Q&A Hero

Q: The spread of AIDS in small-scale societies is often attributed to witchcraft and sorcery because: a. AIDS is a poorly understood disease of which there is no clear cause in the minds of the people b. modern medicine is relatively ineffective in treating AIDS c. AIDS appears to strike random, especially among the poor d. all of the above

Q: In contrast to the Gwari of West Africa, Nupe witches are always female. It appears to be due to the fact that: a. Nupe wives engage in activities that their husbands cannot control b. political power is vested in female chiefs who rule through their husbands and brothers c. women sexuality and fertility is viewed as dangerous and powerful d. the Nupe were influenced by Christian missionaries at the time of Witchcraze in Europe

Q: Which of the following is true about Navaho witchcraft? a. witches use materials taken from corpses such as corpse powder b. witches can turn themselves in animals at will c. witches will kill a close relative as part of the process of becoming a witch d. all of the above are true statements

Q: Which of the following is true about Navaho witchcraft? a. Navaho witches are born with witchcraft substance within their bodies b. witchcraft is a common factor in Navaho life that is freely talked about c. witchcraft is learned from a close relative and requires initiation d. witches participate in healing rituals

Q: Witchcraft among the Azande functions to: a. cause seriously disruptive suspicions and accusations between individuals b. reinforce and sanction accepted morality c. provide a means of curbing the power of the ruling class d. none of the above

Q: Witchcraft beliefs among the Azande: a. provides an explanation for unfortunate events b. provides stereotyped behavioral patterns in crisis situations c. eliminates deviant behavior from the society d. all of the above

Q: Which of the following event occurred in the case of the Zande co-wives? a. The younger wife was identified as the witch by an ordeal. b. The younger wife was beaten until she confessed. c. The younger wife cooled her witchcraft by spitting water. d. The husband was forced to divorce his younger wife because of witchcraft.

Q: Which of the following is true about benge, the poison oracle? a. poison may be given directly to the accused witch b. poison is given to young pigs who either die or survive c. sticks are dipped in poison and then placed in termite mounds d. the poison is seldom strong enough to actually kill an animal

Q: Which of the following is an oracle used by the Azande to discover the identity of witches? a. the rubbing board oracle b. spirit possession by a medium c. throwing of shells on a mat and reading the pattern formed d. studying the internal organs of a sacrificed chicken

Q: A case of witchcraft among the Azande is confirmed by the: a. prince b. shaman c. poison oracle d. priest

Q: Among the Azande, people accused of being witches are usually people who: a. are unknown enemies living in nearby villages b. have been initiated as witches by joining a witching society c. are known to the victims with whom there have particular social relationships d. hold high office, such as chief

Q: Which of the following is true about Zande witchcraft beliefs? a. witches normally depend upon magic rituals to attain their evil ends b. witchcraft is a substance found within the body of the witch c. some witches can use their power for beneficial ends d. all of the above

Q: All of the following are true about mangu, the cause of witchcraft among the Azande, except: a. it is a physical substance found within the body of a witch b. it can be manipulated by shamans in healing rituals c. it can be seen when autopsies are performed d. it is inherited from the parent of the same sex

Q: The study of witchcraft among the Azande of southern Sudan was conducted in the 1920s by: a. Bronislaw Malinowski b. Edward Tylor c. James Frazer d. E. E. Evans-Pritchard

Q: The term witchcraft has several meanings. Which of the following is not an example of witchcraft? a. a sorcerer using evil magic to kill a member of his or her own community b. a 17th century heretic being executed by the church for hearsay c. a person accused of willing death in another person d. all of the above are examples of witchcraft

Q: One of the universal characteristics of witchcraft is that: a. witches are always female b. witches achieve their evil ends through magical techniques c. witches achieve their evil power through a pact or relationship with a supernatural power d. none of the above

Q: In small-scale societies witches differ from sorcerers in that witches kill by: a. using contagious magic b. using poisons and other lethal devices c. willing death to occur d. creating dolls in the image of the victim

Q: Atheism as a label one would use to describe one's own belief in the non-existance of God began in the sixteenth century.

Q: The way in which God is portrayed changes over time in the Tanakh.

Q: From at etic perspective, Mary can be classified as a goddess in the Roman Catholic Religion.

Q: The Hindu goddess Kali is often pictured as dark skinned and naked, standing on a corpse dripping with blood.

Q: Ishtar was an Egyptian goddess who is the mother of the god Horus.

Q: The greatest number of gods ever recorded in a single society was found among Yoruba.

Q: A study by Guy Swanson found that social characteristics of a group was predictive of the number and nature of supernatural beings

Q: Robin Horton suggests that the behavior of the gods provides a model for humans.

Q: Gods that are remote and uninterested in human affairs are otiose gods.

Q: Gods are anthropomorphic, that is, they resemble people in their appearance and personality.

Q: Much of the popular Christian beliefs about angels comes not from the Bible, but from other Church writings.

Q: In the village of Hofriyat, anxiety in women surrounding marriage and children is mediated by possession by incubi and succubae.

Q: In order to distance oneself from jinn one is careful to observe the many tabus surrounding blood and childbirth.

Q: The attainment of a guardian spirit and supernatural power among the Ojibwa and Shoshoni is accomplished through the vision quest.

Q: The division of Dani spirits into categories represents a fundamental classification scheme found in their religion and well-known by the elders.

Q: One can ask spirits for assistance and protection since they live in the human world and interact with humans.

Q: 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

Q: Which of the following statements about Islam is false?: a. Islam accepts Jesus and Moses as prophets of God. b. The prophet Mohammad was visited by an angel who gave him the command to recite. c. Muslims have a duty to create a society that is just and equitable. d. The God of Islam is more personal and approachable than the God of Judaism.

