Fact Sheet

DANTES Subject Standardized Tests

ART OF THE WESTERN WORLD

TEST INFORMATION Approximate

Percent
This test was developed to enable schools to award III. Early Renaissance 10%
credit to students for knowledge equivalent to that, A. Italy
which is learned, by students taking the course. The B. Northern Europe
school may choose to award college credit to the
student based on the achievement of a passing score. IV. High Renaissance 13%
The passing score for each examination is A. Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael,
determined by the school based on recommendations Michelangelo
from the American Council on Education (ACE). B. Venetian art and architecture
This minimum credit-awarding score is equal to the
mean score of students in the norming sample who V. Baroque 10%
received a grade of C in the course. Some schools A. Italy and Austria
set their own standards for awarding credit and may B. Spain, Holland, and Flanders
require a higher score than the ACE
recommendation. Students should obtain this VI. Rococo, Neoclassicism, and 13%
information from the institution where they expect to Romanticism
receive credit.
VII. Realism, Impressionism, and 11%
Post-impressionism
CONTENT
VIII. Early Twentieth Century 10%
The following topics, which are commonly taught in
A. Emergence of modern styles: e.g.,
courses on this subject, are covered by this
art nouveau, expressionism, and
examination.
Approximate cubism
Percent B. Art between the World Wars:
I. Classical 12% e.g., dada and surrealism
A. Ancient Greece
B. Republican and Imperial Rome IX. Post World War II. 13%
A. 1945-1968: e.g., abstract
II. Romanesque and Gothic 8% impressionism and pop art
A. Early Middle Ages to the B. 1968 to the present
Romanesque period
B. High Middle Ages (Gothic)

Copyright © 2007 Prometric Inc., a Delaware corporation. All rights reserved. PROMETRIC, DSST, the DSST logo and Prometric design logo are
trademarks of Prometric. ACE is a registered trademark of the American Council on Education.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS 7. The nineteenth-century French neoclassical
painter Ingres is best known for his use of
1. The Ara Pacis Augustae reflects the influence of (A) line
which of the following? (B) chiaroscuro
(A) The Arch of Constantine (C) black
(B) The Hadrianic sculpture (D) color
(C) The Parthenon sculpture
(D) The Column of Trajan 8. Goya’s The Third of May 1808 emphasizes
which of the following?
2. One basic design for Christian churches in the (A) Humanity’s noble and rational side
Middle Ages can be traced back to the (B) Humanity’s dark and corrupt side
(A) Ara Pacis (C) The optimism of the Enlightenment
(B) Greek temple (D) The glory of war and respect for the
(C) Pantheon aristocracy
(D) Roman basilica
9. In paintings such as A Sunday Afternoon on the
3. Masaccio’s Trinity exemplifies the influence of Island of La Grande Jatte, Georges Seurat
the theories of which of the following? expressed his theories on which of the
following?
(A) Botticelli
(B) Brunelleschi (A) Color
(C) Marcilio Ficino (B) Landscape
(D) Cosimo de’ Medici (C) Momentary light effects
(D) Perspective
4. The term “chiaroscuro” refers to which of the
following? 10. Umberto Boccioni’s Unique Forms of
(A) One point perspective Continuity in Space has been compared to which
(B) Light and shadow of the following:
(C) Aerial perspective
(D) Closed form (A) Polykleitos’ Doryphous
(B) Victory of Samothrace
5. Ruben’s art is known for its (C) Donatello’s St. George
(D) Bernini’s Ecstacy of Saint Theresa
(A) sense of calm and order
(B) dynamism and theatricality
11. Which of the following artistic movements or
(C) treatment of mythological subjects
styles of the twentieth century was intended to
(D) treatment of landscape elements
satirize middle-class values?
6. The greatest exponent of neoclassicism in
(A) Earth-works
painting was which of the following?
(B) Minimalism
(A) Francois Boucher (C) Pop art
(B) Jacques-Louis David (D) Process art
(C) Eugène Delacroix
(D) Jean-Baptiste Greuze 12. Which of the following is known for staining
raw canvases, a technique that influenced the
development of color-field painting?

(A) Mary Cassatt

(B) Helen Frankenthaler
(C) Barbara Kruger
(D) Judy Chicago

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STUDYING FOR THE EXAMINATION CREDIT RECOMMENDATIONS
The following is a list of reference publications that
The Center for Adult Learning and Educational
were being used as textbooks in college courses of
Credentials for the American Council on Education
the same or similar title at the time the test was
(ACE) has reviewed and evaluated the DSST
developed. Appropriate textbooks for study are not
examination development process. The American
limited to those listed below. If you wish to obtain
Council on Education has made the following
study resources to prepare for the examination, you
recommendations:
may reference either the current edition of the
following titles or textbooks currently used at a local
Area or Course
college or university for the same class title. It is
Equivalent: Art of the Western World
recommended that you reference more than one
Level: Lower level baccalaureate
textbook on the topics outlined in this fact sheet.
Amount of Credit: Three (3) semester hours
You should begin by checking textbook content
Source: ACE Commission on
against the content outline included on the front
Educational Credit and
page of this Fact Sheet before selecting textbooks
Credentials
that cover the test content from which to study.
Textbooks may be found at the campus bookstore of
a local college or university offering a course on the INFORMATION
subject.
Colleges and universities that would like additional
Sources for study material suggested but not limited information about the national norming, or
to the following: assistance in local norming or score validation
studies should write to: DSST Program, Prometric,
Gealt, A.; Jaffe, L.; Stewart, A.; and Macek, P. Art 2000 Lenox Drive, 3rd Floor, Lawrenceville, NJ
of the Western World, Study Guide. New York: 08648.
McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., current edition.
It is advisable that schools develop a consistent
Gardner, H. Art through the Ages. Orlando, FL: policy about awarding credit based on scores from
Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, Inc., current edition. this test and that the policy be reviewed periodically.
Prometric will be happy to help schools in this
Honour, Hugh and Fleming, John. The Visual Arts: effort.
A History. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.,
current edition.

Janson, H.W. History of Art. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:

Prentice-Hall, Inc., current edition.

Current textbook used by a local college or

university for a course on the subject.

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