Q&A Hero

Q: Among the Yakut (Shkha) of Siberia: a. although most people are Russian Orthodox, many continue to practice shamanism b. many Christian elements are found in modern shamanism c. new groups are forming around charismatic shamans d. all of the above

Q: Somatic cells are characterized by all of the following EXCEPT: a. each includes a nucleus at some stage of its development. b. they are used in multiple tissues throughout the body. c. each contains half a copy of an organism's DNA. d. each contains a complete copy of all of an organism's DNA.

Q: Characteristic of Siberian Shamanism is the use of: a. hand held drums b. hallucinogenic snuff c. dancing d. self-inflicted pain

Q: Genetic analysis of haplotypes and variants among living and precontact Native Americans indicates that Native Americans: a. underwent a huge decline in genetic diversity after Columbus's arrival in the New World. b. living today appear to be as diverse genetically as their ancient ancestors thousands of years ago. c. have a genetic structure and haplogroups that are quite recent. d. living today appear to be more diverse genetically than their ancient ancestors.

Q: Shamans are able to cure illness by: a. sending their souls to recapture the lost soul of the patient b. removing spirits and objects from within the body of the patient c. allowing a deity to possess their body d. all of the above

Q: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR): a. allows us to use genetic methods to explore the origins and movements of populations. b. is used to amplify tiny sequences of DNA for study. c. allows us to study small amounts of DNA available in ancient skeletons. d. all of the above

Q: In 2004, the Human Genome Project published a human genome map indicating that _______ genes are responsible for the human body's proteins.a. 100,000b. 50,000c. 20,000-25,000d. 200,000-250,000

Q: Central to the role of a shaman is: a. conducting period rituals b. controlling spirit helpers and entering an altered state of consciousness c. conducting rituals to ensure a good harvest d. all of the above

Q: The term "wounded healers" is used to describe: a. shamans b. priests c. prophets d. herbalists

Q: A trait's heritability is the proportion of its variation that: a. is genetic. b. cannot be explained. c. is the product of genes and environment. d. results from the environment alone.

Q: Shamans: a. may receive a call from the spirits through an altered state of consciousness to become a shaman b. may become a shaman because of recovering from a illness c. are sometimes call "wounded healers" in that they are often driven to become shamans because of illness, accident, spirit possession, and so forth d. all of the above

Q: The expression of polygenic traits is: a. never determined by the influence of environmental factors. b. determined by genes at several loci. c. determined by multiple genes at one locus. d. determined solely by the influence of environmental factors.

Q: Which of the following features characterizes a shaman? a. shamans are usually full-time specialists b. shamans are usually associated with permanent shrines and temples c. the power of a shaman is determined by his or her personal ability to contact the supernatural d. shamanistic rituals are usually prescriptive and periodic

Q: The presence of a recessive allele: a. can always be determined from the phenotype. b. can be masked in the phenotype. c. is expressed in the phenotype alongside a dominant allele. d. can never be expressed in the phenotype.

Q: Individuals whose blood type is A and who carry both dominant and recessive genes at this locus have a genotype of: a. AA. b. AO. c. AB. d. OO.

Q: An individual that is homozygous at the locus that determines ABO blood type may have any of the following EXCEPT type _______ blood. a. AB b. O c. A d. B

Q: The term shaman comes from the Tungus language of: a. Siberia b. the American Southwest c. West Africa d. Australia

Q: Microsatellites are: a. small satellite transmitters used in genetic research. b. useful for determining group but not individual identification. c. highly individualized repetitive stretches of nuclear DNA. d. known from Watson and Crick's 1950's research.

Q: The development of full-time religious specialists is associated with: a. foraging societies b. small-scale horticultural societies c. large, technologically advanced societies d. all of the above

Q: Human ABO blood types are determined by: a. regulatory genes. b. multiple alleles. c. multiple genes. d. homeotic genes.

Q: Problems such as drug addiction frequently accompany religious drug use.

Q: In a unitary state one feels a disequilibrium and disconnection with the world.

Q: Homeotic (Hox) genes are: a. structural genes. b. responsible for the development and location of key body parts. c. responsible for determining the sex of offspring. d. not used during embryonic development.

Q: Entoptic phenomena are images of anthropomorphic animals.

