Q&A Hero

Q: Juergensmeyer asserts that the recent rise in religious nationalism is, in large part, a response to certain political and social crises and A. the sway of charismatic authority figures. B. a misunderstanding of Western diplomacy. C. reworked interpretations of the Qur'an. D. rejection of the modernist ideology of the post-Enlightenment West.

Q: A warring attitude implies that A. violence is an inherent human trait. B. peace can never be achieved among groups with vastly conflicting ideologies. C. the one who holds it will take whatever measures necessary to defend the sovereignty of its country. D. the one who holds it believes compromise is impossible or does not want an accommodating solution in the first place.

Q: In his comparative study of religious terrorism, Juergensmeyer found that in all of the cases he examined, the concept of cosmic war A. is considered morally justified, with worldly struggles transformed into sacred battles. B. represents a strong shift in beliefs in support of antimodernist ideologies. C. has been justified by the state at some point in history. D. remains virtually unchanged from beliefs recorded hundreds of years ago.

Q: The September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center were different than those of Pearl Harbor because A. people from different religious and ideological backgrounds were killed. B. they cannot be considered a global confrontation. C. they signaled America's entry into a long war. D. Al Qaeda is a group comprised of transnational activists that does not represent the ideology of any sovereign state.

Q: The response and participation of white western feminists/activists in the battle against the veil and its oppression of women A. has given Muslim women a positive model to work toward. B. actually implicates them in collaboration with a racist and patriarchal approach, forcing Muslim women to choose between fighting racism or sexism. C. has been a source of inspiration and financial support for the growing global movement for Muslim women's rights. D. has been inhibited by the fact that most Muslim women are opposed to "liberating reforms" as they are "lost to the faith."

Q: When the shah's modernist government outlawed the chador in Iran in 1936 A. women suddenly had a great deal more freedom than ever before, prompting a fundamentalist backlash. B. the pan-Middle East women's right's movement was born. C. women began entering the public sphere in massive numbers. D. many independent women became dependent, among many other negative and restrictive consequences of the sweeping and empty measure.

Q: In Muslim culture, veiling is a significant social institution and mechanism A. in the service of patriarchy. B. of liberation for Muslim women. C. both in the service of and the subversion of the patriarchal system. D. of matriarchal control over daughters.

Q: According to Hoodfar, western assumptions of the veil as a symbol of ignorance and oppression A. arise from a failure to contextualize non-Western societies and unwillingness to let go of static ethnocentric images. B. are completely fabricated and have no historical or cultural foundation. C. are entirely correct, but their approach to the problem belittles the role of women as social actors. D. could hardly be more opposite to the reality of the situation, as only powerful and wealthy women in traditional Islamic society were veiled.

Q: Hoodfar asserts that it is a painful and frustrating experience to A. live under the veil in Muslim society. B. attempt to convey the falsehood of western assumptions about the veil without denying the patriarchal boundaries faced in the Islamic religion. C. reject one's religion in favor of feminist principles, but it is a choice that every self-respecting Muslim woman must make. D. move back to Islamic society after having lived in the West for over twenty years.

Q: Fleuhr-Lobban compares family planning in Muslim and Western nations and concludes that A. Western nations have not seen the same resistance and social turbulence as Muslim nations. B. Muslim nations have not seen the same resistance and social turbulence as Western nations. C. Western nations have a stronger grasp of the needs and desires of women. D. the birth rate in Muslim countries is too high and needs to be more effectively controlled.

Q: In many countries, Muslim women have gained significant rights concerning A. recently legalized business practices. B. the purchase of Western goods C. the wearing of makeup and jewelry. D. marriage and divorce.

Q: Islam condemns the accumulation of wealth based on A. trade and commerce in the free market. B. private international business agreements. C. interest earned by loaning money. D. small and medium sized business negotiations.

Q: Religious conversion for social reasons in modern Denmark A. has decreased with more conservative Rabbis B. can be as successful as conversion for spiritual reasons C. still is a hotly contested and debated socio-political issue D. All of the above

Q: Political issues related to disagreements about issues of conversion include: A. Conflict over the tenure of rabbis who play a powerful role in deciding who can convert B. Tension between more and less Orthadox factions within the Jewish community C. Revolts against religious leaders over continuously changing and seemingly arbitrary guidelines as to who can convert D. All of the above

Q: Conversion to a new religion brings up all of the following social/group related issues EXCEPT: A. Socializing the new convert B. Personal questioning of the decision to convert C. Establishing authenticity of the conversion D. Structures of internal support for new converts

Q: In light of Lewis's interviews, we might conclude that a central theme in Rastafarian reasoning sessions is A. the denunciation of hypocrisy. B. hope for repatriation to Ethiopia. C. the life affirming institution of family. D. the advancement of Rastafarian culture through world-wide reggae music.

