In many preliterate societies, witchcraft serves as an everyday, socially acceptable way
of managing tension, explaining the otherwise unexplainable, leveling disparities in
wealth and status, and resolving social conflict.
As the scale, complexity, and degree of specialization increase within a society the
domain of religion in social life contracts.
Victims of sorcery among the Kabana are assumed to have violated social mores and
values, thereby infringing on the rights of others.
A shaman’s initiation ritual is usually filled with symbolism of transformation and
rebirth.
Water, symbolic of fluidity, is critical in many curandisimo practices as a purifier.
According to Geertz, a religious system is made up of a cluster of sacred symbols
woven into some sort of ordered whole.
Gmelch asserts that while there is a great deal of ritual surrounding pitching and
fielding, there is relatively little concerned with hitting.
Conklin describes European cannibalism as social and cannibalism in South America
and the New World as a social
While studying the zar people of Sudan, Lewis found that trance is always induced by
dance.
Activists like Abouhalima and Osama bin Laden use rhetoric claiming new forms of
religiosity when, in reality, they are defending ancient faiths.
Most covens hold their meetings in the nude.
When participants describe their healing experiences at Burning Man, majority of
responses included in Gilmore’s article mention components of the concept of
communitas as most influential or directly related to their healing experiences.
The education of a Kogi priest is a model for the education of all men.
Not all rituals are religiously based.
The Berawan people practice secondary burial, but they don’t actually bury the dead at
all.
In the myth told by Urmilaji and recorded by Narayan, somavar is associated with the
power of regeneration.
Lee asserts that while religion permeates most of material culture, economic systems
seem to be predominantly unaffected.
Myths are unique cultural artifacts because they can be objectively analyzed outside of
their cultural context for comparative purposes.
Because secular and scared henna tattooing rituals are so different the designs applied
to women are also different
Lia, a Hmong-American child, was finally correctly diagnosed when a bilingual nurse’s
assistant was on duty.
Shamans, mediums, and prophets are generally more sensitive and responsive to the
private and the personal than the priest.
All of the Inmates at Lawtey must self-identify as Christian
Anthropologists have studied the relationship and interaction between religious texts
and the actual beliefs and practices of devotees.
Kogi villages are usually occupied throughout the year.
Education level is a determining factor in cultural beliefs about witchcraft.
The Buddhist “ecology monks” studied by Darlington see environmental degradation of
ecosystems and natural resources as acting out human evils of greed, ignorance, and
hatred. Although these monks feel strongly about these issues they maintain a space
between the spiritual and economic/political spheres and they are unable to embrace
activism or engage in debates.
Kabana sorcerers may sometimes leave “calling cards” to announce the impending
intent to sorcerize the victim.
Shukkesha are members of Aum who have renounced society and live in communes.
Social tensions explain why people cherish amulets or charms in nearly all societies.
In Oaxaca, people spare no expense when it comes to honoring the dead; this is
evidenced in an upsurge in use of pawn shops in the month of October.
Juergensmeyer argues that terrorist attacks are global events and compares them to the
global economy, globalized forms of entertainment, and the internet.
The myth and the anecdotal story told by Urmilaji and recorded by Narayan do NOT
teach the same lesson.
Kenyon’s initial predictions about the decline of attendance at “zar” ceremonies after the
advent of Shari’a law in Sudan were true.
“Esbats” are seasonal ritual meetings.
At the time the 1995 Tokyo Subway nerve gas attacks, Aum Shinrikyo was a
well-established, well-known “new religion” globally.
During the Thai Inter-Religious Commission for Development and International
Network of Engaged Buddhists (1990) “ecology monks” established and asserted their
objectives. These included all of the following EXCEPT
A.application ofthe ecology monks’ philosophy to make Buddhist rituals tools of social
action.
B.directly advocating for a new form of Buddhism.
C.stress the connection of nature to the ideas of Buddha and Buddhist admonitions to
relieve suffering in the world.
D.”radical conservatism,” returning to the original teachings of the Buddha as applied to
contemporary situations.
Hutson found that rave was continuously described in _______ terms.
A.spiritual
B.futuristic
C.physiological
D.economic
The anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski explained myth
A.as a symbolic expression of innate human psychological tensions.
B.as a social “charter,” or model, for behavior that validates social norms.
