Q&A Hero

Q: In the participant's point of view, witchcraft is A. a relatively new neo-Pagan tradition collectively generated in the post-modern era. B. a re-emergence and continuation of the most ancient of religious traditions: earth worship through the figure of the Goddess. C. an old tradition traceable to the Nordic Volva religion that flourished in Europe in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries. D. an invented religion based on the tales of King Arthur and Guinevere, among other European folk tales.

Q: Luhrmann, a witch herself, traces the modern revival of witchcraft to A. ancient Pagan magico-religious cults rediscovered in Celtic texts and artifacts. B. the anthropological dissemination of ancient (pre-Christian) Sumerian goddess rites previously unknown in the Western world. C. the fictitious ethnographies and other writings produced by Gerald Gardner in the 1940s. D. a modern reexamination of the goddess cults and festivals held in Ancient Greece in honor of Aphrodite.

Q: "Breaking the talk" is how the Kabana refer to A. cutting through the conjecture and gossip about why a person has been sorcerized and by whom. B. the failure of negotiations between conflicting parties culminating in physical violence. C. the escalation of "pre-sorcery" sanctions and the final decision to sorcerize. D. breaches of moral and social obligations.

Q: Among the Kabana, the decision to sorcerize and the execution of that decision A. is a personal matter negotiated in secrecy. B. should result from corporate deliberation and follow certain procedural rules. C. is only made by the head of a family clan, although he can often be persuaded when enough of his extended family is in favor. D. is made outside the village so that sorcerers in the village who are related to the intended victim cannot sense the intent to attack.

Q: When a person is sanctioned as having been deviant among the Kabana, A. the individual must enter into a period of forced isolation in order to purify herself to prevent polluting the rest of the group. B. one of the only socially sanctioned roles available to him in the community is the role of sorcerer. C. the individual is privately summoned by the village magistrate in order to work out her punishment. D. the aim of the sanction is to provide the culprit with the opportunity for expiation and rectification of behavior.

Q: The "labeling theory of deviance" asserts that A. once members of society have been labeled as deviants, they become the lowest common denominator socially and, thereby, are assigned only partial personhood in the society. B. the designation of deviance is entirely dependent upon the world-view and customs of a particular society. C. the designation of behavior as deviant focuses on the reaction of those involved instead of on the act itself. D. there at least four different levels of deviance in any society ranging from mild impropriety to social pariahs.

Q: All of the following factor into whether a person id diagnosed with witchcraft versus HIV/AIDS EXCEPT: A. Gender B. T-Cell count C. Financial status D. Age and social status/community connection

Q: In Namibia, a witchcraft accusation can result in A. increased isolation and severing of social ties for the accused and their family B. increased isolation and severing of social ties for the victim and their family C. Both of the above D. Neither of the above

Q: The linkage of witchcraft to HIV/AIDS in Namibia has __________ enrolment in HIV/AIDS antiretroviral treatment. A. dramatically decreased B. decreased C. maintained D. increased

Q: The linkage of witchcraft to HIV/AIDS in Namibia has __________ incidence of HIV/AIDS testing and diagnosis. A. dramatically decreased B. decreased C. maintained D. increased

Q: In Thomas's article, Witchcraft is a popular explanation for HIV due to A. rapid and often unpredictable socio-economic change B. high rate of illness and death in persons of prime working age C. traditional regional attribution of misfortune to witchcraft D. All of the above

Q: Witches and sorcerers are A. terms that are used interchangeably in anthropology to refer to those who manipulate supernatural forces to do harm to others. B. essentially the same except that witches tend to be female, while sorcery is an exclusively male profession; therefore, both roles are often represented in preliterate societies. C. increasingly being differentiated in the field of anthropology on the basis of the source of their power and their physical and social associations. D. universally understood as harbingers of misfortune and evil.

