Task developed by Manan Luthra, University of Sydney, 2020

STATE

DA VINCI DECATHLON 2021

CELEBRATING THE ACADEMIC GIFTS OF STUDENTS
IN YEARS 7 & 8

LEGACY QUESTION PAPER

TEAM NUMBER _____________

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 Task developed by Manan Luthra, University of Sydney, 2020

SECTION 1
LEONARDO DA VINCI AND THE RENAISSANCE (20 MARKS)
Below are some multiple-choice questions about the inspiration behind this event and the
time in which he lived. What do you know about him?

ACTIVITY ONE: DA VINCI (10 MARKS)

Place the correct response – a, b, c or d – in your answer booklet.

QUESTION MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. Though born in Florence, in which city did a. Amboise

da Vinci die? b. Paris
c. Rome
d. Chenonceaux
2. da Vinci is sometimes referred to as the a. Insects
father of ‘ichnology’. What is ichnology? b. Trace Fossils
c. Fish
d. Flying machines
3. As reported by the New York Post in late a. 30,000
2019, approximately how many people visit b. 25,000
the painting of the Mona Lisa in the Louvre c. 40,000
every day? d. 35,000
4. What strange request did da Vinci leave in a. Leave all his estate to the Medici family
his will? b. Transport his body back to his birthplace
c. 60 poor men must follow his casket at
his funeral
d. His student Salaí was to receive his
vineyard
5. According to historian Liana Bortolon, a. The Uffizi Gallery
where might you find da Vinci’s first major b. The Hermitage Museum
commission, ‘The Adoration of the Magi’? c. The National Gallery
d. Nowhere – it was never completed
6. What was interesting about da Vinci’s diet? a. He was a vegetarian
b. He was a pescatarian
c. He consumed wine with every meal
d. He only ate meat on alternate days
7. In what year is it believed da Vinci a. 1488
completed his drawing of the Vitruvian b. 1489
Man? c. 1490
d. 1491
8. The only verified self-portrait of da Vinci is a. Leonardo da Vinci
titled as what? b. Untitled
c. Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk
d. The Self Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci

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 Task developed by Manan Luthra, University of Sydney, 2020

9. Bill Gates famously owns one of da Vinci’s a. Codex Gigas

collections of scientific writings, known as a b. Codex Atlanticus
codex. What is the name of the specific c. Codex Leicester
codex he owns? d. Codex Bezae

10.The largest display of da Vinci’s works a. February 2020

recently ended at the Louvre. What month b. March 2020
did it close? c. January 2020
d. December 2019

ACTIVITY TWO: THE RENAISSANCE (10 MARKS)

Place the correct response – a, b, c or d – in the answer booklet.

QUESTION MULTIPLE CHOICE

11. Which artist alongside da Vinci and a. Donatello

Michelangelo completed the famed ‘three b. Raphael
giants’ of the High Renaissance? c. Bacon
d. Bernini
12. Approximately how long did it take for a. 2 years
Michelangelo to complete the fresco on b. 1 year
the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? c. 6 months
d. 4 years
13. One of the major developments during a. Johannes Gutenberg
the Renaissance was the invention of the b. Johannes Kepler
printing press. Who invented it? c. John Harington
d. John Dee
14. When was the King James Bible a. 1604
published? b. 1611
c. 1606
d. 1612
15. Historian Jonathan Trueman found one a. $150
Venetian ducat to be 3.545 grams of pure b. $200
gold. Using today’s gold prices, how c. $100
much would one ducat be approximately d. $50
worth in Australian dollars?

16. After its arrival in Europe, what product a. Aloe vera

was used as an all-powerful healing b. Tobacco
agent? c. Opium
d. Tea
17. Barbers often undertook which types of a. Surgeons
roles during the Renaissance? b. Sword-based weapon manufacturers
c. Fashion stylists
d. Dentists
18. Approximately how many individuals a. 5 million
comprise the Paris catacombs? b. 6 million
c. 7 million
d. 8 million
19. When was the telescope invented? a. 1608
b. 1609

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 Task developed by Manan Luthra, University of Sydney, 2020

c. 1606
d. 1610
20. Theologist William Tyndale was accused a. Distributing the Bible to the poor
and convicted on what religious charge? b. Publicly opposing the formation of the
Church of England
c. Burning a church
d. Translating the Bible into English

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 Task developed by Manan Luthra, University of Sydney, 2020

SECTION 2
CHANCE AND CONTRAPTIONS (10 MARKS)
With reference to the images below, note in your answer booklet the name of the invention
and the person who discovered it by chance.

INVENTION

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Task developed by Manan Luthra, University of Sydney, 2020

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Task developed by Manan Luthra, University of Sydney, 2020

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 Task developed by Manan Luthra, University of Sydney, 2020

SECTION 3
ICONS AND CHANCE (10 MARKS)
With reference to the images below, please write in your answer books the name of the
individual/group pictured and their link to the concept of chance/good fortune.

ICON

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Task developed by Manan Luthra, University of Sydney, 2020

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Task developed by Manan Luthra, University of Sydney, 2020

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 Task developed by Manan Luthra, University of Sydney, 2020

SECTION 4
CHANCE OVER TIME (10 MARKS)
In this image are numerous iconic events that occurred (or didn’t) only by chance or good
luck. Describe as many as you can, with the relevant decade the event occurred in (or would
have), in the answer booklet.

END OF PAPER

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