Art · Unit 1
What is Art?
What art is, who makes it and why
There is no definition of art that includes everything people call art and excludes everything they do not, and the failure of every attempt is itself informative.
The unit covers what art might be, who makes it, where it appears outside galleries, why people make it at all, and how to look at a work rather than glance at it.
This unit breaks down into 22 short steps and 131 questions, starting at difficulty 1 and building to 2. Below you can see exactly what it covers, how the path is structured, and worked examples with explanations.
- Steps
- 22
- Questions
- 131
- Difficulty
- 1-2
What this unit covers
- What Art Is
- Who Makes Art
- Art All Around Us
- Why We Make Art
- Looking at Art
Where this fits
The first unit in the Art track. Art Theory and Criticism returns to the question properly.
Where people slip
Skill and art are not the same thing. Some highly skilled work is not considered art and some art requires very little manual skill, which is exactly why the definition keeps failing.
How the unit is structured
What is Art? runs as 22 short steps that unlock in order. 16 are practice rounds and 6 are challenge rounds that pull together everything before them. Questions start at difficulty 1 and climb to 2 as you progress.
Challenge rounds
Example questions
30 real questions from this unit, with the answer and the reason behind it, grouped by what they practise. There are 131 in the unit altogether.
Art All Around Us
- Choose all that applyLevel 1
1. Which of these can have art on them? Pick all that apply.
- A picture bookcorrect
- A postercorrect
- A T-shirt with a designcorrect
- A glass of plain water
Books, posters and T-shirts can all show art, but plain water cannot.
- Fact or fibLevel 1
2. Art can be found only inside houses.
Answer: False
Art is everywhere, on streets, in parks and in books, not only in houses.
- Fill the blankLevel 1
3. A big painting on an outside wall is called a ____.
- muralcorrect
- puddle
- window
- fence
A big painting made right on a wall is called a mural.
- Match the pairsLevel 1
4. Match each kind of art to where you often see it.
Answer: Painting = On a wall; Statue = In a park; Poster = On a door; Chalk drawing = On the sidewalk
Different kinds of art are seen in different places around us.
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
5. Where can you see lots of art in one place?
- A museumcorrect
- A swimming pool
- A car wash
- A shoe shop
A museum is a special building where lots of art is kept for people to see.
- Odd one outLevel 2
6. Which of these does NOT show any art or design?
- A blank grey wallcorrect
- A comic strip
- A movie poster
- A picture book
Comics, posters and picture books are full of art, but a blank grey wall has none.
Looking at Art
- Fill the blankLevel 1
7. When we look at art, we can talk about how it makes us ____.
- feelcorrect
- fly
- cook
- swim
Art can make us feel things, and it is fun to talk about those feelings.
- Guess the numberLevel 1
8. The famous painting the Mona Lisa shows a person. How many people does it show?
Answer: 1 people
The Mona Lisa shows one woman, so it shows just 1 person.
- Match the pairsLevel 1
9. Match each art word to what it means.
Answer: Portrait = A picture of a face; Landscape = A picture of hills and trees; Statue = Art made of stone or metal; Drawing = A picture made with a pencil
Each art word names a different kind of picture or thing.
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
10. When you look at a painting, what is a good thing to notice?
- The colours and shapes in itcorrect
- How much it weighs
- What it had for breakfast
- How fast it can run
Looking at the colours and shapes helps you enjoy and understand a painting.
- Odd one outLevel 1
11. Which is NOT a good way to enjoy art?
- Rip it upcorrect
- Look closely
- Talk about how it feels
- Take your time
Ripping art up would wreck it, the other choices are kind ways to enjoy art.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
12. Which things can you talk about when you look at a picture? Pick all that apply.
- The colourscorrect
- The shapescorrect
- How it makes you feelcorrect
- Its phone number
You can talk about a picture's colours, shapes and the feelings it gives you, but art has no phone number.
What Art Is
- Build the sentenceLevel 1
13. Build a cheerful sentence about making art.
Answer: Art is fun to make
Making art can be a happy and fun thing to do.
- Choose all that applyLevel 1
14. Which of these can you use to make art? Pick all that apply.
- Paintcorrect
- Pencilscorrect
- Claycorrect
- A cup of hot soup
Paint, pencils and clay are all things you can use to make art.
