Chapter 13: Religion MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. Anthropologists typically conduct fieldwork as participants, living in and coexisting with those they study.
... [Show More] Religion, as a set of beliefs about how the world ought to be, can be successfully studied because it is also a. easily understood as a practice by attending religious services. b. lived out in a community of people. c. understood as to its truth or falsity through participant observation. d. useful as a theoretical understanding of daily life. ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Introduction to Religion OBJ: Define the concept of religion and describe why anthropologists study it. MSC: Understanding 2. Anthropologists typically examine which of the following in order to understand religion’s meaning and significance in the life of a community of people? a. theology and history c. theology and political systems b. language and theology d. economy and theology ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: What Is Religion? OBJ: Define the concept of religion and describe why anthropologists study it. MSC: Remembering 3. People make sense of the world, reach decisions, and organize their lives on the basis of their a. religious beliefs. b. social organization. c. ability to falsify the religions of others. d. theoretical understanding of religious practices. ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: What Is Religion? OBJ: Define the concept of religion and describe why anthropologists study it. MSC: Understanding 4. One of the primary reasons that the study of religion in anthropology is difficult is because a. there is no single, universal definition of religion that anthropologists can agree upon. b. the variation in local expression complicates the verification of religious truth or falsity. c. there is a wide range of local religious expression. d. the range of religions is so vast that it is not possible to study them effectively. ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: What Is Religion? OBJ: Define the concept of religion and describe why anthropologists study it. MSC: Understanding 5. Anthropologists are primarily interested in a. analyzing religion’s ultimate truth or falsity. b. capturing religious expression and making it come alive for others. c. validating others’ religious beliefs. d. documenting all extant shamanic traditions. ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: What Is Religion? OBJ: Define the concept of religion and describe why anthropologists study it. MSC: Remembering contact: [email protected] 6. One of the central tasks of anthropologists studying religion is to understand the religious sense of a. truthfulness. b. the strength of individual belief. c. connection to all the major world religions. d. moral order. ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: What Is Religion? OBJ: Define the concept of religion and describe why anthropologists study it. MSC: Understanding 7. Attention to local religious expressions complicates anthropologists’ efforts to create a. a universal definition of spirituality. b. a universal definition of religious ideology. c. a universal definition of religious practices. d. a universal definition of religion. ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: What Is Religion? OBJ: Define the concept of religion and describe why anthropologists study it. MSC: Remembering 8. Anthropological research illustrates that people make a religious tradition come alive in their own context through local expressions and which of the following? a. creative adaptations c. universal beliefs b. strict adherence to scripture d. standardized rituals ANS: A DIF: Difficult REF: What Is Religion? OBJ: Define the concept of religion and describe why anthropologists study it. MSC: Remembering 9. Which of the following is a person who sacrifices his or her life for the sake of his or her religion? a. saint c. pilgrim b. martyr d. dargah ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: What Is Religion? OBJ: Distinguish between the terms martyr and saint. MSC: Remembering 10. Which of the following is an individual considered exceptionally close to God, who is then exalted after death? a. priest c. saint b. nun d. pope ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: What Is Religion? OBJ: Distinguish between the terms martyr and saint. MSC: Remembering 11. The text describes the Muslim saint shrine of Husain Tekri and the rituals that pilgrims to this shrine participate in to venerate this long-deceased Muslim martyr. One of the characteristics of this particular example that demonstrates the local adaptation and flexibility of religious practice is a. pilgrims come from a variety of different faiths, not just Muslim. b. the use of loban, a rock-like incense mined nearby. c. pilgrims often stay for a long period of time. d. pilgrims to this shrine all seek healing. ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: What Is Religion? OBJ: Determine the ways in which world religions are innovative and dynamic. MSC: Applying 12. Which of the following is among the nineteenth- and twentieth-century philosophers who deeply influenced anthropological theories of religion? a. Arnold van Gennep c. Emile Durkheim b. Karl Marx d. Max Weber ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Identify nineteenth- and twentieth-century philosophers who deeply influenced anthropological theories of religion. MSC: Remembering 13. French sociologist Emile Durkheim developed the notion of a fundamental dichotomy between which of the following sets of ideas that has been used by anthropologists in examining religion? a. forbidden and allowed c. unclean and profane b. sacred and holy d. sacred and profane ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Describe the primary ideas of philosopher Emile Durkheim that have influenced anthropological theories of religion. MSC: Remembering 14. Catholic religious services often have the priest intoning the liturgy in Latin, and this helps to preserve the continuity of both the religion and the service. In Durkheim’s view, this would be a form of a. ritual. c. rejection of the profane. b. preservation of the sacred. d. anomie. ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Describe the primary ideas of philosopher Emile Durkheim that have influenced anthropological theories of religion. MSC: Understanding 15. The upheaval brought about by the industrial revolution led to profound changes in the nature of production and labor, as well as the displacement of people as they sought out ways to make a living in the face of these changes. French sociologist Emile Durkheim observed all of this and recognized it as a. habitus. c. anomie. b. communitas. d. alienation. ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Describe the primary ideas of philosopher Emile Durkheim that have influenced anthropological theories of religion. MSC: Applying 16. French sociologist Emile Durkheim argued that which of the following was key to allowing a society to regenerate its sense of social solidarity? a. ritual c. worship b. sacrifice d. anomie ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Describe the primary ideas of philosopher Emile Durkheim that have influenced anthropological theories of religion. MSC: Remembering 17. What term might an anthropologist use to describe a game of football as it is played in the United States? a. religion c. profane b. anomie d. ritual ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Delineate the various forms and functions that rituals serve regarding religion. MSC: Understanding 18. In 1931, anthropologist Audrey Richards documented the chisungu ritual, performed in Zambia. This women-only ritual centers on menstruation and marriage and is an example of a. rites of passage. c. sacredness. b. liminal engagement. d. religious fervor. ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Define rites of passage and determine how they relate to both ritual and religion. MSC: Understanding 19. In many cultures, the first menstruation in women is seen as a powerful marker of womanhood and is frequently marked by ritual. In some cases, the young woman is separated from the larger social cohort, left in a state of isolation that may provide a time for reflection. According to anthropologist Victor Turner, this stage in the ritual process is called a. liminal. c. communitas. b. profane. d. sacred. ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Identify and describe the three primary stages in all rites of passage according to Victor Turner. MSC: Analyzing 20. Which of the following is the first stage of rites of passage that involves the physical, psychological, or symbolic removal from the daily activities of the group, according to Victor Turner? a. individuation c. reaggregation b. separation d. liminality ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Identify and describe the three primary stages in all rites of passage according to Victor Turner. MSC: Remembering 21. Victor Turner’s final stage of rites of passage that involves the return of the individual to the everyday life of the community is termed a. retrospective. c. reincorporation. b. reaction. d. relegitimization. ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Identify and describe the three primary stages in all rites of passage according to Victor Turner. MSC: Remembering 22. 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, this entirety of your experience, including the graduation ceremony itself, helps to promote a. individuation. c. separation. b. liminality. d. communitas. ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Identify and describe the three primary stages in all rites of passage according to Victor Turner. MSC: Applying 23. 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 who travel to the shrine are said to be a. seeking conversion. c. seeking communitas. b. making a pilgrimage. d. participating in a sacred ritual. ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Establish what constitutes a pilgrimage and determine how it relates to religion in general. MSC: Applying 24. German political philosopher Karl Marx called which of the following “the opiate of the masses”? a. rituals c. religion b. pilgrimage d. rites of passage ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Describe the ways in which the writings and philosophy of Karl Marx influenced the anthropological approach to studying religion. MSC: Remembering 25. 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? a. religion c. rituals b. rites d. pilgrimages ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Describe the ways in which the writings and philosophy of Karl Marx influenced the anthropological approach to studying religion. MSC: Remembering 26. Anthropologist Marvin Harris built upon Karl Marx’s ideas, suggesting that what shapes the other components of a society are a. material conditions. b. ritual processes. c. the relationships between religion and power. d. religious beliefs. ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Identify and describe anthropologist Marvin Harris’s theory of cultural materialism. MSC: Understanding 27. 