Question 1

What did anthropologist E. E. Evans-Pritchard, who worked among the Azande people, consider to be an integral part of their religious system?

Accepted Answer

E. E. Evans-Pritchard considered magic to be an integral part of the Azande people's religious system. He wrote extensively about their use of magic in his book "Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic Among the Azande." Although ritual, rites, and ceremony are also important aspects of their religious practices, Evans-Pritchard specifically emphasized the role of magic in Azande religion.

Question 2

According to Max Weber, the values of self-denial and self-discipline provided the ethic necessary for:

Accepted Answer

According to Max Weber, the Protestant work ethic that emphasizes self-denial and self-discipline provided the necessary ethical foundation for the development and success of capitalism. Therefore, the values of self-denial and self-discipline helped capitalism to flourish.

Question 3

What do anthropologists call a part-time religious practitioner with special abilities to connect individuals with supernatural powers or beings?

Accepted Answer

Anthropologists call a part-time religious practitioner with special abilities to connect individuals with supernatural powers or beings a shaman. A shaman acts as a mediator between the human and spirit worlds and can communicate with spirits to heal, protect, and guide individuals or the community. The term "medicine man" is also sometimes used, but it has a more specific meaning referring to healers who use herbal remedies and traditional medicine. "Priest" typically refers to a full-time religious leader in organized religions, while "magician" often implies the use of tricks and illusions rather than genuine spiritual connections.

Question 4

The text describes the Muslim saint shrine of Husain Tekri and how people of many different faiths come to the shrine for healing rituals. The people traveling to the shrine are:

Accepted Answer

The text mentions that people are traveling to the shrine for healing rituals, which indicates that they are making a pilgrimage to the site.

Question 5

Your college experience leads eventually to your graduation, a ritual process that ushers you into the "real world" where you are expected to find a job and be a productive member of the larger society. In the model of ritual that Victor Turner describes, what does this entirety of your experience, including the graduation ceremony itself, help to promote?

Accepted Answer

According to Victor Turner's model of rites of passage, the end goal of the liminal phase is to achieve communitas - a feeling of community and solidarity with others who have gone through a similar experience. The entirety of the college experience, including the graduation ceremony, helps to promote this sense of communitas among the graduating class as they commemorate and celebrate their shared achievement of completing their education.

Question 6

Karl Marx argued that which of the following played a key role in keeping the working poor from engaging in revolutionary social change that he believed was necessary to improve their situation?

Accepted Answer

Karl Marx believed that religion played a key role in keeping the working poor from engaging in revolutionary social change. He argued that religion was a form of false consciousness that distracted workers from realizing their true potential for collective action and instead encouraged them to accept their situation as divinely ordained. Therefore, choice A is the best answer. Choices B, C, and D are irrelevant and do not relate to Marx's perspective on religion and its role in social change.

Question 7

Which of the following theories contends that religious practices have likely developed in response to very practical problems as people sought to adapt to the natural environment?

Accepted Answer

Cultural materialism is a theory that contends that religious practices have likely developed in response to very practical problems as people sought to adapt to the natural environment. It suggests that material conditions such as access to resources, technology, and the environment shape the development of culture and religion.

Question 8

When Max Weber envisioned an evolution of rationalization in religion, what did he suggest it might result in at the end?

Accepted Answer

The answer of When Max Weber envisioned an evolution of...

Question 9

What term is used to identify Victor Turner's final stage of a rite of passage that involves the return of the individual to the everyday life of the community?

Accepted Answer

Reincorporation is the term used by Victor Turner to describe the final stage of a rite of passage, where the individual returns to the community with a new status and sense of identity. It involves the integration of the individual's new identity with their everyday life in the community.

Question 10

Which of the following individuals believed that ideas can be just as powerful as economics in shaping society?

Accepted Answer

Max Weber believed that ideas, values, and beliefs could be just as powerful as economics in shaping society. He was interested in the role of religion in society and how it influenced people's behavior and values.

