Deck 12: Religion and the Supernatural

Question 1

What is one of the functions of Iroquois moieties?

A) to explain the distinction between life and death
B) to provide a way of keeping hostile parties apart
C) to reaffirm the balance and reciprocity between men and women
D) to provide a method for two warring groups to separate permanently

Answer 1

to reaffirm the balance and reciprocity between men and women

Question 2

What general conclusion about religion does the text come to?

A) It is unnecessary in a time of boundless scientific knowledge.
B) It is universal.
C) It is a recent cultural phenomenon,emerging with food-producing societies.
D) It is irrational.

Answer 2

It is universal.

Question 3

What aspect of Iroquois culture do the twins in the Iroquois origin myth reflect?

A) architecture
B) moieties
C) internal conflict
D) indivisibility

Answer 3

moieties

Question 4

Which term refers to a Shi'ite legal scholar?

A) mullah
B) imam
C) priest
D) ayatollah

Question 5

About how many Muslims live in Canada?

A) 100,000
B) 200,000
C) 500,000
D) 1 million

Question 6

Which of the following best describes the Quran?

A) a guide to other sources of Islamic literature
B) the sacred book exclusive to Sunni Moslems
C) a book of poetry and songs related to Islam
D) a compilation of Mohammed's revelations

Question 7

What inspired the Prophet Muhammad's revelations?

A) the voice of the Angel Gabriel
B) early Christian mystics
C) zen
D) Algerian mystics

Question 8

What must Muslims do during the month of Ramadan?

A) Pray twice a day.
B) Indulge in holiday treats.
C) Fast and develop self-discipline.
D) Exchange small gifts on each Friday of the month.

Question 9

"A set of rituals,rationalized by myth that mobilizes supernatural powers to achieve or prevent transformations of state in people and nature." According to the textbook,which term is that a definition of?

A) magic
B) kinship
C) religion
D) prayer

Question 10

Other than reflect the dualistic nature of Iroquois community,what other function does Iroquois religion serve?

A) It provides points of mediation so that the two moieties can exist as separate communities.
B) It provides "paths of escape" to allow individual Iroquois to be separate and distinct from the community.
C) It provides a link between the supernatural realm and the everyday life of village and community.
D) It provides terrifying images of an afterlife where evil is punished in a kind of eternal damnation.

Question 11

Which of the following is forbidden to followers of Islam?

A) drinking beverages containing caffeine
B) leading others in prayer
C) acquiring wealth and property
D) eating pork,drinking alcohol,and gambling

Question 12

According to the Canadian census,roughly how many Canadians report no religious affiliation?

A) 3 million
B) 4 million
C) 5 million
D) 6 million

Question 13

According to Canadian census figures,which province has the largest percentage of people with no religious affiliation?

A) British Columbia
B) Quebec
C) Alberta
D) Ontario

Question 14

In the Iroquois origin myth,what aspect of Iroquois culture is reflected in the characters of the Sky woman and the waterfowl,muskrat,and turtle?

A) the importance of hunting to the Iroquois
B) the fact that the Iroquois are dominated by their priests
C) the importance of water to the Iroquois
D) the interdependence of all things in nature

Question 15

Among Muslims,how is almsgiving regarded?

A) It is meant to teach the poor to be thankful for charity.
B) Muslims must donate 2.5 percent of their earnings to charity.
C) It is required only for the very rich.
D) It occurs only when a Muslim makes a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a typical characteristic of most fundamentalists?

A) They welcome change brought about by interfaith dialogue.
B) They regard their sacred texts as sources of inspiration and comfort.
C) They see themselves as guardians of supreme truth.
D) They believe that religion must be integrated into all aspects of culture.

Question 17

The Canadian census indicates a dramatic decline in church attendance over the past 50 years.Which region of Canada had an especially large decline?

A) British Columbia
B) Quebec
C) the Maritimes
D) rural areas

Question 18

What did the Prophet Muhammad think of the God of the Jews and Christians?

A) that the God of the Jews and Christians was a false,but harmless God
B) that the God of the Christians was Allah,but that the God of the Jews was a false God
C) that the God of Christians and Jews was in fact Allah
D) that the God of the Jews and Christians was allied with Satan

Question 19

Which of the following describes the afterworld in Iroquois religion?

A) as a place of salvation
B) as the reverse of Iroquois society
C) as a vague concept that was not of particular interest to the Iroquois
D) as an answer to the question of death that reinforces social structure

Question 20

Which statement is supported by the ongoing existence of Islamic fundamentalism in Iran,Jewish fundamentalism in Israel,and Christian fundamentalism in the United States?

