Anthropology 305 - Anthropology of Religion » Fall 2019 » Quiz 2

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Question #1
Defining terms so they are observable and measurable is called a(n):
A.   anthropological definition
B.   operant definition 
C.   analytic definition
D.   functional definition
Question #2
In an analytic definition of religion, the study of the organization and leadership of a religious system represents the:
A.   ritual dimension
B.   narrative dimension
C.   institutional dimension 
D.   social dimension         
Question #3
A definition of religion that is concerned with the role that religion plays in a society is a(n):
A.   psychosocial definition
B.   functional definition 
C.   analytic definition       
D.   essentialist definition
Question #4
The term supernatural refers to:
A.   things that are above the natural and not subject to the laws of nature 
B.   a belief in spirit beings such as spirits and gods
C.   belief in a general supernatural force
D.   an attitude of reverence and respect
Question #5
Late nineteenth century anthropologists who saw “primitive” societies as presenting an early stage in the development of religion were using the:
A.   functional approach
B.   psychoanalytic approach
C.   essentialist approach
D.   evolutionary approach 
Question #6
There are many approaches to the study of religion in anthropology. One approach is to ask the question: What does religion do? What roles does religion play in human societies? This approach is referred to as the:
A.   psychosocial approach
B.   cognitive approach
C.   evolutionary approach
D.   functional approach 
Question #7
The interpretative approach, in which religion is described as a cluster of symbols that together make up a whole, was developed by:
A.   Melford Spiro
B.   Clifford Geertz 
C.   Karl Marx
D.   Sigmund Freud
Question #8
The approach to the study of religion that is concerned with the relationship between culture and personality and the connection between society and the individual is the:
A.   analytic approach        
B.   Marxist approach
C.   psychosocial approach 
D.   functional approach
Question #9
Some neuroscientists conclude that the brain is capable of creating religious experiences. Which of the following is evidence for this conclusion?
A.   People suffering from temporal lobe epilepsy often report intense religious experiences as part of their attacks.
B.   Brain scans of people in deep meditation show a decreased activity in the parietal lobe of the brain, in an area responsible for giving us a sense of our orientation in space and time
C.   People who report having intense religious experiences often report having had brain trauma or brain injury in childhood.
D.   All of these are correct. 
Question #10
Theory of mind refers to the idea that:
A.   people are not capable of seeing events as the result of randomness or coincidence
B.   children are born with “blank slates” and slowly develop a mind through observation and trial and error
C.   the evolution of a large brain was largely responsible for the development of the human mind
D.   people know, or think they know, what is going on in another people’s minds 
Question #11
All societies have clearly understood terms to label the domain of culture we call religion.
A.   TRUE
B.   FALSE
Question #12
Émile Durkheim and Alfred Radcliff-Brown are associated with the evolutionary approach to the study of religion.
A.   TRUE
B.   FALSE
Question #13
Gods and ghosts are examples of anthropomorphic supernatural beings.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #14
Sigmund Freud applied some of his concepts to the analysis of religious phenomena.
A.   TRUE
B.   FALSE
Question #15
Animatism refers to the idea of an impersonal supernatural force.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE

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