Q: According to Kenyon's research on "zar" possessions in Sudan, all of the following demographics show presence of "zar" beliefs or practices EXCEPT: A. Non-Muslims living in Southern and Western regions B. Muslims living in Southern and Western regions C. Widespread Rural populations D. None of the above

Q: Experiences in the refugee camp in Thailand did not shake Foua and Nao Kao's faith in traditional Hmong medicine but did A. convince them that some additional Western medical help could complement traditional practices. B. convince them that Western medicine is almost always effective. C. encourage them to learn basic Western medical practices to use in the home. D. encourage them to take their children for yearly checkups with Western physicians:

Q: Despite its modernity and state-of-the-art equipment, MCMC in Merced, California deals with economic problems which A. obligate doctors to refuse treatment to the uninsured. B. means that less skilled doctors are hired. C. limit the number of immigrants able to receive medical care. D. negatively effect communication between English and non-English speakers.

Q: Historically epilepsy has been attributed to A. abnormal brain activity caused by various stimulants. B. oxygen deprivation during gestation. C. supernatural causes. D. parental abuse.

Q: Hmong epileptics often become shamans because A. they are seen as unfit to work as laborers. B. they are believed to have the power to heal and cause harm. C. seizures give the ability to see things others can not and help facilitate entry into trance. D. seizures symbolize death from the material world and rebirth into the spiritual world.

Q: What are principles used by the Curandero/as interviewed in De La Portilla's study that dually serve to help Mexican Americans in San Antonio with the acculturation process? A. Emphasis on the idea of fluidity and flexibility B. Emphasis on working with and within structures that confound and affect illness and healing processes C. Emphasis on balance and adaption to change rather than habit D. All of the above

Q: For the Curandero/as participating in De la Portilla's study, the body has all of the following roles in healing EXCEPT: A. A medium for spirits and social constructions B. an entity separate from the spirit, mind, or surrounding environment C. A vessel for energy D. A multi-faced concept of continuously developing identity

Q: 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

Q: According to Aurthur Klienman's definition of illness as culturally constructed discussed by De La Portilla, which of the following factors contributes to manifested physical symptoms? A. Feelings of loss of control B. Economic stress C. Labor or job related stressors D. All of the above

Q: All of the following are cures/rituals/practices discussed by De La Portilla in relation to spirit possession EXCEPT: A. Ritualistic dance B. Sweeping of spirits with branches of rue, cedar, and basil. C. Use of an egg to absorb harm and neutralize energy. D. Removal of obstructions from the body

Q: The power of Curandero/as is said to be derived in all of the following ways EXCEPT: A. Transference of power from another B. A calling to heal C. A guide or mentor to assist in realization of a natural ability D. Individuals born with this power

Q: All of the following are causes of unbalance and lack of fluidity discussed in De La Portilla's work EXCEPT: A. disharmony of personal/internal forces B. environmental factors such as wind C. exploitative consumption of energy produced by the environment D. the physical state of unbalance

Q: If a patient seeks treatment from a healer of some sort and the healer states that the patient's illness is related to equilibrium loss not religion or spirit possession, caused by a single source, and responsibility resides with in the patient, this healer would be most aligned with: A. Personalistic Etiology B. Folk healing Etiology C. Naturalistic Etiology D. Multiple levels of illness causation

Q: 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

Q: According to Foster, in a naturalistic etiology, religion can play what role in illness? A. Causative B. Curative C. Transfer

Q: All of the following would be described by Foster as Personalistic Etiologies EXCEPT: A. Intrusion from an outside force B. Curse C. Conditions such as cold, wetness, or wind D. Taboo

Q: Ethnomedicine, as defined by the editors of this book, includes all of the following EXCEPT: A. A society's own system of medicine, including those with long histories of documenting their own medical knowledge B. Folk or ritual medicine C. Holistic consideration of cultural, economic, political, and environmental that affect health and medicine D. Generalized Western pharmaceutical treatments aimed at treating symptoms

Q: 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.

Q: All participants in the Burning Man Festival experience healing, rites of passage, a liminal space, and communitas.

Q: Two of the few commodities sold at the Burning Man Festival are ice and coffee.

Q: Spirits involved in "zar" are constant, but the prevalience with which they appear in posessions is fluid and thought to be reactive to environmental factors.

