Universities and Humanism Class 11 – Concept, MCQs & Notes PDF

Topic covered: Universities and Humanism class 11 notes and MCQs questions: Changing Cultural Traditions (All single detail notes are exam-oriented).

We have discussed in-depth and exam-oriented pointers that can be asked in the board exam of class 11th about “Universities and Humanism“ from the NCERT history notes for class 11th chapter 5 “Changing Cultural Traditions”.

Download the NCERT History for Class 11th Chapter 5 Changing Cultural Traditions Notes PDF

Download the NCERT History for Class 11th Chapter 5 Changing Cultural Traditions Notes PDF if you want a clear and readable explanation of how ideas, art, and knowledge began to change in medieval Europe. These notes walk you through the revival of Italian cities, the growth of universities, and the rise of humanism, showing how people started to look at history, science, and philosophy in new ways. You will also learn about the Arab contribution to knowledge, realistic art, architecture, the first printed books, and changing views about human beings and women. The chapter ends with important religious debates and scientific ideas like the Copernican Revolution, helping you understand how people began to read and interpret the universe differently.

Universities and Humanism

1. Establishment of Early European Universities:

• The earliest universities in Europe were set up in Italian towns
• Padua and Bologna emerged as important early universities

2. Padua and Bologna as Centres of Legal Studies:

• From the eleventh century, Padua and Bologna became centres of legal studies
• Commerce was the chief activity in these cities
• Growth of trade created a rising demand for lawyers and notaries
• Notaries acted as a combination of solicitor and record-keeper
• Legal experts were required to write and interpret rules and written agreements
• Large-scale trade was not possible without written laws
• As a result, law became a popular subject of study

3. Shift in the Study of Law:

• Law began to be studied in the context of earlier Roman culture
• This marked a change in emphasis from earlier approaches to learning

4. Role of Francesco Petrarch:

• Francesco Petrarch (1304–78) represented this intellectual change
• He viewed antiquity as a distinctive civilisation
• Petrarch believed antiquity could be understood through the actual words of ancient Greeks and Romans
• He stressed the importance of close reading of ancient authors

5. Emergence of Humanist Educational Ideas:

• Petrarch’s educational ideas suggested that religious teaching alone was insufficient
• There was much knowledge that lay outside religious instruction
• This cultural movement was later called ‘humanism’ by nineteenth-century historians

6. Meaning and Subjects of Humanism:

• By the early fifteenth century, the term ‘humanist’ referred to teachers of:
  • Grammar
  • Rhetoric
  • Poetry
  • History
  • Moral philosophy
• The term humanitas was derived from Latin
• Cicero (106–43 BCE) used the term humanitas to mean culture
• These subjects were:
  • Not drawn from religion
  • Not connected with religious teaching
• Emphasis was placed on skills developed through discussion and debate

7. Spread of Humanist Ideas to Other Universities:

• These new ideas attracted attention in many other universities
• They had a strong influence on the newly established university of Florence
• Florence was Petrarch’s home-town

8. Florence Before the Fifteenth Century:

• Till the end of the thirteenth century, Florence was:
  • Not a major centre of trade
  • Not a major centre of learning

9. Transformation of Florence in the Fifteenth Century:

• Florence changed dramatically in the fifteenth century
• A city came to be known by its great citizens, not just wealth

10. Contribution of Dante Alighieri:

• Dante Alighieri (1265–1321) was a layman
• He wrote on religious themes
• He contributed to Florence’s growing cultural reputation

11. Contribution of Giotto:

• Giotto (1267–1337) was an artist
• He painted lifelike portraits
• His work was very different from the stiff figures of earlier artists

12. Florence as an Intellectual and Artistic Centre:

• Florence developed as:
  • The most exciting intellectual city in Italy
  • A major centre of artistic creativity

13. Concept of the ‘Renaissance Man’:

• The term ‘Renaissance Man’ describes a person with:
  • Many interests
  • Many skills
• Many famous individuals of the time were multi-talented
• They combined roles such as:
  • Scholar
  • Diplomat
  • Theologian
  • Artist

14. Giovanni Pico della Mirandola and Debate:

• Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463–94) was a Florentine humanist
• He wrote On the Dignity of Man (1486)
• He highlighted the importance of debate
• He referred to Plato and Aristotle
• Debate was seen as essential for attaining knowledge of truth
• Intellectual debate strengthened the energy of the mind
• He compared debate to gymnastic exercise for the body

Next & Previous Topics of NCERT/CBSE History Class 11 Chapter 5: Changing Cultural Traditions

MCQs on NCERT History Class 11 Chapter 5 – Universities and Humanism Class 11

Here are the top exam-oriented MCQ-type questions on “Universities and Humanism Class 11” that you should prepare for your CBSE or state board exams:

Question 1. The earliest universities in Europe were established in:

A. France
B. England
C. Italian towns
D. Germany

Answer: C

Question 2. The universities of Padua and Bologna became famous mainly for studies in:

A. Medicine
B. Philosophy
C. Law
D. Theology

Answer: C

Question 3. From the eleventh century, Padua and Bologna were centres of:

A. Religious education
B. Scientific research
C. Legal studies
D. Military training

Answer: C

Question 4. The growing demand for lawyers in Italian cities was mainly due to:

A. Feudal disputes
B. Religious conflicts
C. Expansion of commerce
D. Political revolts

Answer: C

Question 5. Notaries were professionals who acted mainly as:

A. Judges and priests
B. Solicitors and record-keepers
C. Teachers and scholars
D. Merchants and traders

Answer: B

Question 6. Large-scale trade required written agreements because:

