Architecture for Everybody Quiz | Architecture Terms

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Most architectural designs begin with one of these, a simple plan upon which a model of a building, house or some other construct is drawn up. To what am I referring?

Answer: Blueprint

A blueprint is a technical, scale drawing of some sort of edifice. The origin of the term is self-explanatory; the original procedure by which plans were drawn up by architects in the 20th century involved the use of white lines on a blue background, or vice versa.

2. A person who involves himself in the practice of constructing buildings, houses, etc. is called an architect. The word architect originally comes from the Greek. What does the Greek term literally mean?

Answer: Chief builder

The original Greek term is 'arkhitekten', or, literally 'master builder'. Some 'master builders' of ancient Greece include Ictinus and Callicrates, who built the Parthenon, and Charos of Lindos, who built the colossus of Rhodes.

3. 'Cantilever', 'suspension', and 'swing' are all types of what common architectural construct?

Answer: Bridge

There are many types of bridges, all used for different purposes. A swing bridge can literally be swung around to allow ships to pass through. A suspension bridge, for example the Golden Gate Bridge, requires a great many cables to maintain its structure. Suspension bridges are typically high enough for ships to pass under.

A cantilever is a projecting beam that is only supported at one end (a diving board is a crude example.) The Queensboro Bridge in New York is one example of a cantilever bridge.

4. If you would like to become an architect, you will be required to take classes in which of these disciplines?

Answer: Drafting

Though it may be very useful to have some skills in the other disciplines listed, an architect must understand the fundamentals of drafting. A blueprint is typically drawn up by an expert architect with years of skill in drafting.

5. Many architects have gained a great deal of fame for their works. Which of these individuals was not an architect of some note?

Answer: Pablo Picasso

You may have heard of one of Gustave Eiffel's most famous constructs, the Eiffel Tower in Paris. He also served as structural engineer for the Statue of Liberty project. Buckminster Fuller and Frank Lloyd Wright were both famous 20th century American architects. Pablo Picasso was a Spanish painter and sculptor who didn't create any architectural constructs of note.

6. Ionic, Doric and Corinthian are all orders of what important structure, important for architects since ancient Greek times?

Answer: Columns

Ionic, Doric and Corinthian are three of the five ancient orders of column that have come down to us from antiquity. The other two are Tuscan and Composite. The terms are named for periods of time and/or locations in Ancient Greece.

7. Another important construct of architecture is which of these, made famous on the U.S. Capitol building, St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome and a certain giant sports complex in Houston where the Astros once played?

Answer: Dome

The art of creating domes has been developed since the Renaissance period (and, indeed, well before). The first great dome was built on the great cathedral in Florence by Brunelleschi. Michelangelo topped Brunelleschi's dome in size (but not in beauty) with his dome, topping St. Peter's in Rome. Since Renaissance times, technology as allowed domes to become wider and wider.

In the modern era, domes have topped vast sports stadiums such as the Astrodome in Houston. Perhaps one day the entire Earth will be covered in a dome...hopefully one that is see-through.

8. You sometimes hear of old cathedrals as following in certain traditional architectural styles. Which of these is not an architectural style by which some of the great churches in Europe were built?

Answer: Peterene

The Byzantine style originated in southeastern Europe, where the Byzantine Empire used to reign supreme from the 5th to the 15th centuries A.D. Romanesque architecture refers to a style that was dominant from about 900 to 1200 A.D., and included round arches. Gothic architecture reached its greatest stage following the Romanesque period, from the 1100s to the 1500s. You will find pointed arches in a Gothic-style building.

9. This term came from the Latin, and refers to a space typically found below ground in a house or other architectural construct. To what am I referring?

Answer: Cellar

Clearly, if you were in the attic in this question, you were in the wrong place! The attic of a building is found on the underside of its roof. A vestibule is a small chamber or hall to be found just inside the outer door of a building. If you are walking along the veranda, you will be able to smell the open air.

It's an open platform, with a roof, to be found on the outside of a house. The word 'cellar' comes from the Latin for 'storehouse', and will always be found under the ground level of a house.

10. In which of these countries can you find the following famous man-made constructs: The Great Wall, The Grand Canal and Tiananmen Square?

Answer: China

Some of the greatest and most imposing architectural structures in human history have been built in China. These include the Great Wall of China, begun in the 3rd century B.C. and completed during the Ming Dynasty, some time in the 16th century. The Grand Canal is a massive canal that was dug between the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. It is considered to be the largest canal complex in the world. Tiananmen Square is a huge public square in Beijing that was made famous to the world in 1989 when Chinese students protested their government.

I hope you enjoyed this quiz and learned some of the basics of architecture. Please feel free to try some of my other quizzes if you enjoyed this one.

Source: Author thejazzkickazz

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Architecture for Everybody Trivia Quiz

Some people find the subject of architecture rather esoteric. This quiz solves that problem by presenting some of the very basic terms and definitions important to architects. Good luck!

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