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? a. the opiate of the masses c. ritual processes b. cultural materialism d. rites of passage ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Identify and describe anthropologist Marvin Harris’s theory of cultural materialism. MSC: Remembering 28. Which of the following individuals believed that ideas rather than economics can be equally powerful in shaping society? a. Emile Durkheim c. Karl Marx b. Max Weber d. Victor Turner ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Delineate the central tenets of Max Weber’s theoretical approach to analyzing and understanding religion. MSC: Remembering 29. According to Max Weber, the values of self-denial and self-discipline provided the ethic necessary for a. capitalist exploitation of the masses. b. modernity to move forward. c. capitalism to flourish. d. the defeat of capitalistic enterprises. ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Delineate the central tenets of Max Weber’s theoretical approach to analyzing and understanding religion. MSC: Remembering 30. Max Weber envisioned an inevitability of religion, one that culminated in a. rational religion based on legal codes of conduct. b. rational religion based on persuasive prophets. c. a purely secular society free of religion. d. rational religion based on acceptance of magic and shamanistic beliefs. ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Delineate the central tenets of Max Weber’s theoretical approach to analyzing and understanding religion. MSC: Understanding 31. A part-time religious practitioner with special abilities to connect individuals with supernatural powers or beings is referred to as a a. medicine man. c. magician. b. rabbi. d. shaman. ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Discuss the role of shamans regarding religious ideology and practices. MSC: Remembering 32. Victor Turner proposed that all humans experience a rite of passage and that such rites might appear in a variety of different contexts, not just in coming-of-age changes. In a similar fashion, we can understand the emergence of a particular type of religious practitioner after they pass through a rite of passage. Such a practitioner emerges as a a. shaman. c. medicine man. b. priest. d. pilgrim. ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Discuss the role of shamans regarding religious ideology and practices. MSC: Applying 33. The role of the shaman is generally associated with early seminomadic societies but is also found in which type of the following societies? a. industrialized c. technological b. seminomadic d. hunter-gatherer ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Discuss the role of shamans regarding religious ideology and practices. MSC: Understanding 34. You likely have heard of the voodoo doll, a figurine in which the holder pokes pins into the body in an effort to induce pain or discomfort into the unfortunate “target.” While this is a belief and practice that is specific to a particular culture, an anthropologist would likely analyze this as a type of a. ritual. c. magic. b. liminality. d. religious rite. ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Examine the relationship between religion and magic. MSC: Understanding 35. Which of the following is considered a type of magic that involves performances that imitate the desired result, such as manipulating a doll? a. imitative magic c. contagious magic b. ritual magic d. continuous magic ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Examine the relationship between religion and magic. MSC: Remembering 36. Most of us routinely trim our fingernails. The cuttings are tossed into the wastebasket and we don't usually give it much thought. If he were alive today, James Frazier might suggest that this is ignoring the possibility of a. contagious magic. c. continuous magic. b. poor hygiene practice. d. obsessive compulsive disorder. ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Examine the relationship between religion and magic. MSC: Understanding 37. E. E. Evans-Pritchard conducted fieldwork among the Azande and rebuffed Weber’s earlier assertion that science and modernization would lead to the decline of magic. A key part of Evans-Pritchard’s work held that magic was in fact very a. irrational. c. ritualistic. b. scientific. d. rational. ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Explore the theoretical work of E. E. Evans-Pritchard and how it examined the topic of magic. MSC: Understanding 38. Anthropologist E. E. Evans-Pritchard’s work among the Azande people considered ________ to be an integral part of their religious system. a. ritual c. rites b. magic d. ceremony ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Explore the theoretical work of E. E. Evans-Pritchard and how it examined the topic of magic. MSC: Remembering 39. In his work with Azande people, E. E. Evans-Pritchard found 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? a. shamans c. witch doctors b. witches d. parents ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Explore the theoretical work of E. E. Evans-Pritchard and how it examined the topic of magic. MSC: Remembering 40. Paul Stoller’s participation in sorcery and magic in Niger afforded him a window into a. the dangers of participation in systems we do not understand. b. how difficult it is to gain trust of those we study. c. how easy it is to become irrational during long fieldwork. d. the deeply transformative nature of fieldwork. ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Review Paul Stoller’s research on the role of religion in community life in Niger, West Africa. MSC: Applying 41. 