Culture and Society FAU Pearson Revel Chapter 15

What is the difference between animism and animatism?

Animism is a belief that all living things have a soul or spirit essence, whereas animatism is a belief that an impersonal spiritual force can manifest in both animate beings and inanimate objects.

What is the goal of religious speech?

to influence natural phenomena, states of being, people, or events

In general, what is the goal of anthropologists in studying religions?

to learn about how people develop cultural meanings and behaviors

Contagious magic functions on the basis of which of the following principles?

Positive or negative qualities can be transferred from one object or person to another through direct or close contact.

How do religious healers cure people of spirit-related illnesses?

by combining rituals with a practical knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and medicinal remedies

Which of the following describes the work of a diviner?

interpreting patterns among physical objects to predict the future

In general, which of the following would be the responsibility of a priest?

officiating at community rituals and leading religious organizations

Which of the following is an example of how religion can reinforce social controls?

Gender role reversals in ritual contexts highlight social values by temporarily allowing them to be transgressed.

Ancient Greek and Roman deities were organized in a system in which each had specialized domains and positions of power relative to one another, with Zeus or Jupiter at the head. What does this suggest about Greek and Roman society?

Greek and Roman society were socially and politically stratified in a hierarchical fashion.

How is spirit possession different in Korea and among practitioners of macumba in Brazil?

In Korea, spirits possess women and make them ill, whereas in Brazil, spirits possess people in order to offer advice and protection.

Which of the following tends to be a general distinction between the way people in egalitarian societies interact with the spirit world compared to the way people in stratified societies do?

In egalitarian societies, people are able to make direct, personal contact with spirit beings, compared to stratified societies in which religious specialists serve as intermediaries between people and spirit beings.

In many Latin American cultures, what is thought to cause susto?

In many Latin American cultures, what is thought to cause susto?

Which of the following religious elements has been associated with many stratified societies, including chiefdoms and monarchies?

Leaders are thought to be of divine descent, endowed with spiritual powers or ruling on the basis of divine right.

How is science different from religion?

Science is based on empirical observation and the concept that there are physical causes of observable effects, whereas religion is founded on beliefs in spiritual or supernatural causes.

Which of the following differentiates shamans from mediums?

Shamans receive messages from the spirit world, rather than channeling particular spirits.

In Ethiopia, a small group of people gather to sing a series of spirit-related songs. One of the women in the group begins rocking back and forth. She eventually stands and addresses the group with an unusual vocal quality. When she sits back down, she starts to behave more like herself again. The people around her acknowledge that her out-of-character behavior was actually that of a spirit. How would an anthropologist describe the woman's behavior?

The woman is a spirit medium who entered a trance state.

In Hindu cosmology, married goddesses are portrayed as benevolent and trustworthy while unmarried goddesses are aggressive and dangerous. What does this imply about Hindu society?

There is a gender expectation that the proper role for a woman is as a wife.

Which of the following is characteristic of some Christian fundamentalist groups today?

a belief that traditional gender roles are divinely sanctioned

In Japan, people present offerings to tablets that commemorate deceased relatives. This is a form of __________.

ancestor worship

Why do witchcraft accusations arise in the matrilineal Cewa society of Zimbabwe?

because the Cewa do not have mechanisms for resolving disputes that occur between members of the same matrilineage

Why are polytheistic religions generally more receptive to change than monotheistic religions?

because they do not adhere to a single, rigidly standardized doctrine

Which of the following is a function fulfilled by totemism?

celebrating the solidarity of social groups

Which of the following summarizes the process of religious syncretism?

combining and modifying elements from different religions, such as stories, spirit beings, icons, and rituals

In some cultures, secret societies are established to do which of the following?

control places and objects that are associated with spirit forces and/or religious ceremonies

Which of the following is a psychological effect of religious practice?

emotional catharsis and the release of tension and worry

Among the Sukus of the southwestern Congo, following circumcision, boys spend a period of several weeks in a ceremonial hut outside of their village. During this period, they are taught ritual songs and dances and are treated in a physically and verbally rough manner by elder men training them. At the end of this period, the boys receive new names and return to the village. According to Arnold van Gennep's model, the period spent at the ceremonial hut does which of the following?

ritualizes the transitional phase of a change in status

Which of the following religious practices would be found in a foraging society?

rituals to ensure a successful hunt

Which of the following would be considered a nativistic movement?

the Ghost Dance, in which Plains Indians followed a prophet who promoted a return to a state of cultural purity based on pre-colonial social and religious practices

What circumstances are conducive to the development of revitalization movements?

the conquest, invasion, or colonization of a people that causes social and political upheaval

What do pregnancy taboos symbolize?

the dangers and uncertainty of pregnancy and birth