Q: The doctrine in Christianity that Jesus had been God in human form: a. is spelled out in the New Testament b. is not in the Bible, but is found in other writings of the apostles c. was established in the fourth century C.E. d. was established during the Protestant Reformation

Q: Early Judaism: a. shared many of the same religious beliefs as other religions of the time b. may have implicitly accepted the existence of other gods c. used many different names for God d. all of the above

Q: An all-knowing deity is one who is: a. omniscient b. omnipotent c. otiose d. monotheistic

Q: The importance of Mary for Roman Catholicism is evident in: a. the celebration of her birth and death b. the many shrines and pilgrimage sites associated with her c. worshippers directly addressing her for protection d. all of the above

Q: 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

Q: An important goddess found in Hinduism is: a. Isis b. Kali c. Ishtar d. all of the above

Q: The embodiment of a god in human form is known as a(n): a. incarnation b. manifestation c. avatar d. materialization

Q: The goddess Ishtar was found in: a. Mesopotamia b. Egypt c. Greece d. India

Q: Gods such as "Separator of Seeds from Cotton" and "Winder into Ball" are found among the: a. Yoruba b. Ifugao c. Dani d. Shoshoni

Q: The society with one of the greatest number of gods is the Ifugao of the Philippines with over: a. 100 gods b. 500 gods c. 1200 gods d. 2000 gods

Q: The orisha are an example of: a. otiose gods b. spirit beings c. attribute gods d. trickster gods

Q: The orisha are the gods of the: a. Yoruba b. Ifugao c. Dani d. Shoshoni

Q: The idea that religion can be seen as a symbolic expression of relationships between children and their parents was proposed by: a. Guy Swanson b. Sigmund Freud c. John Roberts d. Robin Horton

Q: Robin Horton proposed that which of the following is a variable that explains variation in the nature of gods in different societies?: a. how often people in that society encounter other people and the world outside their own community b. the degree to which an individual's status in the society is ascribed or achieved c. the severity of childrearing practices in regards to feeding and toilet training d. both a and b are true

Q: A status given to someone based on attributes over which they have no control (e.g., gender) is called: a. ascribed b. achieved c. attributed d. credited

Q: The idea that supernatural beings reflect human behavior and provide a model for humans was developed by: a. Guy Swanson b. Sigmund Freud c. John Roberts d. Robin Horton

Q: A god who withdraws from active interactions with the world is a(n) a. otiose god b. attribute god c. trickster god d. creator god

Q: A goddess of agriculture is an example of a(n): a. creator goddess b. trickster goddess c. attribute goddess d. otiose goddess

Q: The term pantheon refers to: a. a hierarchy of gods b. a collective of spirits c. a coven of witches d. the followers of a culture hero

Q: Supernatural beings with humanlike qualities are said to be: a. anthropocentric b. hominoid c. heliocentric d. anthropomorphic

Q: Female demons are termed: a. incubi b. orisha c. succubae d. zairan

Q: In Hofriyat, zar possession functions to do all of the following except: a. explain failure b. provide an opportunity for social activity c. enable the zar to communicate with the community d. to provide supernatural power to be used in the attainment of wealth

Q: Possession by jinn in Hofriyat usually involves: a. women of childbearing age b. politically prominent men c. village priests d. elder men and women

Q: The Genii of the Aladdin story is a:a. zombieb. sorcererc. godd. jinn

Q: In the Qur"an jinn are conscious beings made of: a. clay b. bread c. fire without smoke d. light

Q: In Native American cultures it is common for an individual to enter an altered state of consciousness and receive a gift of supernatural power. Seeking to do this is known as a: a. vision quest b. soul search c. spiritual boon d. guardian gift

Q: Example of Dani spirits are: a. ghosts b. personal and clan guardian spirits c. forest and swamp spirits d. all of the above

Q: Among the Dani spirits can be classified on the basis of all of the following except whether they are: a. close or remote b. male or female c. beneficent or malevolent d. spirit or non-spirit life form

Q: 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

Q: Generally speaking, all of the following are true about gods except: a. they are individualized supernatural entities b. they are anthropomorphic entities c. they are human in origin d. they are associated with a community or a segment of a community

Q: The Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) in Mexico was a time when ghosts and evil spirits returned to take revenge on the living.

Q: The routine embalming of bodies developed during the Civil War.

Q: Examples of endocannibalistic anthropophagers are the Yanomam and the Fore.

Q: The term ethnocannibalistic anthropophagers refers to societies who eat the bodies of one's own group.

Q: The African Burial Ground is a Yoruba cemetery located in what is today Nigeria.

Q: Supernatural figures such as vampires and zombies reflect our contemporary fears and anxieties.

Q: Vampires and zombies as depicted in American movies are very similar to actual ethnographic examples.

Q: Among the Dani a major function of a funeral is to appease the ghost.

Q: The distinction between a soul and a ghost is not always a clear one.

Q: The Tana Toraja separate biological and social death in that social death occurs some time after biological death.

Q: The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism state that life is imperfect and inevitable involves suffering.

Q: Reincarnation means that souls are reborn as animals.

Q: In Roman Catholicism, souls travel to one of two places: Heaven or Hell.

Q: The Hmong believe that at death the soul travels to the place where its placenta (afterbirth) has been buried and puts it on like an article of clothing.

Q: Among the Yup"ik the souls of the seal moves to the bladder. The bladders of all of the seals killed during the year are inflated and returned to the sea in an annual festival.