A) Science and religious fundamentalism are quite compatible .
B) Liberal forms of these religions are in decline in all three cases.
C) Science is open to error and revision while religion remains eternal.
D) Religion is still a powerful and dynamic force in contemporary society.

Question 21

Which of the following supernatural forces is typically found in groups in which women make a major contribution to the economy and are relatively equal to men in power and authority?

A) mana
B) gods
C) goddesses
D) fetishes

Question 22

Which type of social organization typically develops a belief in an all-powerful supreme being who controls the universe?

A) bands
B) tribes
C) chiefdoms
D) states

Question 23

What is the term for a full-time religious specialist who occupies an office with a certain rank and function?

A) shaman
B) priest
C) witch
D) diviner

Question 24

Among the Dane-zaa of the Peace River region,what must occur before events can take place,according to anthropologist Robin Ridington?

A) Prayers must have been offered to the Great Spirit.
B) Hallucinogenic plants must have been consumed.
C) People must have experienced them in myths,dreams,and visions.
D) People must have undergone ritual cleansing and other preparations.

Question 25

Which term refers to the belief that nature is animated with spirits?

A) animation
B) anima
C) animatism
D) animism

Question 26

(1)A rabbit's foot in Western culture.(2)The overwhelming sense of beauty of a particular place such as Waterton-Glacier National Park.(3)Luke Skywalker telling Han Solo,"May the Force be with you." What are these all examples of?

A) animism
B) animatism
C) divination
D) sympathetic magic

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT true of the Ju/'hoansi trickster?

A) He brings structure and order into the world.
B) He requires the prayers and offerings of the Ju/'hoansi.
C) He brought fire and cooking and waterholes to the Ju/'hoansi.
D) He changes identity frequently.

Question 28

Which of the following is one of the beliefs of Canadian Doukhobors?

A) Religion requires adherence to the commandments and rituals of the Doukhobor Church.
B) Only the leaders of the Doukhobor Church can interpret God's word.
C) God is not a supernatural being but is the goodness and wisdom found in the hearts and minds of ordinary people.
D) To discover Divine Truth,Doukhobors must study God's teachings as revealed in their religious texts.

Question 29

Which statement is a typical Canadian's definition of myth?

A) Myths are explanatory narratives that focus on human existence.
B) Myths are stories that rationalize religious beliefs and practices.
C) Myths are basically folk tales and stories.
D) Myths describe an orderly universe and set the stage for orderly behaviour.

Question 30

What distinguishes animism from animatism?

A) In animism,the spiritual force has a personal identity,whereas it is an impersonal force without identity in animatism.
B) In animism,the spiritual force is seen as a natural force,whereas it is seen as a supernatural force in animatism.
C) In animism,the spiritual force is seen as a god,whereas it is seen as an ancestral spirit in animatism.
D) In animism,the spiritual force involves witchcraft,whereas it only involves divination in animatism.

Question 31

Which type of culture is typically associated with a belief in male godheads?

A) economies based on herding and male labour
B) food-foraging societies
C) groups where a close relationship between children and their fathers is common
D) matrilineal descent systems

Question 32

In acting as a healer,what function does the shaman perform?

A) He/she reassures the community with an elaborate drama that may involve trickery.
B) He/she applies modern medical techniques when available.
C) He/she copes with the group's problems by standing apart from them.
D) He/she improves the patient's economic standing.

Question 33

Which church did the Doukhobor faction split from in the 1650s?

A) Roman Catholic Church
B) Anglican Church
C) Greek Orthodox Church
D) Russian Orthodox Church

Question 34

According to anthropologist Anthony F.C.Wallace,what is the primary phenomenon of religion?

A) faith
B) ritual
C) awe
D) fear of death

Question 35

Which of the following is an example of animism?

A) Dracula
B) the ghost of Christmas past
C) the god Zeus
D) a malevolent spirit inside a statue

Question 36

Assume that religious belief reflects the structure of society.In which types of culture would you expect to find widespread belief in ancestral spirits?

A) those in which unilineal descent groups play a major role in social organization
B) those that have a disproportionately large number of old people
C) those that have a disproportionately large number of young people
D) those in which neolocal marital residence is the rule

Question 37

How is the Inuit myth of Sedna,the sea goddess,regarded by the Inuit?

A) as a story about imaginary events
B) as frivolous entertainment,much like a children's television cartoon
C) as analogous to a historical document of the Inuit past
D) as irrelevant to their lives in the modern world

Question 38

Which term refers to the concept of an abstract supernatural force inherent in all objects?

A) ability
B) anime
C) malevolence
D) mana

Question 39

Some Hebrews added Canaanite goddess cults to their pantheon but later discarded them.Why did they discard them?

A) They encountered the masculine god of Christianity.
B) They faced an economic threat from the Philistines.
C) They discovered the role of males in conception.
D) They claimed identity as divinely chosen people.