Q: Kenyon's initial predictions about the decline of attendance at "zar" ceremonies after the advent of Shari'a law in Sudan were true.

Q: According to Kenyon's study, "zar" in Sudan can create a counter hegemony for women within the larger patriarchal society.

Q: Many studies have concluded that Hmong mothers share especially strong bonds with their children.

Q: Because of negative experiences with Western medicine in the past, the Hmong-American Lee family regarded a visit to the hospital as the last resort.

Q: Lia, a Hmong-American child, was finally correctly diagnosed when a bilingual nurse's assistant was on duty.

Q: Hmong children often acted as translators at MCMC when family members became ill.

Q: According to De La Portilla more women than men seek healing from curandero/as.

Q: Water, symbolic of fluidity, is critical in many curandisimo practices as a purifier.

Q: Broundaries between the three areas of Curandisimo are strict and curandero/as generally stick to one methodology primarily.

Q: According to De La Portilla, Material, Spiritualism and Physical healing are the three areas of Curandisimo.

Q: According to Foster, naturalistic etiologies have multiple levels of causality while personalistic etiologies are limited to one level of causality.

Q: Incidences of disease or illness may bridge across the classifications of personalistic and naturalistic.

Q: Foster believes that naturalistic etiologies to be more ancient than personalistic.

Q: The Western medical system considers economic, political, and environmental factors in illness treatment.

Q: With what tangible evidence does Gilmore argue that Burning Man has reached out into a broader sphere of influence? A. The presence of "Spin-off" events. B. The growth of the size of the festival. C. The fact that some long-term participants no longer feel the need ot attend because they feel that they can live in the "Burning Man" space without physically being present at the festival. D. All of the above.

Q: The concept of Communitas, as described by Turner and utilized in Gilmore's analysis of Burning Man includes all of the following components EXCEPT: A. egalitarianism B. dissolution of personal identity C. disrupted sense of conventional hierarchy D. unity

Q: All of the following ideological aspects of pilgrimage are discussed by Gilmore with regard to the Burning Man Festival EXCEPT: A. participation and community B. individual self-realization and self-reliance C. principle of "leave no trace" and minimal impact on the surrounding environment D. projection of experiences into tangible commoditized items

Q: Gilmore draws upon Victor Truner's components of "rites of passage" to analyze the Burning Man Festival. These components are: A. (1) Ritualized journey to a (2) specific culturally imbued geographic location intended to (3) connect individuals to a collective experience of (4) something beyond their ordinary existence, something perhaps sacred, transcendent, healing, or transformative, however, the individuals and communities involved choose to conceive those ideas and that (5) can emerge in either religious or secular contexts. B. (1) Ritualized journey to a (2) specific culturally imbued geographic or nonexistent metaphoric location intended to (3) connect individuals to a collective experience of (4) something beyond their ordinary existence, something perhaps sacred, transcendent, healing, or transformative, however, the individuals and communities involved choose to conceive those ideas and that (5) can emerge in only religious contexts. C. (1) Journey to a (2) specific culturally imbued geographic location intended to (3) connect individuals to a collective experience. D. (1) Ritualized journey to a (2) specific culturally imbued geographic location intended to (3) connect individuals to a collective experience (4) that is multi-phasic.

Q: All of the following are types or levels of "zar" in Sudanese society EXCEPT: A. Small, private healings B. Mass, public, performative healings C. Mention in day to day conversations D. None of the Above

Q: All of the following are ways that "zar" has modernized and adapted with Sudanese culture EXCEPT: A. Providing a necessary scapegoat for people to cope with change B. It has become increasingly public, performative, and profitable which contributes to fraudulent fakis C. It allows an outlet for women to have power and have discourse about issues and changes that impacts them D. It allows for an embodiment of knowledge form other cultures and novel stimuli