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? a. women c. a sorcerer b. a witch doctor d. a witch ANS: D DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Review Paul Stoller’s research on the role of religion in community life in Niger, West Africa. MSC: Remembering 42. A common belief in the United States is that walking under a ladder will bring bad luck. Many people dismiss this possibility, but as a belief, it is very like the results found by anthropologist George Gmelch’s examination of the national pastime of baseball, an activity he found to be rife with a. disbelief. c. magic. b. skeptics. d. religious tenets. ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Analyze the connection between baseball and magic as presented by anthropologist George Gmelch. MSC: Applying 43. Anthropologist George Gmelch found that players who use a particular ritual, such as touching the bill of their cap every time they are up to bat, generally tend to believe that good magic is a. contagious. c. ritualized. b. consistent. d. highly effective. ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Analyze the connection between baseball and magic as presented by anthropologist George Gmelch. MSC: Remembering 44. Anthropologist Clifford Geertz suggests that religion is essentially a system of ideas surrounding a set of powerful a. symbols. c. rites. b. rituals. d. beliefs. ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: In What Ways Is Religion Both a System of Meaning and a System of Power? OBJ: Examine the relationship between religion and symbols via the perspective of anthropologist Clifford Geertz. MSC: Remembering 45. Hindus venerate the cow (even when they create serious traffic hazards) in order to fully embrace the idea of ahimsa, the practice of nonviolence toward all living things. For a Hindu, then, the cow is much more than an animal with four legs, it is a vital a. symbol that allows them to avoid eating beef. b. symbol that makes their religious world real. c. symbol that anthropologists have created to understand Hinduism. d. symbol that represents God in their pantheon. ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: In What Ways Is Religion Both a System of Meaning and a System of Power? OBJ: Examine the relationship between religion and symbols via the perspective of anthropologist Clifford Geertz. MSC: Understanding 46. Talal Asad makes the case that rather than religion being a system of symbols, it is better understood as a a. collection of ideas. b. simple collection of material objects not imbued with meaning. c. creation of western scholars. d. result of authorizing processes. ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: In What Ways Is Religion Both a System of Meaning and a System of Power? OBJ: Investigate anthropologist Talal Asad’s theoretical approach to studying the relationship between religion and power. MSC: Understanding 47. Anthropologist Talal Asad argues that a. universal definitions of religion can actually obscure local realities and, subsequently, local expressions of religion should be examined rather than universal ones. b. symbols used in religion acquire significance only for the actual material of which they are made and nothing more beyond that. c. symbols used in religion acquire significance far beyond the actual material of which they are made and allow believers to feel that the religious world is truly real. d. symbols develop in a culture completely independent of historical and social developments. ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: In What Ways Is Religion Both a System of Meaning and a System of Power? OBJ: Investigate anthropologist Talal Asad’s theoretical approach to studying the relationship between religion and power. MSC: Remembering 48. In the view of Talal Asad, religion has been defined by western anthropology and is thus partially a. an attempt at a universal definition. c. an ethnocentric problem. b. a fieldwork problem. d. a Christian definition. ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: In What Ways Is Religion Both a System of Meaning and a System of Power? OBJ: Investigate anthropologist Talal Asad’s theoretical approach to studying the relationship between religion and power. MSC: Analyzing 49. The Zapatista movement in Mexico helped lend credence to the idea of Liberation Theology, something that was initially supported by the Vatican. More recently, however, that support was withdrawn under Pope Benedict, who argued that the “church of the people” was antagonistic to the idea of a central Church authority such as is found in the Vatican. Today, Pope Francis, himself once a proponent of the theology, has moved the church toward a reconciliation of these conflicts. All of these illustrate the tension between a. religion, power, and Latin America. b. religion, meaning, and power. c. the Vatican and poor countries, such as Mexico. d. religious belief and social solidarity. ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: In What Ways Is Religion Both a System of Meaning and a System of Power? OBJ: Discuss ways in which local examples of religious activities and organizations illustrate how meaning and power are intertwined, and the boundary between religion and other social systems of power is not so clearly demarcated. MSC: Analyzing 50. The role of the Catholic Church in the Zapatista Movement in the Chiapas region of southern Mexico illustrates a relationship in Mexico between religion and a. language. c. revolution. b. family. d. poverty. ANS: C DIF: Moderate REF: In What Ways Is Religion Both a System of Meaning and a System of Power? OBJ: Discuss ways in which local examples of religious activities and organizations illustrate how meaning and power are intertwined, and the boundary between religion and other social systems of power