Question 40

Which term refers to a people's collection of gods and goddesses?

A) sacristy
B) hierarchy
C) pantheon
D) papacy

Question 41

Which of the following statements about Wiccans is true?

A) They believe in divine spirits that can inform them about the future.
B) They believe their power comes from the supernatural.
C) They believe that only certain aspects of nature have spirit value.
D) They believe their power comes from the inner self.

Question 42

What is the most significant element of an Australian Aboriginal boy's puberty rites?

A) being ritually "killed"
B) his complete removal from his community
C) the boy's new awareness that he has become a man
D) the pain of circumcision

Question 43

How are Wiccan beliefs and practices passed on?

A) through the Book of Darkness and the Book of Shadows
B) through oral traditions and the Book of Shadows
C) through the Book of Shadows and the Book of Kells
D) through oral traditions and the Book of Revelation

Question 44

Many magical incantations require the use of hair clippings of the intended victim.What is this is an example of?

A) imitative magic
B) contagious magic
C) witch magic
D) nightmare magic

Question 45

An individual has harmed you with psychic powers.What have you been the victim of?

A) imitative magic
B) contagious magic
C) witchcraft
D) alchemy

Question 46

"Sleeping with your head on a dead person's pillow puts you in touch with the deceased." Which sort of magic does this exemplify?

A) scientific
B) contagious
C) imitative
D) witchcraft

Question 47

Some people explain why things go wrong by blaming certain individuals with the psychic ability to harm others.Which term refers to this kind of belief?

A) witchcraft
B) magic
C) divination
D) evil

Question 48

Which of the following beliefs is shared by both Wiccans and Reconstructionists?

A) Nature is sacred,and there is more than one god.
B) Christ died for our sins.
C) The performance of magical sacred rites will create a cone of power.
D) There are twenty commandments.

Question 49

Which of the following best describes the category of ritual that a funeral ceremony belongs in?

A) a rite of passage
B) a rite of extinction
C) a rite of renewal
D) a rite of intensification

Question 50

The initiation rites for male Australian Aborigines include a stage in which they undergo a series of traumatic ordeals that teach them tribal lore and are so harsh that they will never forget these lessons.What term did Arnold Van Gennep use to refer to this stage in the puberty ceremony?

A) initiation
B) intensification
C) separation
D) transition

Question 51

Wiccans are organized into covens.Who leads the covens?

A) a female elder
B) a witch
C) a high priestess
D) a warlock

Question 52

What is one of the Wiccan beliefs?

A) Satanism
B) monotheism
C) animism
D) sorcery

Question 53

Which of the following is true of puberty rituals of Mende girls?

A) They occur one or two years before the onset of menstruation.
B) They include circumcision before the transition.
C) Mende girls are provided with only a small amount of food and water over several months.
D) Mende girls are induced with hallucinations,which senior women then interpret.

Question 54

Which statement about neo-Druidism is NOT true?

A) Bards are composers of verses.
B) Bards are keepers of lore.
C) Druids are advisers and authorities.
D) Ovates are the highest-ranking members.

Question 55

What do witches use their innate powers for?

A) religious purposes
B) scientific reasons
C) evil
D) social advancement

Question 56

In Wicca,which set of natural processes is celebrated by circle-casting rituals?

A) mating,conception,birth,parenthood,maturation,death
B) mating,conception,birth,life,growth,death
C) planting,gathering,parenthood,life,death
D) planting,gathering,life,growth,death

Question 57

Bar and bat mitzvahs,elaborate weddings,baby showers,and graduation parties help individuals mark major changes in their lives.Which term is most often used to refer to these events?

A) transition ceremonies
B) rituals of intensification
C) services of separation
D) rites of passage

Question 58

Which type of religious ceremonies helps groups get through crises such as drought or some other external threat?

A) rites of intensification
B) holy revolutions
C) services of rebellion
D) rituals of passage

Question 59

"Things that are like each other have a connection to each other;so if you do something to one,it will affect the other." Which term refers to this sort of magic?

A) scientific
B) contagious
C) imitative
D) compulsive

Question 60

Anthropologist Arnold Van Gennep analyzed ceremonies that help individuals through crucial stages of their life cycle and identified three stages in them.What is the first of these stages?

A) inculcation
B) separation
C) revitalization
D) intensification

Question 61

Which of the following is an example of a psychological function of religion?

A) Singing hymns draws people together,increasing social solidarity.
B) Religious people pool their money to support good causes.
C) Religion explains how people should behave.
D) A Catholic person's guilt over sinning is erased after confession to a priest.

Question 62

Missionism is about charitable work and religious conversion.Which statement best describes missionism's effect on culture?