Q: Meiosis results in the production of: a. two gametes. b. four gametes. c. a single gamete. d. none of the above

Q: Hox genes: a. appear to function in similar ways across diverse groups of organisms. b. function only in fruit flies. c. control which amino acids get plugged into polypeptide chains. d. control the development of language in humans.

Q: The goal of many religious altered states of consciousness is to achieve a unitary state.

Q: The gene responsible for lactose persistence among adults in Europe is a _______ gene. a. structural b. dominant c. regulatory d. Hox

Q: In some cultures certain biologically-based experiences, such as migraines, are interpreted as visions.

Q: The Mayan carvings from Yaxhiln show the ingestion of drugs to achieve a hallucination of a serpent.

Q: Both very loud rhythmic noise and the absence of sound are capable of creating an altered state of consciousness.

Q: Transfer RNA: a. seeks complementary triplet strands of mRNA codons. b. contains codons that correspond to specific amino acids. c. brings amino acids together to form polypeptide chains. d. all of the above

Q: RNA differs from DNA in that it uses: a. uracil instead of adenine. b. uracil instead of guanine. c. guanine instead of uracil. d. uracil instead of thymine.

Q: Transcription: a. occurs in the nucleus. b. occurs in the ribosome. c. results in the production of proteins. d. results in the transformation of mitochondria.

Q: Fasting leads to an alteration of the body chemistry which, in turn, leads to an altered state of consciousness.

Q: Characteristics of altered states of consciousness include disturbances in concentration, attention, memory, and judgment.

Q: Proteins consist of: a. genes. b. RNA plus mRNA. c. chains of DNA nucleotides. d. chains of amino acids.

Q: Any mental state that is different from one's usual mental state, including day dreaming, is an altered state of consciousness.

Q: DNA is important for protein synthesis because it: a. is the biological code for the production of hormones and enzymes. b. serves as a template to which amino acids are attached in protein production. c. provides the code to produce proteins. d. transfers information from RNA to proteins.

Q: Marijuana is used in the religious practices of the: a. Holiness Church b. Rastafarians c. Yanomam d. Native American Church

Q: Rastafarians smoke ganga or the "wisdom wee d." This is actually: a. tobacco b. marijuana c. material from a jungle vine d. none of the above

Q: In his work on pea plants, Mendel found that plant height was inherited independently of the type or color of the seed coat. This finding: a. applies only to genes on the same chromosome. b. demonstrates the law of independent assortment. c. explains gene linkage. d. explains inheritance only in simple organisms.

Q: Down syndrome can occur: a. as a result of translocation during mitosis. b. because of nondisjunction, which yields an extra chromosome. c. most frequently in the offspring of women under the age of 40. d. most frequently in the offspring of men under the age of 40.

Q: Haplotypes are: a. not likely to recombine during crossovers. b. likely to recombine during crossovers. c. genes that code for similar things. d. genetic material that come from one parent only.

Q: Among the Yanomam, hallucinogenic snuff is taken by shamans in order to: a. divine the future b. locate the location of animals c. entice spirits into the body d. feed the gods

Q: Gametes are: a. diploid. b. haploid. c. produced during mitosis. d. somatic.

Q: Pain brought about by piercing the body, a practice found in many Native American groups, characterized the: a. Yanomam b. Blessing Way c. Sun Dance d. San healing ritual

Q: In mammals, the male parent's gametes determine the sex of his offspring because: a. the X chromosome originates only from females. b. sperm are more powerful than eggs. c. the Y chromosome is present in males only. d. the X chromosome determines sex.

Q: Dancing to heat up the energy known as n/um to enable healing characterized the: a. Yanomam b. Blessing Way c. Sun Dance d. San healing ritual

Q: In the Holiness Church, an altered state of consciousness is interpreted as a physical manifestation of: a. demonic possession b. possession by the Holy Ghost c. the need for salvation d. being chosen for an afterlife with God

Q: DNA replication produces: a. four identical daughter cells. b. two identical copies of itself. c. two single strands of DNA. d. four single strands of DNA.

Q: In the Holiness Church, an altered state of consciousness is brought about by: a. music and dance b. the drinking of poison c. drumming d. the use of peyote

Q: The following are complementary bases in DNA: a. adenine and thymine. b. adenine and cytosine. c. guanine and thymine. d. guanine and uracil.

