Deck 10: Witchcraft

Question 1

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

Answer 1

poison may be given directly to the accused witch

Question 2

In contrast with tribal beliefs,Euro-American witchcraft beliefs are characterized by:

A)witches were usually female
B)the power of witches was derived from a pact with the Devil
C)witchcraft was a crime against God and witches could be publicly executed
D)all of the above

Answer 2

all of the above

Question 3

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

Answer 3

witchcraft is a substance found within the body of the witch

Question 4

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

Question 5

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 relation?ship with a supernatural power
D)none of the above

Question 6

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

Question 7

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

Question 8

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

Question 9

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

Question 10

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

Question 11

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

Question 12

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

Question 13

The book Malleus Maleficarum was:

A)written in the 15th century and set forth European witchcraft beliefs of the time
B)a 17th century description of witchcraft beliefs in northern Africa
C)a late 18th century anthropological study of European witchcraft
D)was written by Gerald Gardner and became the basis of much Neo-Pagan belief

Question 14

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

Question 15

The Witchcraze:

A)took place in Europe during the 15th through 17th centuries
B)refers to witchcraft activity in New England during the 16th and 17th centuries
C)is the term used by E.E.Evans-Pritchard to refer to certain witchcraft activities found in African tribal societies
D)refers to Neo-Pagan rituals in the 20th century

Question 16

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

Question 17

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

Question 18

A case of witchcraft among the Azande is confirmed by the:

A)prince
B)shaman
C)poison oracle
D)priest

Question 19

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

Question 20

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.

Question 21

In many parts of Africa today,AIDS is being blamed on the activity of witchcraft.

Question 22

Euro-American witches in the 15th century obtained their evil power through contact with the Devil.

Question 23

A series of witchcraft trials and executions took place in the late 17th century in the United States,in the town of:

A)Lancaster
B)Salem
C)Concord
D)Springfield

Question 24

Hedonism and the symbol of a goat's head within an inverted pentagram refer to:

A)Wicca
B)Asatru
C)Satanism
D)Druidism

Question 25

Witches in small-scale societies derived their power from the knowledge and use of spells.

Question 26

The book Malleus Maleficarum stated that witches:

A)could shift shapes,and fly through the air
B)were more likely to be women than men
C)must be arrested,convicted,and executed
D)all of the above

Question 27

Among the Azande,witchcraft accusations are most likely to occur between people with strong social ties.

Question 28

The Witchcraze is a Neo-Pagan religion found in Europe and the United States.

Question 29

The Azande confirm the identity of a witch through autopsy after the witch has died or through autopsy of a blood relative of the same sex.

Question 30

Which of the following is true about the concept of the evil eye?

A)a person can cause misfortune by looking at a person
B)it is bad form to say something complementary about a child
C)spitting and particular hand gestures can be used to protect one against the evil eye
D)all of the above

Question 31

A granary has collapsed seriously injuring a man who was working underneath it.An Azande would be most like to blame the injury upon sorcery.

Question 32

Arthur Miller's play The Crucible used the Salem trials as an allegory for:

A)illegal immigration
B)McCarthyism
C)the use of alcohol during Prohibition
D)the breakup for the traditional family

Question 33

An Azande is a witch because of the inheritance of mangu or witchcraft substance.

Question 34

Among the Azande,the diagnosis of an illness is confirmed by a medium through spirit possession.

Question 35

Among the Azande witchcraft is basically evil,but it is good when it is directed at enemies.

Question 36

Since the Navaho witch is a personification of evil,witchcraft serves to culturally define immoral and antisocial behavior.