Q: According to the brethren who met to "reason" at David and Lion's, reggae musicians A. are mass communicators sharing the gospel of Rastafarianism. B. are the central facilitators of Rasta worship. C. preach many principles that are totally contrary to the philosophy of Rastafari. D. exploit Rastafarian principles for their own benefit.

Q: During a reasoning session at David and Lion's house on the pier, David draws on passages from A. Haile Ras Tafari Selassi I's famous treatise on the principles of Rastafarianism. B. ancient Ethiopian texts. C. the Bible. D. the lyrics of Bob Marley.

Q: The "upper room" is A. a higher state of being that can be achieved through the application of Rastafarian principles. B. the second story of Nigel's house where the brethren gather to reason. C. the "head space" of all who are slaves to Babylon. D. a term used to refer to the "establishment."

Q: The main principles of the Rastafarian religion are love, meditation, ital, and A. reasoning. B. repatriation. C. justice. D. harmony.

Q: All of the following are negative impacts of globalization EXCEPT: A. expansion of human rights and democracy B. global spread of infectious diseases C. exploitation of labor issues D. global ecological issues such as deforestation

Q: The term "globalization" is used by editors of this reader to refer to the worldwide movement of A. finance capital. B. cultural forms. C. people of all different cultural backgrounds. D. ideas, materials, technology, labor, capital, cultural forms, and people.

Q: The Uniform Determination of Death Act (UDDA) mandates that "all functions of the entire brain" should have ceased functioning before brain death is declared, and that "imminent" biological death is a sufficient criterion for organ donation.

Q: Most healthcare practitioners in Lock's research viewed drain death as death for all purposes.

Q: Certain foods are linked to particular religious holidays in Oaxaca. Mole is associated with Days of the Dead while King cake is associated with Epiphany,

Q: Components of Day of the Dead altars can come only from family and altars are constructed privately in the home before being presented publically at the graveyard the night of the celebrations.

Q: 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.

Q: In Oaxaca, visitors and outsider to the Days of the Dead celebrations are often somewhat off put by the celebratory, jovial nature with which death is treated thinking that celebrations are dangerous or sacrilegious.

Q: Conklin describes European cannibalism as social and cannibalism in South America and the New World as a social

Q: Cannibalism is a taboo that has historically been socially tied to racism and exploitation.

Q: The four stages of funerary rites among the Berawan gradually move the body farther and farther from the settlement, until finally the corpse is laid to rest in a far-removed area of the mountains where it won't be able to pollute the community of the living.

Q: The Berawan people practice secondary burial, but they don't actually bury the dead at all.

Q: The Berawan people of north-central Borneo are terrified by the American practice of keeping a massive standing army of potential zombies in our midst.

Q: "Magic" is a derogative term used by Voodoo practitioners to refer to others whom they feel are "serving the spirits" in a defiled manner.

Q: The various lwa, or spirits, have essentially been fitted into Haitian Catholicism as a replacement of the holy trinity.

Q: Haitians who "serve the spirits" refer to themselves as Catholics.

Q: Attitudes towards the dead and practices of morning are often strongly indicative of social customs in societies.

Q: All of the following are ways that Japanese diagnosis of brain death and the decision to harvest organs differ from North America and Western Europe EXCEPT: A. The wishes of family can override the wishes of the brain dead individual B. Organ donation is less widely accepted and is not assumed as a norm or the right thing to do C. The family of the brain dead individual is not bothered as much D. Physicians are not required to bring up the issue of organ donation

Q: All of the following are socio-ethical ways that intensivists interviewed in Lock's study cope with feelings of doubt about circumstances centered around diagnosis of brain death EXCEPT: A. Belief that the spirit or soul leaves the body in the event of brain death B. Rationalization that the body wants to die along with the brain C. Belief that brain death is essentially death D. Rationalization that the brain death state prevents the body from experiencing pain regardless of ongoing metabolic and endocrine activity

Q: All of the following are activities that can occur in patients after brain death has been diagnosed EXCEPT: A. Body warmth and metabolic function B. Sudden return to a fully functioning state C. Physiologic responses like yawning or crying D. Endocrine activities

