An apocalypse is:
a. the catastrophic destruction of the world
b. the origin of the world through birth
c. a god who gave is known for trickery and deceit
d. a type of hero myth
An altered state of consciousness can be brought about through:
a. fasting
b. meditation
c. sleep deprivation
d. all of the above
The Soyal Ceremony of the Hopi of Arizona begins on the winter solstice and marks the
beginning of the Hopi ceremonial cycle. This ceremony is:
a. prescriptive and periodic
b. situational and occasional
c. prescriptive and occasional
d. occasional and periodic
A deliberate attempt to bring about change in a culture characterizes:
a. rites of passage
b. revitalization movements
c. rites of intensification
d. Neo-Pagan movements
The Genii of the Aladdin story is a:
a. zombie
b. sorcerer
c. god
d. jinn
In the Qur”an jinn are conscious beings made of:
a. clay
b. bread
c. fire without smoke
d. light
Theory of mind refers to the idea that:
a. children are born with “blank slates” and slowly develop a mind through observation
and trial and error
b. people are not capable of seeing events as the result of randomness or coincidence
c. people know, or think they know, what is going on in another people’s minds
d. the evolution of a large brain was largely responsible for the development of the
human mind
In the Navaho Creation Story, First Man and First Woman were created from:
a. dust
b. ears of corn
c. insects
d. nothingness
Descriptions of vampires are based upon:
a. early folk tales found in eastern Europe
b. observations made of corpses that were exhumed several months after burial
c. descriptions of invaders that overran eastern Europe from Asia during the 14th and
15th centuries
d. observations made of recently executed criminals
A patterned act that involves the manipulation of religious objects is termed a:
a. spell
b. ritual
c. sacrifice
d. prayer
The Viking draugr was a(n):
a. animated corpse that could wander the countryside, much like a vampire
b. ghost seeking revenge for its own death
c. reanimated corpse, much like a zombie
d. soul that resided in Valhalla after dying in battle
Branislaw Malinowski theorized that magic rituals serve to help the person who
practices them to:
a. keep his mind off the upcoming activity
b. try to control or eliminate the elements of chance and uncertainty
c. fit into his society’s norms
d. remove the supernatural influence on everyday endeavors
Societies characterized by low population density, no full-time specialists or social
stratification, whose food is obtained primarily from gathering, hunting, and fishing are:
a. foragers
b. pastoralists
c. horticulturalists
d. intensive agriculturalists
The operant definition of religion proposed in this textbook includes the following
characteristics:
a. a belief in anthropomorphic supernatural beings
b. a focus on the sacred supernatural
c. an articulation of a worldview and moral code through narratives
d. all of the above
An agnostic is one who:
a. is polytheistic
b. believes that the existence of a god in unprovable
c. believes that there is no god
d. none of the above
Magic ritual usually includes:
a. a spell
b. the manipulation of objects
c. special conditions for the performer of the ritual
d. all of the above
Which of the following is true about the concept of the evil eye?
a. a person can cause misfortune by looking at a person
b. it is bad form to say something complementary about a child
c. spitting and particular hand gestures can be used to protect one against the evil eye
d. all of the above
A _________ is a mouthpiece of the gods.
a. diviner
b. prophet
c. herbalist
d. priest
Many religions similar to Vodou developed in the New Worl
d. In Cuba the deities are called orisha and are know by their Yoruba names. This
religion is known as:
a. Wicca
b. Santeria
c. Huichol
d. Rastafarian
The Snow White story is an example of a:
a. myth
b. folktale
c. legend
d. urban legend
Image magic is an example of:
a. contagious magic
b. homeopathic magic
c. harmonious magic
d. representational magic
Generally speaking, all of the following are true about spirits except:
a. they are most often seen as classes of supernatural beings
b. they tend to be associated with specific locations
c. they provide protection and success, but also are blamed for minor mishaps
d. they are responsible for some powerful aspect of nature
Features that characterize an altered state of consciousness in the Holiness Church
include:
a. energetic dancing for long periods of time
b. speaking in tongues
c. jerking of the body and trancelike states
d. all of the above
A shell trumpet and a flute are examples of a(n):
a. cordophone
b. aerophone
c. idiophone
d. membranophone
A proposed relationship between early childhood experiences and adult projection
systems like myths is characteristic of which analytic approach?
a. functional analysis
b. structural analysis
c. psychoanalytic analysis
d. evolutionary analysis
Kali is a(n):
a. agricultural and fertility deity
b. war goddess and destroyer of demons
c. destroyer of ignorance and bringer of knowledge
d. goddess of love and marriage
Among the Yup”ik of western Alaska seals have souls. These souls are returned to the
sea during an annual festival when the ________ of the seal, which contains its soul, is
shoved through the hole in the ice.
a. liver
b. bladder
c. heart
d. brain
Magic that is worked for antisocial and evil ends is known as:
a. witchcraft
b. sorcery
c. oneiromancy
d. necromancy
The appearance of the swastika in a Navaho weaving tells us that:
a. the swastika is a universal symbol found in all human societies
b. early Germanic and Norse peoples settled the American Southwest in prehistoric
times
c. the swastika is a symbol that is found in many cultures and has many meanings
d. the Navaho were engaged in trade with Germany prior to World War II
Characteristics of an altered state of consciousness include:
a. acceleration or slowing of time
b. sudden and unexpected displays of intense emotion
c. various parts of body may appear or feel shrunken, enlarged, distorted, heavy, or
weightless
d. all of the above
A study by Guy Swanson found that social characteristics of a group was predictive of
the number and nature of supernatural beings
Shamans can only be found in small-scale societies.
The image of Lord Pakel on the carving in Temple of the Inscriptions is evidence of
contact by astronauts from other worlds.
Gods are anthropomorphic, that is, they resemble people in their appearance and
personality.
All languages have a similar set of basic color terms in terms of number and meaning.
By acting out the mating behavior of animals, Australian Aborigines believe that they
are affecting the reproductive cycle of the animal. Such increase rituals are a form of
homeopathic magic.
mile Durkheim used a psychoanalytic approach to the analysis of myth and focused on
the impact of myth on social structure.
An Azande is a witch because of the inheritance of mangu or witchcraft substance.
Postmodernism highlights the scientific method and rationality in the discovery of
knowledge.
The Azande utilize medicines that are objects in which supernatural power resides.
The cross was an early symbol of Christianity and appears in First Century Christian
art.
In contrast with traditional shamanism, neoshamanism focuses on the individual, often
as a self-help means of improving one’s life.
In the village of Hofriyat, anxiety in women surrounding marriage and children is
mediated by possession by incubi and succubae.
The Fore of New Guinea believe that the disease kuru is caused by evil forest spirits.
Different Yoruba deities, or orisha, can be identified, in part, by the colors used in their
representations.
The division of Dani spirits into categories represents a fundamental classification
scheme found in their religion and well-known by the elders.
The story of Snow White is not a religious story because it does not involve the sacred
supernatural and is not the basis of ritual.