- Fact or fibLevel 1
15. Art always has to look exactly real to be good.
Answer: False
Art does not have to look real, some art uses shapes and colours in fun ways.
- Fill the blankLevel 1
16. Art can be a painting, a drawing, or a ____.
- sculpturecorrect
- sandwich
- shoe
- song
A sculpture is a kind of art you can walk around and see from all sides.
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
17. What is art?
- Something people make to show ideas and feelingscorrect
- A kind of food you eat
- A game played with a ball
- A place where you sleep
Art is something people make to share ideas, feelings and beauty.
- Odd one outLevel 1
18. Which one is NOT art?
- A sandwichcorrect
- A painting
- A drawing
- A clay statue
A sandwich is food, not art, while the others are all art.
Who Makes Art
- Fact or fibLevel 1
19. You must be famous to be an artist.
Answer: False
You do not have to be famous to be an artist, everyone can make art.
- Fill the blankLevel 1
20. A person who makes art out of clay or stone is a ____.
- sculptorcorrect
- sailor
- teacher
- farmer
An artist who shapes clay or stone into art is called a sculptor.
- Match the pairsLevel 1
21. Match each art job to what they make.
Answer: Painter = Paintings; Photographer = Photos; Potter = Pots; Cartoonist = Cartoons
Each kind of artist makes their own kind of art.
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
22. What do we call a person who makes art?
- An artistcorrect
- A doctor
- A pilot
- A chef
A person who makes art is called an artist.
- Build the sentenceLevel 2
23. Build a sentence about the artist Frida Kahlo.
Answer: Frida Kahlo was a famous painter
Frida Kahlo was a famous Mexican painter.
- Odd one outLevel 2
24. Which person is NOT making visual art?
- A soccer player kicking a ballcorrect
- A painter painting a picture
- A sculptor carving stone
- A photographer taking a photo
Kicking a soccer ball is a sport, not making art.
Why We Make Art
- Build the sentenceLevel 1
25. Build a sentence about a reason we make art.
Answer: Art can be a gift
A handmade piece of art can be a lovely gift for someone.
- Choose all that applyLevel 1
26. Which feelings can art show? Pick all that apply.
- Happycorrect
- Sadcorrect
- Excitedcorrect
- The exact time of day
Art can show many feelings, like happy, sad or excited.
- Fact or fibLevel 1
27. Art can help you remember a happy day.
Answer: True
A picture can help you remember a happy day for a long time.
- Fill the blankLevel 1
28. Some artists make art to tell a ____.
- storycorrect
- sandwich
- shoe
- nap
Some art tells a story with pictures instead of words.
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
29. Why do many people make art?
- To show their feelings and ideascorrect
- To make the room colder
- To grow taller
- To make it rain
Many people make art to share the feelings and ideas inside them.
- Match the pairsLevel 2
30. Match each artwork to the reason it was made.
Answer: A cave painting = To show animals people hunted; A birthday card = To make someone happy; A road sign = To give people a message
Different art is made for different reasons, like recording, celebrating or giving a message.
Where these questions come from. Each unit starts as a plan of the concepts it should cover and the difficulty it should span. Questions are written against that plan with AI assistance, then checked by a validator that rejects anything without a single defensible answer, an explanation, or plausible wrong options. How we write questions sets out the whole process, and corrections are fixed in the bank and reach the site and the app the same day.
How you practise
This unit mixes 14 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.
- Build the sentence
- Choose all that apply
- Fact or fib
- Fill the blank
- Guess the number
- Match the pairs
- Multiple choice
- Odd one out
- Picture question
- Put in order
- Sort into groups
- Spell it
- True or false
- Type the answer
Practise What is Art?
131 questions across 22 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.
Play this unitMore units in Art
- ColoursPrimary colours, mixing, and how colours feel
- Lines and ShapesThe lines, shapes and patterns art is built from
- Art Materials and ToolsThe tools and materials artists use
- Ways of Making ArtDrawing, painting, collage, printing and building
- Elements of ArtLine, shape, form, colour, texture, space and value
- Colour TheoryThe colour wheel and how colours work together
- Kinds of ArtPainting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking and more
- What Art ShowsPortraits, landscapes, still life and abstract art