Bits and Pieces of Architecture! Quiz

Answer: Balustrade

A balustrade is a row of repeating balusters, small posts that support the upper rail. These are usually found on porches and staircases. The balusters and balustrade can be very simple or intricately carved depending on the architectural style of the building. Balustrades are used to provide protection to keep someone from falling off porches and stairs, and to provide a point of balance on which someone climbing or descending can put their hand.

Answer: Frieze

Part of the entablature, the frieze is usually decorated with low relief sculpture. Often found above columns, the frieze is often carved stone but can be painted. The photo displays a frieze with a row of monks in prayer being supported by a column. The other three options are all types of animals.

Answer: Scaring off pigeons

Carved owls, made of stone or wood, are often built into the roofs. Sometimes they are simply attached with screws or nails. They are known by many as pigeon repellents. How well they work is a matter of opinion, but many of them are miniature works of art. Unlike other structures with decorative animals carved on them, they are not an integral part of building structure, nor are they a simple decoration.

They are there to keep the damage done to buildings by birds and rodents to a minimum.

Answer: Bay window

There are many styles of bay window. The one in the drawing is a classic style bay window. When the protruding window is rounded instead of angular it is known as a bow window. Bay windows have been part of architectural plans for centuries. These windows tend to be very striking and have the ability to make a small room look much larger.

They also bring in the maximum amount of sunlight into dark rooms. They often are constructed with a small window seat built in.

Answer: Abacus

The abacus is a flat slab of stone that sits on top of the capital of a columns. Usually it is wider than the capital and its main purpose it to provide a surface which supports the architrave above it. Like many parts of a building, it may be simple or it may be highly carved or decorated in another manner. The other three options are all types of animals.

Answer: True

Dominating many examples of Gothic architecture, the flying buttress was used to support the outer walls of buildings after the use of long tall windows came into use. Most flying buttress started from the top of the wall at the location where vaults directed the weight of the roof. From there the buttresses would carry the weight of the roof away from the building and down the row of buttresses.

It no longer mattered what the walls were made of, or how many windows a building had, because the building was being supported by these buttresses.

They also gave an aura of elegance and intricacy to these buildings.

Answer: Widow's walk

Often found on New England coastal houses of the 18th and 19th centuries, a widow's walk was a simple enclosed platform from which women would watch for their beloved to return from an ocean voyage. The platform sometimes had a cupola to protect the watcher from cold or wet weather.

The vicious weather in this area led to high death rates for seafarers, which in turn led to the somewhat morbid name given to this architectural feature.

Answer: Ziggurat

Ziggurats are ancient pyramid-shaped towers usually built to serve as a temple. They were usually massive buildings, similar to a step-pyramid with the actual temple located at the very top. These buildings were usually part of a complete temple complex that contained other buildings. Made of sunbaked brick, each ziggurat was unique.

The remains of these buildings are sources of pride for their countries, and most are protected against further damage and destruction from humans and from the sands of time.

Answer: Caryatids

A caryatid is a (usually) female figure that is used in the same way any other column would be used. They usually appeared in flowing robes supporting the entablature of a building. The ancient engineer Vitruvius wrote that caryatids were named after the women of the Spartan town of Karyai as a punishment for their betrayal during the Persian Wars, but that is a matter of historical debate. Caryatids were used to support the outer walls or porticos of temples and possibly to provide a look that the building was always protected.

Answer: False

This is false. A lintel is the load-bearing beam above the opening for a doorway, window, or fireplace. It is designed to hold the weight of the wall above it. It can be made of brick, stone, or wood. It can be simple and utilitarian or it can be highly decorated.