is not so clearly demarcated. MSC: Remembering 51. Which of the following locations is particularly experiencing increasing encounters between people of various religious faiths and new strategies for cultivating and educating participants? a. rural villages c. farming communities b. remote villages d. cities ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: How Is Globalization Changing Religion? OBJ: Evaluate ways in which globalization is changing religion and religious practices across the world. MSC: Remembering 52. Which of the following social processes is currently affecting the ways in which religion and religious practices are being stretched and shaped today? a. immigration c. neoliberalization b. technological innovation d. secularization ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: How Is Globalization Changing Religion? OBJ: Evaluate ways in which globalization is changing religion and religious practices across the world. MSC: Remembering 53. Catholicism is being rejuvenated in the United States as a result of a. increased immigration from heavily Catholic countries bringing new membership, worship styles, social needs, and political engagements. b. immigration of wealthy individuals from otherwise impoverished Catholic countries bringing an infusion of funds to local churches. c. high rates of conversion to Catholicism from Islam. d. high rates of lapsed middle-class Catholics returning to the church. ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: How Is Globalization Changing Religion? OBJ: Evaluate ways in which globalization is changing religion and religious practices across the world. MSC: Remembering 54. The recent appearance of the megachurch—large, often evangelical or Protestant churches that employ business practices, showmanship, rock music, and spectacle to attract congregations—reveals the influence not just of technology and marketing but of the larger force that often draws people to a particular country in order to have a better life. This larger force is a. democratization. c. proselytization. b. globalization. d. secularization. ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: How Is Globalization Changing Religion? OBJ: Evaluate ways in which globalization is changing religion and religious practices across the world. MSC: Applying ESSAY 1. The anthropologist’s task when examining religion is to try to capture the vivid inner life, sense of moral order, dynamic public expressions, and interactions with other systems of meaning and power. Based on your own experiences, how does religion inform an individual’s inner life, sense of moral order, dynamic public expressions, and interactions with other systems of meaning and power? How does religion inform these aspects on a cultural or social level? What is the underlying purpose of religion within a cultural group or society? What do anthropologists have to offer to the exploration and understanding of world religions? ANS: Students should incorporate personal experiences and opinions into their answers. They should provide some general definition of religion culled from the textbook when describing the underlying purpose of it. They should conclude by discussing how anthropologists examine the meaning and significance of religion in people’s daily lives, which offers important insights into religion at the local level in contrast to religion at a theoretical level. DIF: Moderate REF: Introduction to Religion OBJ: Define the concept of religion and describe why anthropologists study it. MSC: Analyzing 2. French sociologist Emile Durkheim argued that religion, particularly religious ritual, serves a crucial role in combating one’s sense of anomie and in addressing larger social dynamics of alienation and dislocation. How did Durkheim define anomie, and what is a specific example of it in the world today? How does religious ritual help combat anomie? How does religious ritual address larger social dynamics of alienation and dislocation? How did these notions argued by Durkheim influence the anthropological approach to the study of religion? ANS: Students must provide a general definition of anomie as an alienation that individuals experience when faced with physical dislocation and the disruption of their social networks and group values. They should provide a viable example of anomie and should assert that religious ritual helps combat anomie by creating social cohesion and stability. Students should also argue that religious ritual helps society regenerate its sense of social solidarity, which addresses larger social dynamics. They should conclude by offering that Durkheim’s work helped anthropologists explore the role of ritual in religions and the wider society as well as how religion is lived out daily and enacted through ritual on a local level. DIF: Difficult REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Describe the primary ideas of philosopher Emile Durkheim that have influenced anthropological theories of religion. MSC: Analyzing 3. French ethnographer and folklorist Arnold van Gennep (1873–1957) was the first to theorize a category of ritual called “rites of passage.” What are rites of passage, and what is an example of a rite of passage in your own cultural experience? How are rites of passage related to rituals and religion? Are there rites of passage in cultural groups that are not tied to religion? Provide an example. How do rites of passage affect the individual, and how do they affect the cultural group as a whole? ANS: Students should provide a general definition of rites of passage and offer a solid example of a rite of passage in their own experience. They should note that rites of passage