Deck 12: The Funeral Process

Question 1

As a forensic anthropologist, Clea Koff:

A) worked as part of an international team that sought to identify thousands of Rwanda genocide victims brutally massacred in mass graves
B) like other colleagues before her, experienced emotional distress and grief when working on such corpses, particularly those of children and adolescents
C) has become known as the "bone woman"
D) all of the above.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Postmortem abuse relates to the:

A) practice, during the Middle Ages, of burning deceased bodies after massive outbreaks of diseases
B) Greek hero, Achilles, dragging the body of Trojan Hector behind his chariot
C) refusal of the U.S. federal government to release the body of Tatanka Yotanka (the leader of the Hunkpapa Teton Sioux nation known as Sitting Bull) for traditional funeral rituals
D) both b and c.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The position that funerals are a comfort to family members and are not expensive when you consider their meaning is associated with:

A) rationalists
B) romantics
C) revivalists
D) reconstructionists.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

A medical examiner (coroner) or death investigator is likely to be asked to look into a death in which:

A) there is a possible danger to public health
B) murder or criminal negligence are possible causes of death
C) dissection and examination of the body may be considered necessary
D) any of the above.

Question 5

If organ donation is going to be a possibility, all of this must be determined within ___ minutes of death in order to maintain the integrity of the organs.

A) 30
B) 45
C) 60
D) 90

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT true regarding embalming in the United States?

A) Embalming is not required by law in the U.S. unless interstate transportation of the body or other special circumstances exist.
B) Embalming has been the "privilege" of some rich and powerful people in European nations for many years.
C) Embalming has been a common practice since the American Revolution.
D) Embalming has been found to be of some comfort to many bereaved people.

Question 7

Plastination is a process that:

A) preserves bodies by wrapping them in a plastic coating
B) converts organic material into durable objects
C) digitalizes human or animal remains
D) suspends a biological sequence until reactivated.

Question 8

Which statement is NOT true regarding Egyptian mummification?

A) The body was salted and dried.
B) The heart was placed in a carved replica of an eagle.
C) Spices and aromatic substances were placed inside the body.
D) The brain was fished out through the nostrils using an iron hook.

Question 9

Which of the following statements about cremation is NOT accurate?

A) Cremation was practiced among ancient peoples.
B) The Vikings believed that cremation purified the soul.
C) The rise of Protestantism increased opposition to cremation.
D) The first cremation of a settler in America was motivated by his fear of being buried alive.

Question 10

The example discussed of an alternative to cremation in the form of "sky burial" is related to:

A) the earth is too hard for burial
B) there are not enough trees to cremate
C) Tibetan culture
D) all of the above.

Question 11

Which U.S. states below have a cremation rate of at least 60 percent?

A) Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, and Florida
B) Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, and New Hampshire
C) Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wyoming
D) All of the above

Question 12

The National Funeral Directors Association predicts that the number of Americans electing cremation will rise to __ percent by the year 2030.

A) 50
B) 55
C) 60
D) 71

Question 13

In terms of funeral arrangements, the open casket is:

A) chosen much more often than the closed casket
B) chosen much less often than the closed casket
C) chosen about as often as the closed casket
D) not legal in some states.

Question 14

A common problem with certificates of death is:

A) illegibility because of the doctor's hurried handwriting
B) not specifying the immediate cause of death
C) not specifying the actual underlying cause of death
D) not being signed by the physician.

Question 15

Which of the following was NOT likely to be a source of motivation for the elaborate tomb designed for Ch'in, the first emperor of China?

A) He wanted to support his claims as the greatest of all monarchs.
B) He wanted to give the citizens who adored him a chance to participate in his tomb project.
C) He wanted to impress the deities and ensure his place among the immortals.
D) He wanted to confound his enemies and secure a continuation of his royal succession.

Question 16

The funeral and memorialization process that took place for Prince Albert had the function of:

A) taking Queen Victoria's mind off his death
B) symbolically incorporating Prince Albert into the British Empire
C) symbolically decontaminating the British Empire from this "foreigner" who had intruded into their highest places
D) making their children legitimate and, therefore, in line for the throne.