Q: 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

Q: What are ways that the traditional Oaxacan Days of the Dead festivities have evolved over time? A. The Catholic church has tried to endorse the non-religious traditions associated with Days of the Dead B. The reciprocal economy associated with the holiday has evolved to become slightly more amenable to consumer capitalism, though this evolution is very slight. C. Rapid population growth D. All of the above

Q: All of the following are ways community and foods are symbolically linked during days of the dead discussed in Norget's article EXCEPT: A. Refreshments are offered as "con conjianza" or offerings of trust. B. Food represents shared plenty, but also shared responsibility of providing food; there are rigid guidelines that mandate that all family members regardless of age or ability must participate in communal making of food. C. Offering food reaffirms that both the living and the dead belong to a single existential and moral universe, as supernatural and mortal beings are both sharing from the same pot. D. Food propitiates visitors and ghosts, functioning as a sort of communion between the sacred and the profane, among friend, family member, and neighbor.

Q: All of the following are components of both the Mexican All Soul's Day and the official Catholic festival EXCEPT: A. Food offerings to the dead and living B. Altars C. Visits to graveyards with family D. Religion

Q: Prominent attitudes towards death that are displayed in Day of the Dead practices include. A. honoring of the dead through altars and visitations shows respect and keeps the dead happy so they do not come back and haunt. B. showing care and respect to the dead implies that you show care and respect for yourself as well as for your living friends and relatives. C. take comfort in death because it is inevitable; and it is important to keep the dead alive through memories. D. All of the above.

Q: All of the following can be part of different families' Day of the Dead celebrations in Oaxaca EXCEPT: A. Construction of altars B. Children going dor to door asking for additions to altars C. Sad or heavy hearted mourning D. Preparation of food that is delivered to the graveyard and to relatives and friends

Q: 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

Q: What is the main evidence that supports the notion that the Wari practiced cannibalism? A. Numerous observations and accounts from Anthropologists B. Documented fossil evidence of instruments used in cannibalistic rituals C. Unconfirmed rumor D. Self-reported oral history from the Wari

Q: All of the following forms of cannibalism were practiced in Europe EXCEPT: A. Funerary or mourning rites B. Drinking of blood a s a remedy for epileptics C. Eating the smoked flesh of criminals D. Importing exotic corpses from Egypt to eat

Q: Cannibalism is linked to which if the following historical events discussed in Conklin's article: A. Spanish conquest and killing of natives in the New World B. "otherizing" to justify enslavement of Africans C. Both of the above D. None of the above

Q: After having explored the "exotic" Berawan death ways, Metcalf turned his focus back toward American death ways, and found A. that the seemingly arbitrary approach toward death in the United States is much more comprehensible in light of Berawan theories of death. B. he was left with a feeling of estrangement when he tried to find a correlation between popular ideas about death and American funerary practices. C. them to be extremely mild and conservative in comparison. D. that the two different approaches are actually very similar when the observer is able to see through the details.

Q: In the early part of the century, Robert Hertz, relying upon traveler's accounts of the peoples of central Borneo, hypothesized that people who practice secondary burial A. believe that the fate of the body provides a model for the fate of the soul. B. are more concerned with safeguarding the living from "death pollution" than with the fate of the dead person's soul. C. believe that the soul is forever bonded to the body of the deceased, and therefore the remains must be placed in a suitable "eternal home." D. believe that the second burial is akin to a the "birth" of the deceased person's soul as it is now free to animate a new life.

Q: Full funeral rites among the Berawan usually last A. about four days. B. anywhere from 10 days to 28 days, but rarely exceed a lunar cycle. C. about a "season," based on the growing cycles of riceapproximately three and a half months. D. at least eight to nine months, though they could continue for years depending upon the circumstances.

Q: 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.

Q: Metcalf asserts that the anthropological focus on the "exotic" A. is precariously close to the sensational, and is therefore a threat to the respectability of the discipline. B. is still an important part of anthropology, and for good reason. C. is merely a popular image of the discipline, having little to do with the actual practice. D. assumes an evolutionary hierarchy of civilization.

Q: McCarthy Brown notes that Africa is a powerful concept in Voodooto say that a spirit is frangine is to say that A. the spirit has risen up from the heathenism of African traditions. B. the spirit is dark and malicious with tremendous force. C. the spirit has departed to go back to Africa. D. the spirit is "truly African" and, therefore, is good, ancient, and proper.

Q: While the urban practice of voodoo centers around temples and the formation of extensive surrogate family units, rural voodoo practices A. revolve around the village church that is usually located in the central plaza, emphasizing community cohesiveness. B. are highly personal and private affairs, with worship taking place in the home with the immediate family. C. are intimately connected to land tenure, ancestral inheritance, and the family unit. D. are generally more institutionalized and elaborate, and happen less often because of the long distances people must travel in order to come together.