mark moments of intense change, such as birth, coming of age, marriage, and death that are often simultaneously marked in religious ceremonies. Students should continue by discussing rites of passage not tied to religion, such as “sweet sixteen” parties in the United States. They should conclude by discussing communitas, or the sense of camaraderie the rites of passage establish and reinforce for the community, and the sense of membership the rites develop for the individual. DIF: Easy REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Define rites of passage and determine how they relate to both ritual and religion. MSC: Analyzing 4. Victor Turner was an influential anthropologist who studied various aspects of religion. Turner considered religious pilgrimage to be a unique form of religious ritual. What is a religious pilgrimage? What are three specific examples of religious pilgrimage and what do they entail? What stages of process do the pilgrimage examples you provided entail? What purposes do your examples serve a particular religion in general? What purposes does religious pilgrimage serve for the individual and his or her community? ANS: Students should define religious pilgrimage and establish its underlying purpose. They must offer three examples of religious pilgrimage, such as Mecca, the Husain Tekri Shrine, or the pilgrimage to Varanasi in India. Students should address the stages of separation, liminality, and reincorporation. They should note that pilgrimages serve to facilitate the process of becoming and help facilitate change for both the individual and the community. DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Establish what constitutes a pilgrimage and determine how it relates to religion in general. MSC: Analyzing 5. What did German political philosopher Karl Marx mean when he called religion “the opiate of the masses”? According to Marx, what purpose or purposes does religion serve in society? How is religion related to the economic reality and class struggle found within a society? Do you agree with Marx’s arguments and ideas regarding the purpose of religion in society? Why or why not? ANS: Students should discuss the “opiate of the masses” as denoting religion as a means of masking the material conditions and exploitation at the economic base and to contain the tensions generated by class difference and class conflict. Students should extend the discussion by addressing why the state would want to mask the conditions. They should conclude by offering an opinion regarding whether or not they agree with Marx’s arguments and offer substantiation of their opinion. DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Describe the ways in which the writings and philosophy of Karl Marx influenced the anthropological approach to studying religion. MSC: Analyzing 6. Anthropologist Marvin Harris developed the theory of cultural materialism, which is built on Karl Marx’s analysis of the way in which the material conditions of a society shape its other components. What is the basic premise of Harris’s theory of cultural materialism, and how does it relate to religion? How can Harris’s theory be applied to explain why cows are sacred in India? What is an example of a religious practice that people engage in within the United States that could be explained using the theory of cultural materialism? Do you think Harris’s theory is useful in examining religion and religious practices? Why or why not? ANS: Students should begin by identifying Harris’s theory and noting that in his theoretical approach, Harris contends that material conditions, including technology and the environment, determine patterns of social organization. They should note that religion-related practices, such as Jews abstaining from eating pork, might have developed in response to very practical problems as people sought to adapt to the natural environment. Students should illustrate this premise with the example of the sacredness of cows in India. They should continue with a strong example from the United States that could be used to substantiate Harris’s argument. Students should conclude by offering an opinion on the validity of Harris’s theory. DIF: Difficult REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Identify and describe anthropologist Marvin Harris’s theory of cultural materialism. MSC: Analyzing 7. In his research in Niger, West Africa, anthropologist Paul Stoller apprenticed with a local sorcerer as a means of exploring the role of religion in community life there. During his apprenticeship, Stoller’s work came to an abrupt end and he fled back home to the United States. What did his research and experience demonstrate regarding the power of religion in people’s everyday lives? What risks do anthropologists take by immersing themselves in others’ religious belief systems and practices? Do you think it is possible to comprehend another group of people’s religious beliefs and practices without accepting that they are real for believers? Why or why not? What does it mean for a religious belief or practice to be considered real, and who should determine whether or not it is real? ANS: Students should discuss the relationship between religion and the power it has to shape and influence people’s everyday lives. They should then discuss the risk, both physical and psychological, that anthropologists take by immersing themselves into other cultures. Students should conclude by discussing the ability of anthropologists to understand others’ religious beliefs and practices, what it means for these beliefs and practices to be considered “real,” and what informs their opinion regarding these topics. DIF: Moderate REF: What