History: Renaissance ItalyWritten examination – November

IntroductionThe examination criteria and description are published in the VCE History Assessment Handbook 2005–2014.The examination will be organised into four sections, one for each of the four outcomes. Each section is worth 20 marks. All questions are compulsory. There will be a choice within the question set for Section C.Section A will consist of two extended response questions similar in style to the questions in Section A of the 2000–2004 examinations. Section B will require students to analyse short documents, commentaries or interpretations. The number of questions in this section may vary slightly from year to year. Section C will be an essay, where students will have a choice of either an essay topic set on Florence or an essay topic set on Venice. Section D will require an analysis of a written and/or visual representation. The number of questions in this section may vary slightly from year to year.As in past examinations the examination paper will be in the form of a question and answer book.The following sample examination provides an indication of the type of questions and the length of responses teachers and students can expect on History: Renaissance Italy examinations.

© VICTORIAN CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT AUTHORITY 2005

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S A M P L E

SUPERVISOR TO ATTACH PROCESSING LABEL HERE

Figures

Words

STUDENT NUMBER Letter

Victorian Certificate of Education 2005

HISTORY: Renaissance ItalyWritten examination

Day Date 2005 Reading time: *.** to *.** (15 minutes) Writing time: *.** to *.** (2 hours)

QUESTION AND ANSWER BOOK

Structure of bookSection Number of

questionsNumber of questions

to be answeredNumber of

marks

A 2 2 20B 4 4 20C 2 1 20D 3 3 20

Total 80

• Studentsarepermittedtobringintotheexaminationroom:pens,pencils,highlighters,erasers,sharpenersandrulers.

• StudentsareNOTpermittedtobringintotheexaminationroom:blanksheetsofpaperand/orwhiteoutliquid/tape.

• Nocalculatorisallowedinthisexamination.

Materials supplied• Questionandanswerbookof17pages.ThereisadetachableinsertforSectionDinthecentrefold.• Ascriptbookisavailablefromthesupervisorifrequired.

Instructions• Detachtheinsertfromthecentreofthisbookduringreadingtime.• Writeyourstudent number inthespaceprovidedaboveonthispage,andonthefrontcoverofany

scriptbookused.

• AllwrittenresponsesmustbeinEnglish.

At the end of the examination• Ifascriptbookisused,placeitinsidethefrontcoverofthisquestionandanswerbook.

Students are NOT permitted to bring mobile phones and/or any other electronic communication devices into the examination room.

©VICTORIANCURRICULUMANDASSESSMENTAUTHORITY2005

Version2–February2012

HISTRENEXAM(SAMPLE) 2 Version2–February2012

SECTION A–continued

Question 1Politicalstructuresofcity-statesdifferedacrosstheItalianpeninsula.Examinethepoliticalstructuresoftwodifferenttypesofcity-statesandexplainhowtheydiffered.

10marks

SECTION A

Instructions for Section AAnswerbothquestionsinthespacesprovided.ThefollowingquestionsfocusonUnit3,Outcome1:TheItalianPeninsulaandtheRenaissance.

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Question 2UsefivemainpointstoexplainwhythehumanistsweresointerestedinadaptingideasfromclassicalGreeceandRome.

10marks

Total20marks

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SECTION B–continued

Alamanno Rinuccini: ‘Dialogue on Liberty’ 1479IdonotthinkthatthereisanyStateinthewholeofItalythathasdefendedlibertysostrenuouslyandforsolongasFlorencehas,orwheresuchampleandundefiledlibertyhasflourished...Butyouaresoignoblyandsocarelesslylettingslipoutofyourhandsthisnoble,magnificentgiftoflibertypreservedbyyourancestorswithsomucheffortandexpense,andhandeddownfromfathertoson...ThetrulymagnanimousandwhollynobleJacopoandFrancescode’Pazziandleadingmenofthesamefamily...undertookadeedfullofglory...inordertorestoretothemselvesandtheirnativecountrythelibertythathadbeentakenawayfromthem...ThemagnitudeofLorenzo’scrueltytowardscitizens,hisshamelessnessandhisinsolencecanbeadequatelyrealizedfromthefacts:thecitizensofFlorencewere...ruinedbyunremittingpaymentoftaxesformanyyearswhentherewaspeacefromexternalenemies,andthenheinvolvedtheminaveryburdensome,dangerousandruinouswarwhichwasundertakenbyLorenzode’Medici,thetyrantofFlorence,forthelibertyofthepeople...LorenzohasprobablyexasperatedthemostpowerfulprincesinItalybyhisinsolence,temerityandingratitude,andhasinvolvedtheStateinaburdensomeanddisastrouswar,which,thosewhostarteditavow,wasundertakennotagainsttheFlorentinepeoplebutforthepurposeoffreeingthepeoplefromthesavagetyrannyofLorenzo.