Q: In the Holiness Church the observed altered state of consciousness is most similar to which of the following behaviors found in tribal cultures: a. spirit possession b. divination c. healing d. shamanism

Q: Nucleotide bases in nuclear DNA include all of the following EXCEPT: a. thymine. b. adenine. c. uracil. d. cytosine.

Q: _______ DNA is heteroplasmic, meaning it can differ among different parts of a person's body. a. Nuclear b. All c. Ribosomal d. Mitochondrial

Q: The Holiness Church is separated from most other Christian sects by: a. the handling of poisonous snakes b. the drinking of poisoned beverage c. speaking in tongues d. all of the above

Q: 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

Q: Prokaryotes first appeared: a. 10,000 years ago. b. 1 mya. c. 3.5 bya. d. 65 mya.

Q: Somatic cells include all of the following EXCEPT: a. lung cells. b. gametes. c. skin cells. d. neurons.

Q: In the Huichol ritual an altered state of consciousness is mainly brought about by: a. eating the peyote cactus b. meditation c. fasting d. drumming

Q: Peyote is used in rituals of: a. the Holiness Church b. the Native American Church c. Vodou d. San

Q: Discuss the forces of evolution and their role in evolution.

Q: What is the significance for evolutionary theory of Darwin's analysis of the Galpagos finches? Provide at least one example in your answer.

Q: A drug that causes visions and hallucinations is classed as a(n): a. euphoria b. phantastica c. hypnotica d. excitania

Q: What are some of the important scientific discoveries that laid the groundwork for Darwin's theory of evolution?

Q: Why was Darwin's 1859 published theory of natural selection not widely accepted by his peers? What later scientific advance was critical to the subsequent broad acceptance of natural selection as a major force in evolutionary change?

Q: David Lewis-Williams suggests that Upper Paleolithic cave paintings are: a. decorations b. a form of imitative magic designed for successful hunting c. representations of altered states of consciousness d. a part of coming-of-age rituals

Q: Discuss four key individuals who helped Darwin formulate the theory of natural selection.

Q: The feeling of being at one with the universe or supernatural beings is called a(n): a. nirvana b. sympathetic state c. unitary state d. entoptic phenomena

Q: Therianthropes are: a. images of transformed shamans b. guardian spirits c. diviners d. a class of gods

Q: James Hutton: a. extensively studied fossils. b. revealed that fossils would provide the history of past life. c. created the first scientific classification of plants and animals. d. provided geologic evidence necessary for calculating the time span of evolution.

Q: What are the classification levels of humans from order to species? a. Chordata, Mammalia, Haplorhini, Hominoidea, Homo, and sapiens b. Primates, Haplorhini, Anthropoidea, Catarrhini, Hominoidea, Hominidea, Homininae, Hominine, Homo, and sapiens c. Primates, Strepsirhini, Catarrhini, Hominoidea, Hominidea, Homo, and sapiens d. Mammalia, Platyrrhini, Hominioidea, Hominidae, Homo, and sapiens

Q: Neurologist Oliver Sachs believes that the visions described by Hildegard of Bingen are likely to be associated with: a. fasting b. use of hallucinogenic drugs c. migraines d. self-inflicted pain

Q: Gene flow differs from genetic drift because it is the: a. random change in the frequency of alleles. b. random change in a gene or chromosome. c. guiding force of evolution. d. spread of new genetic material from one gene pool to another.

Q: The part of the brain that enables us to distinguish our selves from the world around us is the: a. cerebellum b. orientation association structure c. Broca's area d. frontal lobe

Q: Linnaeus's taxonomic system is referred to as a "hierarchy" because: a. each species has a "higher level" genus and "lower level" species, and are placed within additional higher level categories. b. species are placed in a ranked list called the "Great Chain of Being." c. humans are considered the most evolved species. d. naming species officially requires approval of an appointed board of high-level experts.

Q: Hildegard of Bingen, who lived in the twelfth century, is known for her: a. descriptions of her mystical experiences b. paintings of the saints c. medicines and medical practices d. high political position

Q: Why are Darwin's finches considered good examples of natural selection? a. They are found on every continent. b. They originated in North America, according to fossil evidence. c. They embody the idea of descent with modification. d. They did not differ between populations.

Q: Which of the following statements about religious use of pain is false: a. Religious pain is often shared pain. b. The pain may cause the person to enter an altered state of consciousness. c. Pain may induce an euphoric state. d. Religious pain often isolates the individual from the social group.