Deck 3: Religious Symbols

Question 1

The Mayan calendar,which consists of a solar year of 365 days operating concurrently with a year of 260 days.When both calendars run,they return to the same combinations every ____ years,an important event in the Mayan calendar.

A)12
B)26
C)52
D)72

Answer 1

52

Question 2

The swastika represents:

A)Nazi Germany
B)the Navaho whirling log
C)the feet of Buddha
D)all of the above

Answer 2

all of the above

Question 3

A five-pointed star is a symbol that is called a:

A)pentacle
B)pentaquile
C)sauvastika
D)acrostic

Answer 3

pentacle

Question 4

Displacement is a characteristic of symbols.This term refers to the fact that a symbol:

A)can be used to discuss things remote from the speaker in space and time
B)does not have any direct relationship to the thing it symbolizes
C)can be created at will
D)none of the above

Question 5

On the sarcophagus cover in which Lord Pakal was entombed we see the image of Lord Pakal:

A)riding into battle on an elephant
B)at the moment of death falling into the jaws of the Otherworld
C)sitting upon his throne
D)killing an enemy king in battle

Question 6

While English users distinguish 11 primary colors,the number of color terms found in the Yoruba language is:

A)3
B)7
C)10
D)14

Question 7

An early Christian symbol that predates the cross is the:

A)swastika
B)pentagram
C)fish
D)triangle within a circle

Question 8

An isolated,remote village in the highlands of New Guinea sees an airplane for the first time and creates a word to refer to it.This illustrates the fact that symbols,in this case the new word of an airplane,are:

A)arbitrary
B)open
C)subjective
D)creative

Question 9

The appearance of the swastika in a Navaho weaving tells us that:

A)the swastika is a universal symbol found in all human societies
B)early Germanic and Norse peoples settled the American Southwest in prehistoric times
C)the swastika is a symbol that is found in many cultures and has many meanings
D)the Navaho were engaged in trade with Germany prior to World War II

Question 10

An example of a symbol is:

A)black as the color of mourning
B)the swastika woven into Navaho rugs
C)the American flag
D)all of the above

Question 11

The background of the sarcophagus cover at Palenque depicts the:

A)trials of the Otherworld
B)Cosmic Tree
C)founding of Palenque
D)life of the king

Question 12

Which of the following statements is true?

A)The symbolic nature of color is universal;white is worn by brides in all societies.
B)All societies recognize the same basic color categories.
C)Different colors are associated with different emotional states.
D)All of the above statements are true.

Question 13

The pentagram has been used to symbolize:

A)the Church of Satan
B)Wicca
C)the witch's foot
D)all of the above

Question 14

Lord Pakal,a Mayan ruler of Palenque,ruled in the:

A)fifth century
B)seventh century
C)thirteenth century
D)eighteenth century

Question 15

The ability to create new symbols is termed:

A)arbitrariness
B)openness
C)displacement
D)none of the above

Question 16

Units of time that are not based upon astronomical movements include the:

A)week
B)day
C)year
D)month

Question 17

Lord Pakal ruled what is now called the site of Palenque.Palenque was built by the ancient:

A)Egyptians
B)Incas
C)Mayas
D)Aztecs

Question 18

Differences in numbers of primary color terms in English and in Yoruba suggest that:

A)color terminology is determined by culture
B)the Yoruba language is more primitive than English
C)the Yoruba have a high frequency of color blindness
D)people in tropical areas see fewer colors

Question 19

Among the Yoruba,the orisha are distinguished by several symbols including color.The orisha are:

A)a series of shrines
B)military regiments representing certain villages
C)spiritual beings
D)the many Yoruba chiefs

Question 20

Objects and actions whose meanings are arbitrary and conven?tional are known as:

A)values
B)symbols
C)constraints
D)worldviews

Question 21

According to the Murngin of Australian,after death a person's spirit will:

A)travel to the land of the dead across the sea
B)return to the ancestral clan water hole
C)remain for a time in the land of the living as a ghost
D)disappear forever

Question 22

A symbol can be a physical thing,a sound,or a dance step.

