts in the 16th century?
A. A decline in manuscript circulation
B. An outpouring of inexpensive popular “godly” ballads
C. Decreased interest in reading
D. Strict limitation of texts to elite audiences
92. The play “Respublica” was a Catholic response to Protestant plays, performed during which queen’s reign?
A. Elizabeth I
B. Victoria
C. Mary I
D. Anne Boleyn
93. What new cultural institution created a “voracious demand for fresh wit and plays” in the late 16th century?
A. Courtly masques
B. Academic disputations
C. Theatres
D. Religious allegories
94. What did John Lyly’s “Euphues” aim to provide for the court?
A. Satirical commentary
B. Historical chronicles
C. A new, elevated, and schematic language
D. Moral treatises
95. According to Spenser, what was the purpose of “The Faerie Queene”?
A. To fashion a perfect queen
B. To fashion a gentleman by modeling virtuous behavior
C. To fashion a noble warrior
D. To fashion an ideal philosopher
96. What did Sir Philip Sidney’s “Arcadia” attempt to define?
A. The nature of satire
B. The ideal courtier
C. The ideal citizen
D. The perfect prince
97. How did William Tyndale respond to Sir Thomas More’s “Dialogue Concerning Heresies”?
A. With a new Bible translation
B. With his own dialogue in response
C. With a philosophical treatise
D. With a play
98. How did 16th-century manuscript writing differ from finished printed works?
A. It was always written by professional scribes.
B. It was open to alteration by readers, like a script.
C. It followed strict authorial control.
D. It was primarily for religious purposes.
99. How much did the number of printed books increase between 1558 and the 1580s?
A. It tripled
B. It doubled
C. It increased by 50%
D. It increased by 100%
100. Which rhyming chronicle, finished in 1338, told the history of England up to Edward I?
A. Layamon’s Brut
B. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
C. Robert Manning’s “Story of England”
D. Geoffrey’s History
101. What was the first book printed in the English language?
A. Morte Darthur
B. The Canterbury Tales
C. Recuyell of the Histories of Troye
D. The Game and Play of the Chess
102. What was a key result of more educational facilities for the “middling sort”?
A. A decline in classical learning
B. An increase in literacy, especially in English
C. A reduced demand for books
D. A decrease in social mobility
103. What did the Scottish Enlightenment’s “cosmopolitan ambitions” aim to overcome?
A. Economic hardship
B. Narrow parochial interests and old prejudices
C. English political dominance
D. Religious intolerance
104. What did the “New Learning” of the 18th century lead to?
A. A complete rejection of older authors.
B. Research into archaic forms like the ballad and new editions of authors like Shakespeare.
C. A focus solely on contemporary events.
D. An abandonment of literary forms for science.
105. The Renaissance is identified as one of the great transforming movements of which centuries?
A. The 15th and 16th centuries
B. The Crusades
C. The Age of Exploration
D. The Dark Ages
106. The period after Chaucer is described as a time of decline followed by what?
A. Political turmoil
B. Intellectual preparation
C. Economic stagnation
D. Social upheaval
107. What provided the “intellectual impulse” for the Renaissance?
A. Geographical discoveries
B. Fear and superstition
C. Isolation from the world
D. A reduction in human capacity
108. What kind of government did William I establish in England?
A. A decentralized feudal system
B. A democratic republic
C. A centralized government
D. A tribal system
109. What is the date range for the Norman-French Period in English literature?
A. About 1350 TO About 1500
B. To A.D. 1066
C. A.D. 1066 TO ABOUT 1350
D. About 1500 TO 1642
110. Who was the Italian poet that Chaucer called “the lauriat poete”?
A. Petrarch
B. Dante
C. Boccaccio
D. Ariosto
111. What inspiration did Greek literature provide to minds “paralyzed” by medieval dogma?
A. Reinforcement of medieval dogma
B. A return to asceticism
C. Inspiration to “see life steadily and see it whole”
D. Further restrictions
112. Which German artist is mentioned as a Renaissance painter?
A. Leonardo da Vinci
B. Michelangelo Buonarotti
C. Albrecht Dürer
D. Raffaello Sanzio
113. Morality plays continued to be popular even during the time of which famous playwright?
A. Ben Jonson
B. Shakespeare
C. Christopher Marlowe
D. John Lyly
114. How did new classical influences affect the English language during the Renaissance?
A. It resulted in extreme grammatical complexity.
B. It led to a complete adoption of Latin grammar.
C. It tempered and polished the earlier rudeness of English literature.
D. It was completely overwhelmed and lost its native character.
115. What was a central value of the Restoration period that was also important in the Enlightenment?
A. Blind faith
B. Emotional excess
C. “Good sense”
D. Individual eccentricity
116. When did the Tudor dynasty begin in England?
A. 1509
B. 1476
C. 1485
D. 1517
117. What did Columbus’s 1492 discovery of the “New World” prove?
A. That perpetual youth could be found
B. That the Earth is round
C. That new continents were uninhabited
D. That gold was abundant everywhere
118. How did the Normans change English literature?
A. They introduced an aristocratic taste for French literary forms.
B. They focused on traditional heroic epics.
C. They emphasized folk tales and ballads.
D. They preferred Latin philosophical texts.
119. What was the stance of King Henry VIII and Queen Mary on English translations of the Bible?
A. They mandated it for public reading.
B. They encouraged it for all classes.
C. They resisted such circulation.
D. They strongly supported it.
120. Which form of literature was considered the only “really popular literature” for centuries in England?
A. Courtly romances
B. Literary criticism
C. Religious allegories
D. Ballads