Q: Haitian voodoo rituals A. are fairly institutionalized, according to Catholic tradition. B. fall into three major categories. C. are held in temples, or ounfs, that dot the countryside all over the island. D. vary widely, especially from the rural to the urban setting.

Q: Haitians refer to their religion as A. Voodoo. B. Vodou. C. "serving the spirits." D. Bondye.

Q: B. F. Skinner used pigeons to demonstrate how and why personal rituals are established in the first place.

Q: Non-rational beliefs form the basis of baseball taboos and fetishes

Q: Gmelch asserts that while there is a great deal of ritual surrounding pitching and fielding, there is relatively little concerned with hitting.

Q: Modern witchcraft is a religious movement that is almost entirely made up of disenchanted "thirty-something" intellectuals.

Q: Most covens hold their meetings in the nude.

Q: "Esbats" are seasonal ritual meetings.

Q: Kabana sorcerers may sometimes leave "calling cards" to announce the impending intent to sorcerize the victim.

Q: Victims of sorcery among the Kabana are assumed to have violated social mores and values, thereby infringing on the rights of others.

Q: Among the Kabana of West New Britain, the sorcerer's threat inhibits deviance and mediates conflict so successfully that no one is actually ever sorcerized.

Q: Education level is a determining factor in cultural beliefs about witchcraft.

Q: In Namibia, in Thomas's research, when an individual is accused of witchcraft and there are serious ramifications of extreme illness or death there is a prescribed, long, difficult process by which all charges and accusations will be absolved.

Q: Historically, in Namibia, men who have access to financial assets have been ascribed powers of witchcraft through purchase, but because of rapid changes in economics the demographics of who has powers of witchcraft is changing.

Q: 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.

Q: Gmelch concludes that fielding in baseball is very similar to A. open sea fishing among the Trobriand because of its lack of associated magic. B. open sea fishing among the Trobriand because of all the magic and ritual associated with the practice. C. inner lagoon fishing among the Trobriand because of the lack of associated magic and ritual. D. inner lagoon fishing among the Trobriand because of all the magic and ritual associated with the practice.

Q: Mentioning a "no-hitter" while one is in progress is an example of a A. ritual of baseball culture as old as the game itself. B. fetish. C. personal and idiosyncratic taboo. D. taboo grounded in baseball culture.

Q: According to Gmelch, when players are in a slump they A. abide by their rituals stringently in an effort to turn their luck around. B. usually make a deliberate effort to change their rituals in an attempt to shake off bad luck. C. will add elements to their preexisting ritual, but they will hardly ever remove behavior from their rituals. D. tend to do the exact opposite of their former ritual, as all behavior associated with it has now become taboo.

Q: Most rituals performed by baseball players come from A. myths of baseball culture. B. childhood mentors such as fathers and coaches. C. really good personal performances. D. Christian folk traditions.

Q: In his investigation into baseball magic, Gmelch defines ritual as A. a prescribed behavior in which there is no empirical connection between the means and the desired end. B. a behavior that is done in a methodical and routinized way. C. a prescribed behavior that supports the core beliefs of a system. D. a symbolic assertion of control over the uncontrollable.

Q: The title of Luhrmann's article, "The Goat and the Gazelle," refers to A. two distinct ancient rituals marking the decay of nature in the fall and its subsequent rebirth in the spring. B. the coupling of romantic spiritual intensity with the paunchy flaws of the flesh. C. the inherent complementarity and integration of female and male images and symbols in the practice of witchcraft. D. the two distinct branches of witchcraft: those who allow male members and those who do not.

Q: According to Luhrmann, feminist covens A. rely the most heavily on historical documents like ancient Sumerian and Egyptian texts associated with Goddess worship. B. emphasize collectivity and creativity more than other types of modern witchcraft. C. are relatively rare in the United States but very popular in England.

Q: When Luhrmann discusses the "duality" of religious understandings of the Goddess, she is referring to the fact that A. the Goddess is perceived as being dominantly feminine, but actually displays a significant emphasis on male themes like virility. B. the Goddess is both exclusively in the world and, at the same time, exclusively out of this world. C. the Goddess paradoxically represents both transformation and the conservation and maintenance of unchanging traditions. D. the Goddess is on one hand an entity one can relate to and talk with personally, and on the other hand, the Goddess merely personifies the natural world in myth and imagery.