Angelo Poliziano: ‘Memoirs of the Pazzi Conspiracy’IamresolvedtodescribebrieflythePazziConspiracy,acrimemostworthyofrecord...WhileallthegoodpeoplewereonthesideofthebrothersLorenzoandGiulianoandtherestoftheMedicifamily,abranchofthePazzifamilyandsomeoftheSalviatibegan,firstinsecretandthenevenopenly,toopposetheexistinggovernment.TheyenviedthepoweroftheMedicifamilyinpublicaffairsanditsbrillianceinprivateones,andtheysoughttodestroyitasmuchastheycould...CitizensandcommonpeoplealikehatedthePazzifamily.Moreover,theywereallextremelygreedy,andnonecouldstandtheiroutrageousandinsolentnature.(TheplottooverthrowtheMedicifailed,althoughGiulianode’Mediciwasmurdered.ThePazziandtheirsupporterswereroundedup.)I remember thatIcametheninto thepiazza,whereIsawmanycorpsesstrewnabout, foullymangledandgreatlymockedandscornedbythepeople,fortheHouseofMedicihadearnedthegratitudeofthepeopleformanyreasons.EveryoneabhorredthedeathofGiuliano...Moreover,theyhadevensoughttokillLorenzo,inwhomallthewell-beingofthewholeFlorentineRepubliclay,thatveryLorenzoinwhomthehopeandpowerofthepeoplewereplaced...Groupsofcitizens,withtheirchildrenandfollowers,offeredhimtheirsupportandwealth,affirmingthattheirsafety,bothpublicandprivate,dependeduponhislife.

SECTION B

Instructions for Section BAnswerthefollowingfourquestionsinresponsetothewrittenrepresentation.AllquestionsfocusonUnit3Outcome2:RenaissanceFlorence.

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Question 1HowdoRinucciniandPolizianodisagreeonthenatureofLorenzo’srule?

4marks

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SECTION B–continued

Question 2HowdoRinucciniandPolizianousetheconceptofliberty?

4marks

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Question 3ThePazziConspiracywasnotthefirstchallengetotheauthorityoftherulinggroup.Identifyoneotherchallengetotherulinggroupandassessitsoutcome.

4marks

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Question 4HowvalidwasRinuccini’sdescriptionofLorenzoasa‘despot’?Drawonotherevidencebothprimaryandsecondarysources.

8marks

Total20marks

END OF SECTION B

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SECTION C

Instructions for Section CChooseoneofthefollowingessaytopicswhichfocusonUnit4Outcome1:SocialLifeinRenaissanceItaly.

Question 1TheFlorentinepatricianGiovanniRucellaiadvisedhissons‘Ihavealwaysremainedongoodtermswithmyrelativesandneighboursandotherresidentsofthedistrict...’WhywasitsoimportantforaFlorentinepatriciantomaintainarangeofsocialrelationships?

OR

Question 2TheVenetiandiaristGirolamoPriuliboastedthat‘Venicewasopentoforeigners,andallcouldcomeandgowithoutanyobstacle’.TowhatextentwereforeignersincludedinVenice’scitylife?

Total20marks

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SECTION C–continued

EitherQuestion1 orQuestion2

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Question 1HowdoesVeronesepromotetheMythofVenice?

5marks

SECTION D

Instructions for Section DRemovetheinsertfromthecentreofthisbookbeforeansweringthissection.Answerthefollowingthreequestionsinresponsetothevisualrepresentationandthewrittenrepresentation.AllquestionsfocusonUnit4Outcome2:RenaissanceVenice.

HISTRENEXAM(SAMPLE) 16 Version2–February2012

SECTION D–continued

Question 2WhatcomponentsoftheMythofVenicedoesBenedettoDeiquestion?

5marks

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Question 3IthasbeenarguedthatastheinfluenceofVenicedeclined,thepoweroftheMythofVeniceincreased.Doyouagree?

10marks

Total20marks

Ascriptbookisavailablefromthesupervisorifyouneedextrapapertocompleteyouranswer.Pleaseensureyouwriteyourstudent numberinthespaceprovidedonthefrontcoverofthescriptbook.Attheendoftheexamination,placethescriptbookinsidethefrontcoverofthisquestionandanswerbook.

END OF QUESTION AND ANSWER BOOK

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Instructions for Section DPlease remove from the centre of this book during reading time.

Version 2 – February 2012

Paolo Veronese (c. 1530–1588): Juno lavishing her treasures on Venice, 1553–1554. Ceiling painting in the hall of the council of ten, Ducal Palace.Juno was a Roman goddess, both the sister and wife of Jupiter. She was worshipped as the protectress of women.

Version 2 – February 2012

Benedetto Dei, extract Invective against Venice, c. 1472. Dei lived for twelve years in Venice

… Florence is more beautiful than your city of Venice, and more ancient by 540 years. Furthermore we spring from three honourable ancestries: Roman, French and Fiesolan. Just compare your own descent, likewise from three stems: Slavs, Paduans and fishermen from Malamocco and Chioggia. We are the disciples of St John, not of your St Mark, and there is the same difference as between French wool and the wool stuffed into rough mattresses. And in another respect the Florentines are richer and greater than you are: in their 30,000 landed estates belonging to gentlemen, merchants, ordinary citizens and artisans… We are a lot more powerful than you in commerce, because your Signoria has no major trading-post other than Alexandria, for spices, cotton and wax, which commodities we Florentines get at a better price by the routes through Bursia [an important trading post in Asia Minor], and in exchange we sell cloth, whereas you pay in gold ducats… the city of Venice has undergone more revolutions and innovations and bloodshed than have the four most violent and warlike cities in Italy…whose joint tally would not equal a quarter of that of the city of Venice…

[cited in Chambers, D., Pullen, B. & Fletcher, J., Venice – A Documentary Study, Blackwell, Oxford, 1992 pp. 68–69]

END OF INSERT FOR SECTION D