Tools Do Anthropologists Use to Understand How Religion Works? OBJ: Review Paul Stoller’s research on the role of religion in community life in Niger, West Africa. MSC: Analyzing 8. Anthropologist Clifford Geertz examines the role of symbols in religion. He argues that each symbol has deep meaning and evokes powerful emotions and motivations in the religion’s followers. What are two different examples of religious symbols used in the world today? What meaning do the symbols have for the religious followers? What emotions and motivations do the symbols evoke in followers and why? How do these symbols help followers make sense of their worlds? What purpose do these symbols likely serve regarding community life? Do you think symbols are imperative to religious beliefs and practices? Why or why not? ANS: Students should state two examples of symbols used in religion, such as the crucifix, the Star of David, or the Buddha, followed by a discussion of what these symbols mean and what emotions and motivations they evoke. Students should also address the remaining questions, including substantiation for their answers. DIF: Moderate REF: In What Ways Is Religion Both a System of Meaning and a System of Power? OBJ: Examine the relationship between religion and symbols via the perspective of anthropologist Clifford Geertz. MSC: Analyzing 9. Religious revivals have been spreading across various areas of the world. In some countries, such as China, however, the government faces a dilemma. How might religion threaten a government? How would a religious revival act as an antagonistic force to an established government? What do you think are the underlying forces spurring the religious revival, what direction do you think it will take in the future, and what forces do you think will affect the future direction? Do you think religion will eventually die out in the future? Why or why not? ANS: Students should highlight the connections between the revival example they included and other systems of power such as politics, economics, or social stratification. Students should address at least one underlying force and provide an opinion regarding the perceived future direction of the revival. They should conclude by discussing the future of religion in general in human existence, substantiating their response. DIF: Easy REF: In What Ways Is Religion Both a System of Meaning and a System of Power? OBJ: Discuss ways in which local examples of religious activities and organizations illustrate how meaning and power are intertwined, and the boundary between religion and other social systems of power is not so clearly demarcated. MSC: Analyzing 10. The state of Chiapas in Mexico and the work of Charlene Floyd illustrate the relationship and tension between religion and power. What were the circumstances that led to the Zapatista uprising? Was it successful in its goals? Why was the Catholic church indicted as a co-conspirator in this rebellion? How does this particular example illustrate the connection between religion and other social systems of power? ANS: Students should first describe both the background and conditions that led to the uprising as well as how it was carried out and who the actual rebels were. Students should identify poverty as the main incentive for this rebellion. Students should be able to give a concise historical summary of the relationship between the Catholic church and the Mexican state. Students should discuss the role of Bishop Ruiz Garcia and why his work led to the linkage between the Zapatista rebellion and the accusations of church involvement. Students should conclude with a discussion of how this particular example demonstrates the connection between religion and systems of power (for example, poverty and political systems). DIF: Difficult REF: In What Ways Is Religion Both a System of Meaning and a System of Power? OBJ: Discuss ways in which local examples of religious activities and organizations illustrate how meaning and power are intertwined, and the boundary between religion and other social systems of power is not so clearly demarcated. MSC: Analyzing 11. The forces of globalization are affecting religion generally and religious practices specifically. Provide three examples that illustrate how globalization is affecting religion and religious practices, and explain how. Conversely, how are the religions and practices in your three examples affecting globalization? How do your three examples also reveal the relationship between religion and other social systems of power? How will future forces likely affect the religion and practices of your three examples? How will future forces likely affect the general status of world religions and practices? Do you think religion will be less or more prominent in people’s daily lives in the future? Why do you think this will be the case? ANS: Students should provide three concrete examples of globalization’s effects, such as immigration, urbanization, and migration. They should offer an extended discussion of how the three examples are affected by and are affecting globalization. They should illustrate how other social systems of power, such as politics and economics, factor into the three examples. Students should provide some evidence or reasoning for how future forces may affect the three examples. They should conclude by discussing the future of world religions and practices and what role they will likely play in people’s daily lives, with substantial evidence that supports their opinion. DIF: Moderate REF: How Is Globalization Changing Religion? OBJ: Evaluate ways in which globalization is changing religion and religious practices across the world. MSC: Analyzing [Show Less]