Question 23

Lord Pakal died and was entombed in the Temple of the Inscriptions in Palenque on August 31,1123 B.C.

Question 24

Aspects of Australian totemic beliefs include:

A)a prohibition against eating one's totem
B)a time called "The Dream Time" during which totemic creatures roamed the earth
C)a kinship between people and their totem
D)all of the above

Question 25

Symbols are arbitrary,that is,new symbols can be created when necessary.

Question 26

A symbol associated with the Church of Satan and Wicca is the pentagram.

Question 27

Rituals that are performed according to a set temporal cycle are called:

A)periodic rituals
B)calendrical rituals
C)time sensitive rituals
D)annual rituals

Question 28

The cross was an early symbol of Christianity and appears in First Century Christian art.

Question 29

The calendar that is used for secular purposes in the industrial world today is the:

A)Julian calendar
B)Gregorian calendar
C)Hebrew calendar
D)Islamic calendar

Question 30

Totemic narratives among the Australian aborigines describe journeys taken by totemic creatures in the past.On these journeys the creatures:

A)created by naming the plants and animals
B)produced geological features including water holes
C)through their behavior established customs that characterize contemporary Australian culture
D)all of the above

Question 31

The psychoduct found in Lord Pakal's tomb connected the tomb to the temple on top of the pyramid.

Question 32

An example of a membranophone is a:

A)flute
B)rattle
C)drum
D)violin

Question 33

The Islamic calendar is:

A)lunar
B)solar
C)seasonal
D)a 260 day cycle

Question 34

Music in religious ritual functions to:

A)set a religious mood for the ritual
B)symbolically represent knowledge from the religious texts
C)facilitate the memorization and recitation of religious texts
D)all of the above

Question 35

The image of Lord Pakel on the carving in Temple of the Inscriptions is evidence of contact by astronauts from other worlds.

Question 36

A shell trumpet and a flute are examples of a(n):

A)cordophone
B)aerophone
C)idiophone
D)membranophone

Question 37

In a Buddhist temple the swastika stands for evil.

Question 38

Christian groups descended from the Millerism movement of the early Nineteenth Century believed that:

A)life on earth was created by extraterrestrial aliens
B)people die and are reborn in other people or animals
C)after death people travel to a special place and become gods
D)the world as we know it will come to an end at some date in the future

Question 39

Symbolic elements of dance include:

A)movement
B)costume
C)paraphernalia
D)all of the above

Question 40

The assignment of meaning to a symbol is always based upon what the symbol looks like or sounds like.

Question 41

What is the connection between worldview,myth and symbol? Discuss using a specific cultural example.

Question 42

How do religious toys and games express the worldview of that religion?

Question 43

The number of basic color terms found in various languages ranges from 2 to 11.Is any particular number more logical or accurate than another? Why? Why not?

Question 44

Among the Murngin of Australia,the ancestors and totemic spirits lived in a sacred water hole.

Question 45

Use the structuring of time to illustrate the concept that culture creates realities.

Question 46

How is music used in religious rituals? Compare this with the use of music in movies.

Question 47

The ancient Maya used several calendar cycles simultaneously.There were two main cycles,one of 365 days and one of 185 days.

Question 48

Symbols play extremely important roles in marketing and advertising.Describe what a symbol is using commercial symbols as examples.

Question 49

The Islamic calendar is a solar calendar.

Question 50

Different Yoruba deities,or orisha,can be identified,in part,by the colors used in their representations.

Question 51

A totem is symbol that is associated with a particular social group.

Question 52

Among the Australian Aborigines,increase rituals are rituals designed to increase one's personal wealth.

Question 53

Calendars are important in many religious for the scheduling of periodic rituals.

Question 54

The unit of time we call a week is an arbitrary unit.The number of days that make up a week varies among the world's societies.

Question 55

As seen in the carving on Lord Pakal's sarcophagus,what is the Mayan universe like?

Question 56

Types of music,such as religious music,evoke the same emotions in all societies.

Question 57

What is an acrostic? Give an example.

Question 58

What are the Murngin totemic beliefs about birth and death?

Question 59

All languages have a similar set of basic color terms in terms of number and meaning.