Deck 14: Religion and Worldview

Question 1

What term did E. B. Tylor use for "belief in spiritual beings?"

A) Animism
B) Mana
C) Sorcery
D) Polytheism

Answer 1

Animism

Question 2

E. B. Tylor described the three sequential stages of religion as

A) mana, sorcery, and magic.
B) animism, polytheism, and monotheism.
C) polytheism, monotheism, and secularism.
D) animatism, magic/sorcery, and rationalism.

Answer 2

animism, polytheism, and monotheism.

Question 3

Polynesians believed in a diffuse, incorporeal spiritual power that could lend its power to things or people. This type of supernatural power is called

A) animism.
B) mana.
C) magic.
D) polytheism.

Answer 3

mana.

Question 4

How do gods or beings differ from other types of supernatural forces or substances?

A) Gods may take a physical or bodily form; supernatural forces do not.
B) Gods and other beings respond to human action in some way.
C) Gods have a will of their own; other forces do not.
D) Unlike gods or other beings, forces or substances are only recognized by their effects.

Question 5

Which one of these statements about religion is true?

A) There are some primitive societies that have no religion.
B) All religions believe in the existence of gods.
C) People who live in complex societies are less religious than those who live in simple societies.
D) Some form of religion is universal among human societies.

Question 6

Myths are oral or written stories that

A) are not true.
B) explain some important cultural knowledge.
C) are secular and take the place of religion.
D) formalize the norms and values of a society.

Question 7

Which of these statements about myths is FALSE?

A) Myths explain important aspects of one's culture.
B) Myths often contain lessons about how one should act.
C) Myths are told in both formal and informal settings.
D) Myths that are recounted frequently and casually are the least important for a society.

Question 8

What is the term for the organized performance of behaviors intended to influence spiritual powers?

A) Animism
B) Mana
C) Ritual
D) Divination

Question 9

Which of these is NOT a characteristic of rituals?

A) Rituals include symbolic objects, language and behavior.
B) Rituals are used for a wide variety of purposes cross-culturally.
C) Rituals are meant to influence spiritual powers.
D) Rituals are conducted differently each time they are undertaken.

Question 10

Anthropologists classify rituals

A) according to their effectiveness.
B) into those dealing with supernatural beings and those dealing with supernatural forces.
C) according to their purpose and when they occur.
D) into those intended for good purposes and those intended for evil purposes.

Question 11

Rituals that are held on a regular and predictable basis are called ____ rituals.

A) secular
B) calendrical
C) crisis
D) stereotyped

Question 12

Rituals held to cure an illness, ensure a good hunt, or bury the dead would all be considered ____ rituals.

A) secular
B) calendrical
C) crisis
D) stereotyped

Question 13

Humans have a need to understand the world around them; the purpose of religion is to explain events and things. This is the view taken by ____ theories of religion.

A) sociological
B) political
C) intellectual/cognitive
D) psychological

Question 14

According to Sir James Frazer's view of the development of human thought,

A) science would replace the errors in thinking of magic and religious beliefs.
B) magic, religion, and science were equally valid methods of understanding the world.
C) science and magic were more rational approaches to understanding than religion.
D) rational thought and religious thinking were two separate aspects of the human mind.

Question 15

It is natural for human beings to view the world anthropomorphically, assigning human characteristics to animals and forces of nature. This view is consistent with ____ theories of religion.

A) sociological
B) political
C) intellectual/cognitive
D) psychological

Question 16

Religion provides people with reassurance in the face of crisis. It explains hardship and alleviates suffering. This reasoning is part of ____ theories of religion.

A) sociological
B) political
C) intellectual/cognitive
D) psychological

Question 17

____ thought that the function of religion and magic is to instill confidence when people are faced with situations in which they are not likely to be successful.

A) Sir James Frazer
B) Clifford Geertz
C) Bronislaw Malinowski
D) Steward Guthrie

Question 18

From a ____ perspective, religion promotes conformity, cohesion, and cooperation within society.

A) sociological
B) political
C) intellectual/cognitive
D) psychological

Question 19

According to Emile Durkheim's theory of religion,

A) the function of religion was to repress psychologically disruptive desires.
B) religion served to enhance the power of society's elites.
C) all religious practices derived from a sense of human dependence upon and awe of nature.
D) when people periodically congregate for the performance of religious rituals, they are promoting social solidarity.