A) Missionism is an intentionally destructive force on culture.
B) Missionism is a way to enhance culture.
C) Missionism is a powerful force of culture change.
D) Missionism is the way to unify divided cultures.

Question 63

Which revitalization call has become a mainstream American religion?

A) Buddhism
B) Hinduism
C) Mormonism
D) Christian Science

Question 64

The Iroquois origin myth and other aspects of Iroquois religion provide an accurate model of Iroquois community.

Question 65

There is only one version of the Iroquois origin myth,which indicates the lack of diversity among different groups of Iroquois.

Question 66

Which group of women is most aggressively fighting against the increase in breast implantation in the United States?

A) the Mormon Mothers Association
B) women who have experienced serious medical complications
C) female doctors united against cosmetic surgery
D) young women in support of intact bodies

Question 67

Which of the following statements about revitalization movements is NOT correct?

A) The purpose of revitalization movements is to reform society.
B) Revitalization movements rarely fail because they align people's expectations.
C) All known major religions,including Judaism,Christianity,and Islam,began as revitalization movements.
D) Revitalization movements may be completely unrealistic.

Question 68

In many religions,how are social transgressions often dealt with?

A) by a referral to the court and penal system
B) by direct discipline from church officials
C) by shunning from the church members
D) by retribution through supernatural agencie

Question 69

Which of the following options indicates aspects of religion that serve positive social functions?

A) creation stories that explain who we are and where we came from
B) psychological reassurance,moral behaviour codes and perceptions of good health
C) the promise of redemption and a personal relationship with a prophet
D) the promise of an afterlife and reunion with loved ones

Question 70

How does the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery regard female breast augmentation?

A) It may be detrimental to her mental health.
B) It is purely aesthetic,having no other benefit.
C) It is necessary for the patient's psychological health.
D) It will enhance her ability to feed babies.

Question 71

According to Dane-zaa teachings,what do the animals they hunt want to be reassured of?

A) that they will die quickly and painlessly
B) that the hunter will be generous with their meat
C) that their young will not be killed
D) that the hunters not overhunt their kind

Question 72

Taking into consideration the success of the alliance between traditional and Western medicine in Swaziland,what lesson can doctors who want to help African peoples take from this success?

A) Directly challenging traditional beliefs does little more than create stress,confusion,and resentment.
B) Directly challenging traditional beliefs is often necessary to overcome dangerous superstitions.
C) Both Western and traditional beliefs must be questioned by both parties to succeed.
D) Western medicine is useless if people do not believe in it.

Question 73

What do the Dane-zaa believe about the relationship between material goods and knowledge?

A) They believe that both material goods and knowledge must be mastered to survive.
B) They believe that one gains power and knowledge through the manufacture of material goods.
C) They believe that knowledge is far more valuable than material goods.
D) They believe that people who have goods and people who have knowledge are of equal value.

Question 74

How do the Dane-zaa regard the animals they rely on for food?

A) They regard animals as nonhuman persons endowed with the ability to choose whether or not to give themselves away to human hunters.
B) They regard animals as being evasive bush spirits that they must stock and hunt expertly.
C) They regard animals as their ancestors returning in animal form to feed them.
D) They regard animals as a crop to nurture,cultivate,and harvest yearly.

Question 75

What do traditional Swazis believe causes many illnesses?

A) the water they drink
B) a person's bad conduct
C) eating Western foods
D) sorcery and loss of ancestral protection

Question 76

Which diseases do Swazis NOT attribute to supernatural causes?

A) lung and respiratory diseases
B) malaria
C) sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)and other contagious diseases
D) common colds and flu

Question 77

How do plastic surgeons see themselves in their role of reconstructing female breasts?

A) as skilled surgeons working to minimize tissue damage
B) as production-line hacks churning out breast implants
C) as misguided surgeons who could put his talents to better purposes
D) as psychological healers and artists working to relieve women's suffering

Question 78

Which term refers to a deliberate effort by members of a world group to construct a more satisfying culture?

A) a divination movement
B) a movement of intensification
C) a fetish movement
D) a revitalization movement

Question 79

What is one of the most controversial aspects of missionism mentioned in the text?

A) the ethics of offering religious conversion for food and medical aid
B) the ethics of supporting indigenous warfare
C) the ethics of offering religious conversion to obtain access to resources
D) the ethics of converting Anglicans to Catholics

Question 80

Which question lies at the heart of the debate about how female circumcision differs from breast augmentation?

A) Are both procedures performed because free choice or because of social pressures,external to women,to modify the body?
B) Are both procedures equally harmful medically to those who receive them?
C) Are both procedures necessary for women to feel good about themselves?
D) Are both procedures harmful to a woman's reproductive system?