Question 11

Some followers of the Voodoo religion in Louisiana use figurines. They pin a person's picture or name to the figure, which represents that person's spirit, in order to bless them. How would an anthropologist most likely categorize this practice?

Accepted Answer

The use of figurines to represent a person's spirit and bless them falls under the category of magic. It is a form of sympathetic magic, where the physical object (the figurine) is believed to be connected to the person's spirit and can affect their well-being.

Question 12

German political philosopher Karl Marx called which of the following "the opiate of the masses"?

Accepted Answer

In his famous quote, Karl Marx referred to religion as "the opiate of the masses," suggesting that it was a tool used by those in power to keep the working class distracted and complacent. He believed that religion prevented people from realizing their own oppression and taking action to change their circumstances.

Question 13

Most of us routinely trim our fingernails. The cuttings are tossed into the wastebasket and we don't usually give it much thought. Believers of ________ would take special precautions with their fingernail clippings, which could be used to cast a spell on them.

Accepted Answer

The belief in contagious magic holds that objects or body parts that have been in contact with a person possess a magical connection to that person. Therefore, in certain cultures, fingernail clippings are thought to contain the essence of a person, and if obtained by someone with malicious intent, could be used to cast a harmful spell or curse on them.

Question 14

E. E. Evans-Pritchard conducted fieldwork among the Azande and rebuffed Max Weber's earlier assertion that science and modernization would lead to the decline of magic. What was a key element of magic highlighted by Evans-Pritchard's work?

Accepted Answer

Magic is rational, according to Evans-Pritchard's work, because it is based on a logical system of beliefs and practices that are shared by the members of a society.

Question 15

Paul Stoller's participation in sorcery and magic in Niger afforded him a window into what aspect of both life and religion in that country?

Accepted Answer

Paul Stoller's participation in sorcery and magic in Niger allowed him to deeply immerse in the culture, resulting in a transformative experience. He gained a unique understanding of life and religion in the country through his experiences participating in these rituals.

Question 16

Anthropologist Marvin Harris suggested that human culture is a response to the practical problems of earthly existence, arguing that society is shaped by:

Accepted Answer

Harris believed that human culture is influenced and shaped by the material conditions of earthly existence, such as the need for food, water, shelter, and resources. He argued that cultural practices, beliefs, and values emerge as a response to practical problems faced by individuals and societies, such as how to obtain food, maintain health, and ensure survival.

Therefore, option A is the best choice as it aligns with Harris's perspective on the shaping of culture.

Question 17

Which of the following is considered a type of magic that involves performances that imitate the desired result?

Accepted Answer

Imitative magic involves performing actions or rituals that imitate the desired outcome. This is also known as sympathetic magic or mimetic magic. It is based on the belief that imitating a desired result will bring about that result in reality. Examples of imitative magic include voodoo dolls, where a doll representing a person is manipulated in a way that imitates harm or healing, or fertility dances, which imitate the act of procreation to promote fertility.

Question 18

Seo-yun is a mudang in South Korea. In her community, she acts as an intermediary between spirits or gods and the human world through rituals, songs, and ancestor worship. Which term best describes Seo-yun?

Accepted Answer

A mudang is a type of shaman in Korean culture, who acts as a spiritual intermediary between humans and spirits or gods. Saints and martyrs are typically associated with Christianity, while communitas refers to a sociological concept of a temporary, egalitarian, and anti-structural community.

Question 19

In order to examine the role of religion in community life in Niger, West Africa, anthropologist Paul Stoller apprenticed with which of the following religious specialists?

Accepted Answer

Paul Stoller apprenticed with a sorcerer to examine the role of religion in community life in Niger, West Africa. This apprenticeship allowed him to gain deep insights into the local religious practices and beliefs.

Question 20

In his work with the Azande people, E. E. Evans-Pritchard found that which of the following individuals are formally taught the knowledge of rituals and medicines and use that knowledge to thwart the work of a witch?

Accepted Answer

Evans-Pritchard's research among the Azande people highlighted the role of witch doctors, who are formally taught the knowledge of rituals and medicines to counteract the effects of witchcraft.

Quiz 15: Religion