Q: Spirits represented in the "zar" assembly of spirits are: A. Derewish (male, sufi leaders), Azikha (female mediums of spiritual power), Khawajat (male, light skinned traders), Habbashi (male, Abbyssinians/Ethiopians), Ziruq (male, tribal peoples to the west and south), Zar of the Arabs (male, Muslim pastoral nomads, spirits and humans), and al-Sittat (female spirits from all of the other boats). B. Derewish (fimale, sufi leaders), Pashawat (female, Egyptian and Turk administrators), Khawajat (female, light skinned traders), Habbashi (female, Abbyssinians/Ethiopians), Ziruq (female, tribal peoples to the west and south), Zar of the Arabs (female, Muslim pastoral nomads, spirits and humans), and al-Sittat (male spirits from all of the other boats). C. Derewish (male, sufi leaders), Pashawat (male Egyptian and Turk administrators), Khawajat (male, light skinned traders), Habbashi (male, Abbyssinians/Ethiopians), Ziruq (male, tribal peoples to the west and south), Zar of the Arabs (male, Muslim pastoral nomads, spirits and humans), and al-Sittat (female spirits from all of the other boats). D. Derewish (male, sufi leaders), Pashawat (male Egyptian and Turk administrators), Khawajat (male, light skinned traders), Habbashi (male, Abbyssinians/Ethiopians), Ziruq (amimal spirits of spiritual power), Zar of the Arabs (male, Muslim pastoral nomads, spirits and humans), and al-Sittat (female spirits from all of the other boats).

Q: All of the following factors contribute to the success of "zar" healing practices in Sennar EXCEPT: A. Perceived lack of medical expertise in medical doctors at the Sennar hospital site B. High social classes supporting the banned practices of "zar" C. Lack of support staff such as nurses and social workers at the Sennar Hospital D. None of the above

Q: Hutson states that unlike Rainbow Family practices, raves do not include the use of "fakelore."

Q: Participants claim that raves promote individual identity.

Q: Hutson argues that raver descriptions of "spiritual healing" resemble experiences of evangelical conversion.

Q: Hutson believes that much of the academic discourse on raves is incomplete because it ignores drug use.

Q: J'varo shamans must purchase tsentsaks again and again throughout their career to maintain power.

Q: J'varo shamans use Datura to deal with the wakani bird helping a bewitching shaman.

Q: Harner asserts that curing shamans could be more prosperous and benefit the community more if there was less witchcraft in J'varo culture.

Q: The mural at Bonampak depicts a fierce battle among Maya warriors.

Q: Furst and Coe assert that the rectal delivery system for intoxicating substances can result in a more radically changed consciousness with the speed of an intravenous injection and fewer negative side effects.

Q: Greenfield asserts that because Brazilian culture patterns social relationships similar to those of hypnotist and client, patients of Brazilian healers are easily induced into trance.

Q: Brazilian Spiritist healer-mediums assist their patients in entering trance before the medical procedure.

Q: Brazilian Spiritists believe that between the material world and the world of the spirits, contact and communication are possible.

Q: Shamanic rituals are often filled with sexual imagery.

Q: Lewis asserts that the most common cross-cultural explanation of trance is the invasion of the human body by an external spirit.

Q: While studying the zar people of Sudan, Lewis found that trance is always induced by dance.

Q: Altered states are always seen as spiritual gifts that allow participants to see into other realms.

Q: Altered states of consciousness represent a biological capacity common to all humans and a huge majority of cultures uses at least one form.

Q: Anthropologists are particularly interested in the ways altered states of consciousness are interpreted in political systems.

Q: Hutson argues that the two predominant genres of rave, future and primitive, share a sense of disdain for the present age and reveal A. why many participants consume mind altering drugs. B. an attraction to alternative possibilities. C. participants' rejection of organized religion. D. problems of youth in contemporary society.

Q: The DJ at a rave can be described as a "technoshaman" because A. many times he prepares the mind altering drugs used. B. he helps participants to enter a trance state by chanting specific learned scriptures. C. he takes ravers on a spiritual journey using learned techniques to control helper spirits. D. he takes ravers on a spiritual journey using specialized knowledge of the techniques of ecstasy.

Q: Hutson found that rave was continuously described in _______ terms. A. spiritual B. futuristic C. physiological D. economic

Q: 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.

Q: 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.

Q: 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.

Q: 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.