Q 01/05

Cave paintings belong to which broader category of art, which also includes engravings on cave walls?

A) Mobiliary art

B) Kinetic art

C) Parietal art

D) Plastic art

Answer · why

C) Parietal art

The term usually implies a prehistoric origin.

Q 02/05

Roughly how many caves containing prehistoric art have been found in France and Spain?

A) About 120

B) About 40

C) Nearly 350

D) Over 1,000

Answer · why

C) Nearly 350

Early dating was contentious because cave debris from many eras contaminates radiocarbon samples.

Q 03/05

Besides sampling pigment, what traces left by cave painters' lighting can be dated to establish a painting's age?

A) Water stains

B) Torch marks

C) Chisel scratches

D) Bat droppings

Answer · why

B) Torch marks

Carbonate deposits forming on top of paintings can also give a minimum age.

Q 04/05

Which subjects appear most often in prehistoric cave paintings?

A) Domestic dogs, sheep and goats

B) Big game like bison, horses and deer

C) Eagles and other birds of prey

D) Fish and other sea creatures

Answer · why

B) Big game like bison, horses and deer

Plants account for less than 1% of the symbols depicted in European cave art.

Q 05/05

Which pigments did cave painters typically use?

A) Ochre, hematite, manganese oxide and charcoal

B) Lead white, cinnabar and gold leaf

C) Egg tempera and beeswax

D) Indigo, saffron and lapis lazuli

Answer · why

A) Ochre, hematite, manganese oxide and charcoal

Sometimes the animal's silhouette was incised into the rock before painting.