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT true of how the newly formed Soviet Union treated the corpse of Lenin, upon coming into power?

A) Cosmetic repairs were made to his face.
B) His eyes were replaced with false eyes to prevent the sockets from shrinking.
C) His face and hands were touched up with ointment to prevent drying and cracking.
D) His body was stuffed with herbs and aromatic spices to cover the bad odor.

Question 18

The women of Potamia, a village in northern Greece, still continue the mourning tradition of:

A) sleeping in a coffin one night each month
B) setting a place at the table for the deceased family member
C) naming the next child born after the deceased person
D) graveside laments and taking care of the grave site.

Question 19

The main purpose of the two funerals, the Green Funeral and the Dry Funeral, carried out by the Kotas of Southern India, is to:

A) provide ample opportunity for mourners to participate
B) improve the chances of the deceased having a good afterlife
C) cleanse the survivors from the contamination of death
D) avoid the need to cremate the bodies.

Question 20

For Orthodox Jews who are mourning the death of a family member, Aninut refers to a:

A) sacrifice to God in the name of the deceased person
B) period of time in which they are released from social and religious obligations in order to focus on the loss of the deceased
C) ritual in which all surviving family members speak in praise of the deceased
D) none of the above.

Question 21

The history of the New Haven Burying Ground is typical of many other colonial cemeteries in that:

A) graves of men and women were placed in different areas
B) dedicated upkeep was valued because of its religious significance
C) dedicated upkeep was valued because of its public health significance
D) the cemetery was repeatedly neglected and fell into ruin.

Question 22

The first national cemetery in the United States was dedicated by which president?

A) Washington
B) Lincoln
C) Roosevelt
D) Johnson

Question 23

Which of the following is the first memorial park created in the U.S.?

A) Gettysburg National Cemetery
B) Arlington National Cemetery
C) Mount Auburn Cemetery
D) None of the above

Question 24

The U.S. cemeteries that include "ethnic sections" within their broader cemetery grounds include:

A) Common Burying Ground in Newport, Rhode Island
B) Wounded Knee in South Dakota
C) San Fernando Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas
D) both a and c

Question 25

Despite mixed feelings that some Americans have about the Vietnam War, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has had a powerful impact because it:

A) captures the drama and glory of what is considered to be a unique time in U.S. history
B) offers the comfort of a place for grieving family members to display religious symbols
C) is viewed as a way of honoring American participation in the war
D) serves as a means of integrating the war and its losses into American culture.

Question 26

The Vermillion Accord is part of an international effort undertaken by Native Americans and other indigenous peoples to:

A) provide universal respect to the mortal remains of the dead
B) ensure for the proper disposition of one's ancestors while allowing for the scientific studying of remains whenever the value of doing so can be demonstrated.
C) ensure that pets are treated with the same respects as humans
D) both a and b.

Question 27

A funeral director must demonstrate proficiency in:

A) accounting
B) chemistry
C) restorative art
D) all of the above.

Question 28

The national average for the typical traditional funeral in the U.S. is likely to cost between:

A) $2,000-$4,000
B) $6,000-$8,000
C) $10,000-$12,000
D) $15,000-$18,000.

Question 29

Virtual memorialization is growing for:

A) pets
B) people who have died in an accident
C) people who have completed suicide
D) people who have not yet died.

Question 30

The Funeral and Memorial Societies of America:

A) focuses on the design of creative, individualized cemetery statuary
B) holds regular group support sessions to share memories of lost loved ones
C) advocates for the arrangement of simple and inexpensive funeral services
D) designs and installs time capsules to preserve cherished personal effects.

Question 31

Spontaneous memorialization occurs most often when a person:

A) is killed in a vicious or senseless way
B) dies in an institution after a long illness
C) dies on an important religious holiday
D) none of the above.

Question 32

Postmortem abuse pertains to behavior that family members may display towards one another when they are caught off-guard by the sudden death of a loved one.