C.as a means of resolving fundamental binary oppositions, like those between life and
death, male and female.
D.as a universal construction with only minor differences in the mode of cultural
expression.
Cross-cultural comparisons of hallucinogenic drugs show that
A.all societies have used some form.
B.overall they have a negative effect on the society.
C.they can have different effects on the users from one society to the next because of
differing cultural expectations.
D.only shamans and various types of spiritual leaders use them.
All of the following are ways that “ecology monks” advocate for their cause EXCEPT:
A.Donating their offerings to local community and environmental projects
B.Teaching about and publically advocating for environmental conservation
C.Offering recycling and composting facilities at Temples
D.Officially ordaining trees and forests
What makes the anthropological study of religion different from other approaches?
A.Use of a comparative or cross cultural perspective, holism, and cultural relativity
B.Reliance on self-reflection
C.reliance on one theoretical ideology
D.Comparison of other cultures
How does the anecdotal story relate to the mythical told by Urmilaji and recorded by
Narayan?
A.Both the story and the myth are centered around the same theme of death.
B.The story looks at the positive side of death as a release and the myth looks at the
negative side of death as tragic and a problem to be solved.
C.Both stories depict the importance of worship as a means of solving problems or a
release from problems.
D.All of the Above.
According to Lock’s article on determining brain death, tests run in ICU units to
determine and diagnose brain death include:
A.Physical tests of reflexes such as pin pricks to the hands and feet, pressure applied to
finger/toenails, touching of the eye with a swab, or inducing coughing.
B.In some cases, EEG monitoring
C.In some cases, MRI and/or blood flow monitoring
D.All of the above
Turner asserts early on in his article that the practice of manipulating impersonal
supernatural powers referred to as “magic” is
A.not a religious practice, in the Western anthropological sense of the word.
B.sometimes associated with religion, but is actually more connected to methods of
social control and conflict resolution.
C.considered a religious practice because some element of the supernatural is
manipulated for specific ends.
D.misguided superstition and, therefore, doesn’t involve truly religious concepts.
The editors of this book have suggested that religion is a human universal. What other
human universal do they point to as a primary impetus and factor in the worldwide
emergence of religion?
A.celestial observation
B.agriculture
C.adversity (life is hard)
D.divine visitation
What three elements does Hutson believe are crucial to a rave?
A.mind altering drugs, dance music, long duration.
B.dance music, rhythmic drumming, mind altering drugs.
C.dance music, long duration, ecstatic experience.
D.rhythmic drumming, flashing lights, ecstatic experience.
Which anthropologist viewed religion as serving three functions corresponding to three
human desires?
A.Spiro
B.Durkheim
C.Malinowski
D.Tylor
Foster would describe spirit possession as a __________ personalistic cause while he
would describe the victim of this spirit possession speaking in tongues as a
___________ cause.
A.immediate; naturalistic
B.efficient; instrumental
C.instrumental; immediate
D.naturalistic; instrumental
According to Metcalf, an essential, and somewhat overlooked effect of the
anthropological modus operandi is
A.how it can turn the anthropologist’s gaze back toward his own practices as strange
and “exotic.”
B.the extreme ethnocentrism that it encourages.
C.the change that the anthropologist’s presence brings about in the community she is
studying.
D.the resulting amplification of the exoticism of the practices and/or the group being
observed.
According to Myerhoff, the primary ritual function of the peyote hunt is
A.to experience intense hallucinogenic visions.
B.the transformation of participants into non-physical entities by providing a mnemonic
device.
C.the transcendence of the ineffable.
D.to collect peyote for consumption.
At Lawtey, acquiring religious literacy means:
A.renouncing their former identities and framing their life narrative of transformation
around faith
B.having an extensive familiarity and comprehension of biblical texts from across faiths
C.having completed reading every book of the New and Old Testament
D.renouncing all other faiths and spiritual beliefs other than Christianity
The tsentsak, or spirit helpers, that aid J’varo shamans in their work are
A.often actual objects, small enough to be swallowed, that have both natural and
supernatural aspects.
B.perceived as tarantulas in the “illusion” of ordinary life.
C.physically embodied in the Ecuadorian Wakani bird.
D.usually large natural phenomena like rivers, valleys, and mountains.