A. Oral customs were banned
B. Trade laws were religious
C. Rules had to be recorded and interpreted
D. Kings demanded it

Answer: C

Question 7. Law became a popular subject mainly because it supported:

A. Religious authority
B. Feudal privileges
C. Commercial activity
D. Military expansion

Answer: C

Question 8. The study of law began to be linked with:

A. Church teachings
B. Roman culture
C. Islamic traditions
D. Feudal customs

Answer: B

Question 9. Francesco Petrarch is associated with a shift towards:

A. Scholastic theology
B. Scientific learning
C. Classical antiquity
D. Political theory

Answer: C

Question 10. Petrarch believed antiquity could be understood best through:

A. Church interpretations
B. Medieval commentaries
C. Original Greek and Roman texts
D. Translations

Answer: C

Question 11. Petrarch stressed the importance of:

A. Religious sermons
B. Close reading of ancient authors
C. Military education
D. Legal memorisation

Answer: B

Question 12. According to Petrarch, religious teaching alone was:

A. Sufficient for all knowledge
B. Superior to all learning
C. Inadequate for full understanding
D. Opposed to education

Answer: C

Question 13. The cultural movement described here was later called:

A. Scholasticism
B. Feudalism
C. Humanism
D. Absolutism

Answer: C

Question 14. The term ‘humanist’ was used by the early fifteenth century for teachers of:

A. Law and medicine
B. Theology and philosophy
C. Grammar, rhetoric, poetry, history and moral philosophy
D. Mathematics and astronomy

Answer: C

Question 15. The word ‘humanities’ is derived from the Latin term:

A. Cultura
B. Humanitas
C. Scientia
D. Religio

Answer: B

Question 16. The term humanitas was first used by:

A. Plato
B. Aristotle
C. Cicero
D. Petrarch

Answer: C

Question 17. Cicero lived during the period of:

A. Augustus
B. Julius Caesar
C. Constantine
D. Nero

Answer: B

Question 18. Humanist subjects were different because they were:

A. Religious in nature
B. Connected to theology
C. Independent of religion
D. Controlled by the Church

Answer: C

Question 19. Humanist education emphasised skills developed through:

A. Memorisation
B. Debate and discussion
C. Religious rituals
D. Manual labour

Answer: B

Question 20. These new ideas spread especially to the university of:

A. Rome
B. Venice
C. Florence
D. Milan

Answer: C

Question 21. Florence was Petrarch’s:

A. Birthplace
B. Home-town
C. University town
D. Political capital

Answer: B

Question 22. Till the end of the thirteenth century, Florence was not known as a centre of:

A. Art
B. Trade or learning
C. Religion
D. Politics

Answer: B

Question 23. Florence became famous in the fifteenth century mainly due to its:

A. Military strength
B. Feudal power
C. Great citizens and culture
D. Religious authority

Answer: C

Question 24. Dante Alighieri is described as a:

A. Clergyman poet
B. Court historian
C. Layman writing on religious themes
D. Church official

Answer: C

Question 25. Giotto was known for painting:

A. Abstract art
B. Mythological scenes
C. Lifelike portraits
D. Religious symbols only

Answer: C

Question 26. Giotto’s work differed from earlier artists because earlier figures were:

A. Colourful
B. Detailed
C. Stiff
D. Realistic

Answer: C

Question 27. Florence later developed as Italy’s leading centre of:

A. Feudal administration
B. Military power
C. Intellectual and artistic creativity
D. Religious reform

Answer: C

Question 28. The term ‘Renaissance Man’ refers to a person who:

A. Was religious only
B. Had one specialised skill
C. Had many interests and skills
D. Was a noble by birth

Answer: C

Question 29. Renaissance individuals often combined roles such as:

A. Farmer and trader
B. Scholar, diplomat, theologian and artist
C. Soldier and priest
D. King and general

Answer: B

Question 30. Giovanni Pico della Mirandola belonged to the city of:

A. Rome
B. Venice
C. Florence
D. Milan

Answer: C

Question 31. Pico wrote On the Dignity of Man in:

A. 1453
B. 1486
C. 1500
D. 1534

Answer: B

Question 32. According to Pico, knowledge of truth is best attained through:

A. Prayer
B. Memorisation
C. Debate
D. Solitude

Answer: C

Question 33. Pico compared debate to:

A. Religious ritual
B. Market exchange
C. Gymnastic exercise
D. Court proceedings

Answer: C

Question 34. Debate strengthens the:

A. Body only
B. Mind only
C. Body and mind
D. Spirit only

Answer: B

Question 35. Humanism marked a shift away from:

A. Classical learning
B. Individual development
C. Exclusive religious teaching
D. Debate and discussion

Answer: C

Question 36. The growth of universities reflects:

A. Decline of learning
B. Rise of commercial and intellectual needs
C. Spread of feudalism
D. Church domination

Answer: B

Question 37. Italian universities first expanded because of demand created by:

A. Agriculture
B. Warfare
C. Trade
D. Religion

Answer: C

Question 38. Humanist education encouraged students to become:

A. Obedient followers
B. Skilled individuals
C. Religious reformers
D. Political rebels

Answer: B

Question 39. The Renaissance culture valued individuals mainly for their:

A. Birth
B. Wealth
C. Skills and learning
D. Religious status

Answer: C

Question 40. The passage mainly highlights the rise of:

A. Feudal education
B. Church-controlled learning
C. Humanism and Renaissance thought
D. Military training

Answer: C