Question 33

Contrary to what is presented on most television shows, the role of the medical examiner does not include engaging in actual dissection and examination of the body.

Question 34

In royal mummification practices in Egypt, "divine salts" were utilized to foster the drying and preservation of the body.

Question 35

Across different cultures, laying the dead body on its back in burial, as Americans often do, has been the most popular way of placing bodies in the earth.

Question 36

Buddhist, Hindu, and Jewish scriptures each refer to cremation.

Question 37

Approximately 15 percent of Americans currently choose cremation.

Question 38

Ch'in, the first Emperor of China, determined where to put his tomb based on feng-shui, intended to deter evil spirits.

Question 39

In the village cemetery of Potamia in northern Greece, bodies remain in the graveyard for five years and then are removed to the bone house.

Question 40

Orthodox Jews reject embalming but embrace cremation.

Question 41

The first memorial park developed in the U.S. was Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Question 42

In studying the African-American section of the Common Burying Ground in Newport, Rhode Island, researchers found many traces of the culture and belief systems that African Americans left behind.

Question 43

In the Ramah Cemetery in Ramah, New Mexico, Mormon dead have elaborate grave markers while the Navajo graves have simple metal markers.

Question 44

On grave-decorating days at the San Fernando Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas, within the Mexican-American as well as other sections there is lively social interaction between the living.

Question 45

The dead are valued more in past-oriented societies.

Question 46

On the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the soldier's name, rank, military unit, and home state are listed.

Question 47

The Vermillion Accord pertains only to the remains of Native Americans.

Question 48

Funeral directors must pass licensure exams in order to practice.

Question 49

Tri-State Crematory in Georgia dumped 334 bodies in a shed and scattered others throughout its property while giving families cement dust instead of ashes.

Question 50

Tulane University's School of Medicine sold its oversupply of donated bodies to the U.S. Army, which then blew up the bodies while conducting experiments to reduce land mine fatalities.

Question 51

Social media platforms, such as Facebook, etc., are providing new forms of public memorialization.

Question 52

What is the definition of the terms

-Aninut

Question 53

What is the definition of the terms

-Autopsy

Question 54

What is the definition of the terms

-Ba

Question 55

What is the definition of the terms

-Cemetery

Question 56

What is the definition of the terms

-Ch'iidii

Question 57

What is the definition of the terms

-Cremation

Question 58

What is the definition of the terms

-Cryonic suspension

Question 59

What is the definition of the terms

-Death certificate

Question 60

What is the definition of the terms

-Death investigator

Question 61

What is the definition of the terms

-Embalming

Question 62

What is the definition of the terms

-Eulogy

Question 63

What is the definition of the terms

-Exhumation

Question 64

What is the definition of the terms

-Funeral

Question 65

What is the definition of the terms

-Green funeral

Question 66

What is the definition of the terms

-Kaddish

Question 67

What is the definition of the terms

-Obituary

Question 68

What is the definition of the terms

-Organ donation

Question 69

What is the definition of the terms

-Ponos

Question 70

What is the definition of the terms

-Postmortem

Question 71

What is the definition of the terms

-Premortem

Question 72

What is the definition of the terms

-Scarab

Question 73

What is the definition of the terms

-Spontaneous memorialization

Question 74

What is the definition of the terms

-Vermillion Accord

Question 75

List four reasons for respecting the dead.

Question 76

Provide two examples of postmortem abuse and explain why each example would be considered to be this type of abuse.

Question 77

Describe two primary purposes for the funeral service discussed in the text, and based on your own experience and opinion, give three additional reasons for having a funeral.

Question 78

Describe how Queen Victoria created the funeral for Prince Albert and how the event changed the public's view of Albert from an outsider to a hero.

Question 79

Select ONE of the following examples-the women of Potamia in northern Greece, the Kotas of Southern India, or the Orthodox Jews-and discuss how their practices can be used to illustrate ways to balance the claims of the living and the dead.

Question 80

List four responses to the question "When are the dead important to the living?"