A novice may become an effective practicing shaman
A.almost instantaneously after a true encounter with the “real” and the procurement of a
tsentsak.
B.no less than five months after receiving tsentsak from a mentor, provided the novice
has self-discipline.
C.only after finishing with the family phase of life and achieving tsentsak.
D.only after years of training in order to accumulate tsentsak.
The Guadalupe myth allowed which groups of marginalized peoples a place in the
social order after the Spanish Conquest?
A.Indian men, Spanish women and the disabled.
B.Indians and recently freed slaves.
C.Indians, illegitimate children of Spanish fathers and Indian mothers, and the disabled.
D.Indians, illegitimate children of Spanish fathers and Indian mothers, and people who
had lost their status within the Indian or Spanish community.
According to Foster, in a naturalistic etiology, religion can play what role in illness?
A.Causative
B.Curative
C.Transfer
All of the following are conclusions that Mullins draws from his anthropological
research on the Aum Shinrikyo movement and its creator Shoko Asahara EXCEPT:
A.Each new act of violence made future acts of violence easier and more important to
cover up.
B.The movement’s violence in rural areas garnered media attention, but not as much as
the Tokyo subway nerve gas attacks of 1995.
C.The violence carried out in this “new religion” is consistent with the sociological
theory of “democratization of evil.”
D.”New religious” groups like the Aum Shinrikyo movement need to have widespread
power and central organization to have clout or impact society outside of their group.
All of the following are issues that anthropologists must consider when studying and
analyzing cannibalism EXCEPT:
A.Issues of ethnocentrism and cultural relativity in their perspective
B.The specifics of different cannibalistic acts to discern whether or not these acts
qualify as cannibalism
C.The social and political symbolic power that cannibalism holds as a taboo
D.Tension between physical evidence, or lack thereof, versus oral account
All of the following are roles that Curandero/as take in finding solutions/cures for their
clients EXCEPT:
A.The party who diagnoses and treats with herbs, physical treatment, or biomedical
medicine
B.Translator of symptoms into a social context
C.One who somaticizes emotional distress
D.All of the above
Turner argues that the frequent disproportion and monstrousness displayed in the
communication of sacra
A.makes initiates aware of the primary factors of their culture through a “primordial
mode of abstraction.”
B.is a by-product of ritually induced hallucinations and dreams.
C.increases the separation felt by neophytes.
D.creates tension among and between initiates.
Harner asserts that “words alone can never adequately convey the realities of
shamanism” because
A.so much is lost in translation from the J’varo language.
B.the J’varo socio-economic environment must be witnessed in order to properly
contextualize any description.
C.in order to really see, we need the aid of the natema.
D.so much of it is a visual and non-verbal audio experience.
To Kogi men, women are seen as
A.a symbol for purity and spiritual divinity.
B.intrinsically evil and desirous of conflict.
C.tricksters.
D.obstacles to spiritual growth.
E.living representations of the cosmic egg.
All of the following are true demographics regarding Aum Shinrikyo membership
EXCEPT:
A.Over 75% of Shukkesha members of Aum communities were women
B.Most Aum communities or “lotus villagers” were in rural areas
C.Members were spread across 25 villages in Japan and additional groups in Russia
D.Most Shukkesha members were in their 20s or 30s
When Kapchan discusses sacred and secular henna adornment of women’s bodies in
Morocco, what is the primary ritualistic difference between a sacred versus secular
henna tattooing?
A.In a secular tattooing meaning is more open and is more subjectively manipulated
B.In secular tattooing only, the designs are meant for beatification and reflect feminine
artistry
C.The female body becomes publically displayed to men and women alike in contrast
to its usual concealment
D.Secular tattooing is a folk art while sacred tattooing is not
While the term “shamanism” has been defined in various ways, to Vitebsky _________
is the single most important defining feature.
A.soul flight
B.anyone thought to have a special relationship with spirits
C.religions of the non-European peoples of the circumpolar north
D.one who possesses a unique relationship with animals
According to Myerhoff, the transformation from physical being into deity is one in
which the ritual participant is
A.moving backward, regressing to a primordial state of equality by observing reversals.
B.moving forward, to a higher and more egalitarian existence by observing reversals.
C.using discussion and reflection to appreciate the supernatural world.
D.communing with the supernatural in order to gain spiritual power.
E.all of the above.