Question 20

How do the psychological, sociological, and intellectual/cognitive theories of religion compare in terms of their ability to explain why people have religion?

A) The psychological and sociological explanations have the most merit.
B) Intellectual/cognitive theories apply in more situations than do the others.
C) Each of the approaches works in some cases and not in others.
D) None of the approaches has any real explanatory value.

Question 21

Generally, when one uses a rite or ritual language to cause supernatural forces to work in a particular way, this is termed

A) sorcery.
B) divination.
C) witchcraft.
D) voodoo.

Question 22

When magic is used to cause supernatural harm to others, this is termed

A) sorcery.
B) witchcraft.
C) shamanism.
D) retribution.

Question 23

What is commonly known as a voodoo doll is an example of

A) witchcraft.
B) divination.
C) imitative magic.
D) contagious magic.

Question 24

If people in a society believe they must be careful in disposing of their own hair and nail clippings, body excrement, and the like, what is it that they likely fear?

A) A sorcerer using contagious magic
B) A sorcerer using imitative magic
C) Night witches
D) Punishment from spirits for breaking taboos concerning bodily functions

Question 25

Anthropologists note that accusations of sorcery tend to be patterned. In what way are they patterned?

A) People in a society believe all sorcerers use the same methods to harm others.
B) The same individuals, and no others, are thought to be sorcerers by most members of the society.
C) There is a cultural-specific and normative way to identify sorcerers.
D) People in any society tend to suspect those individuals with whom they have strained relationships.

Question 26

The vision quests of the Native Americans of the Great Plains are an example of which form of religious organization?

A) Individualistic
B) Shamanistic
C) Communal
D) Ecclesiastical

Question 27

How do shamans and priests contrast with one another?

A) Shamans elect to become practitioners while priests are chosen by the gods.
B) Priests are part of a formal bureaucracy of religious specialists; shamans are not.
C) Shamans are set apart from the rest of the populace while priests live very much like everyone else.
D) Shamans spend more years being trained than do priests.

Question 28

The belief that kin groups have a mystical relationship with specific animals, plants, or inanimate objects is known as

A) totemism.
B) shamanism.
C) ecclesiastic organization.
D) paganism.

Question 29

Which type of religious organization involves a formal bureaucracy of religious specialists that organizes public rituals?

A) Individualistic
B) Shamanistic
C) Communal
D) Ecclesiastical

Question 30

Which of these is NOT one of the conditions under which revitalization movements are likely to coalesce?

A) Rapid social change caused by exposure to unfamiliar people and practices
B) A successful independence movement and establishment of political autonomy
C) Foreign domination contributing to a sense of group inferiority
D) The perception of relative deprivation

Question 31

Every culture has religion.

Question 32

Many monotheistic religions contain elements of animism.

Question 33

North Americans learn most of their mythology at home and in other informal settings.

Question 34

Even when a ritual does not achieve its stated objective, it may still provide benefits that people want or need but cannot acquire without religion.

Question 35

Sir James Frazer is very likely correct in his belief that science will replace religious beliefs.

Question 36

According to Guthrie, not all religious rituals are harmless, despite their motivation.

Question 37

In all religions, beliefs about life after death are comforting, according to Malinowski.

Question 38

Witchcraft is the use of psychic powers to harm others by supernatural means.

Question 39

Blaming one's troubles on witches is an example of the cognitive interpretation.

Question 40

People who do not conform to local norms of behavior are most likely to be suspected and accused of being witches.

Question 41

According to Wallace's typology of religion, individualistic cults always have a shaman.

Question 42

For the Native American tribes of the Great Plains, the individualistic religious form of the vision quest was their entire religion.

Question 43

Like priests, shamans are full-time religious specialists who make their living conducting healings and other rituals.

Question 44

Melanesian Cargo Cults are an example of revitalization movements by which their followers hoped to gain the type of wealth they saw among Europeans.

Question 45

A common thread among revitalization movements is the reversal of fortunes between followers and foreigners.

Question 46

Explain the interpretations given for the benefits people derive from believing in witches and sorcery.

Question 47

Describe each of Wallace's four types of religion and explain in what type of society each one is most likely to be found.

Question 48

Using one of the examples in the text, discuss the conditions under which revitalization movements are most likely to occur.

Question 49

Compare the psychological and sociological perspectives on religion. In what key ways do they differ?