Leonardo da Vinci: Fact or Fiction Quiz

Who was Leonardo da Vinci’s mother?

• A noblewoman disinherited for her love affair
• A traveling musician and performer
• A woman from the lower class
• A wealthy merchant’s daughter fleeing an arranged marriage

What was Leonardo da Vinci’s earliest recorded memory?

• Witnessing a solar eclipse
• A kite landing on his cradle
• His father gifting him a set of drawing tools
• A vivid dream of flying over his hometown

Which skill was part of Leonardo’s workshop training?

• Swordsmanship and horsemanship
• Musical composition and performance
• Alchemy and herbal medicine
• Leatherworking and mechanics

Which of these projects did Leonardo start but never finish?

• A portrait of Lorenzo de’ Medici
• An altarpiece for the Chapel of Saint Bernard
• Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno
• A bronze sculpture of a mythical creature

Leonardo’s first major engineering challenge in Milan involved designing what?

• A system to defend Venice from naval attack
• A new type of cannon for the Duke of Milan
• An irrigation system for the vineyards of Florence
• A bridge capable of spanning the Arno River

How did Leonardo achieve such precise anatomical drawings?

• Ancient Greek medical texts
• Careful observation of live models
• Dissections of human corpses
• Imagination and artistic intuition

What was the title of the book Leonardo collaborated on about geometry?

• The Elements of Geometry
• Divine Proportion
• Perspective for Painters
• The Mirror of the World

Besides the Mona Lisa, which other painting showcases Leonardo’s sfumato technique?

• The Last Supper
• The Virgin and Child with St. Anne and St. John the Baptist
• Lady with an Ermine

Leonardo also designed sets and costumes. For what kind of productions?

• Religious festivals and processions
• Courtly pageants and entertainments
• Early theatrical productions
• Carnival celebrations

For which aspect of his genius was Leonardo da Vinci particularly admired by King Francis I of France?

• Artistic talent and masterful paintings
• Technological innovations and inventions
• Anatomical knowledge and medical insights
• Philosophical wisdom and understanding of nature