Humanities 115 - World Mythology » Summer 2022 » Quiz 1

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Question #1
The term "mythology" refers to a body of stories
A.   whose significance vanished once civilizations progressed and the sciences were developed.
B.   is to illustrate how primitive cultures used fantasy to understand their world.
C.   is to teach and transmit religious doctrines and rituals.
D.   whose purpose is not limited to entertainment.
Question #2
One significant difference between the creation story in Genesis and the one in the Enuma Elish is how the universe begins:
A.   In Genesis, it is God who creates everything from the void in order to have company; in the Enuma Elish, it is the hero Marduk who uses magic to create the younger gods in order to use them as his army.
B.   In Genesis, God creates the heavens, earth, creatures and forces of nature; in the Enuma Elish, the primary gods already exist and are connected to the forces of nature.
C.   In Genesis, there is only a void - then God appears; in the Enuma Elish, the universe and all of the gods are present and have finished their creative work.
Question #3
In the excerpt from Genesis,
A.   Satan becomes a serpent in order to tempt Eve.
B.   Satan is not mentioned as being the serpent in disguise.
C.   Satan changes one of his fallen angels into a serpent to tempt Adam and Eve.
D.   Satan is the one who tempts Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, and is then changed into a serpent by God.
Question #4
As punishment for eating the forbidden fruit, God
A.   condemns the couple to starvation and exile in the desert, and tells Eve she will be childless.
B.   sends Adam and Eve to solitary lives apart from one another, and tells them they will die alone.
C.   tells Adam he must henceforth work to grow his own food until he dies and returns to dust.
Question #5
According to the Enuma Elish, Tiamat
A.   created the universe and all the creatures by using her magic and mixing Apsu's water with hers.
B.   is turned into a monster by Marduk, who is then able to defeat her.
C.   used the power of her saltwater to drown Apsu and become the ruler of the gods.
D.   originally represented the primeval goddess who, along with Apsu, created the first generation of gods.
Question #6
Marduk defeats Tiamat and uses her body to create the earth and sky; the gods then honor him by declaring
A.   all of Tiamat's remaining children will be sacrificed to him as a reward.
B.   that only Marduk will have eternal life, while the rest of the gods will age and die.
C.   Marduk will be recognized as king of all the gods, and they will worship him.
D.   the city of Babylon will become Marduk's private palace.
Question #7
According to the Prose Edda, in the beginning
A.   Odin used Ymir's bones to create Ginnungagap.
B.   Audhumla, The Nurturer, freed the first man from his frost prison.
C.   nothing existed - there was only Ginnungagap, the void.
D.   Ymir, the frost ogre, created Ginnungagap by sacrificing his cow, Audhumla.
Question #8
Ymir's eyebrows were used to form Midgard to protect the world of mortals
A.   from Odin's horse Sleipnir.
B.   from Loki, who had sworn to kill all mortals.
C.   from the floods caused by the melting of Nifelheim.
D.   from the angry giants.
Question #9
In the Prose Edda, the sons of Bor create the first two humans
A.   from two trees found near the seashore.
B.   from Ymir's fingernails.
C.   from sprigs of moss taken from Nifelheim.
D.   from two stones found at the bottom of the well in Midgard.
Question #10
In the Navajo Emergence myth, the Air-Spirit People keep getting expelled from successive worlds because
A.   Coyote tricks them into stealing each world's resources, and then they are punished for it.
B.   they refuse to listen to the First Man and First Woman.
C.   their behavior disrupts the balance and harmony in the lives of the creatures already there.
D.   the North Wind warns the creatures in each world not to let the Air-Spirit People settle there.
Question #11
According to the Navajo, proof that humans were transformed from ears of corn can be seen
A.   in the sand paintings that show how the animals brought the sacred corn to the gods.
B.   when the wind blows across the cornfields, making the stalks of corn appear to come alive and walk.
C.   in the masks made to represent the Holy People, who brought the ears of corn to the Navajo.
D.   in the whorls and ridges of human fingerprints, which resemble tracks created by wind blowing across the desert sand.
Question #12
Coyote disrupts First Man's plans for perfect constellations because he
A.   becomes impatient, so he grabs some mica and just tosses it into the sky.
B.   wants to use his own mica to create a separate sky and his own personal constellations.
C.   is angry that no one asked him to create any designs.
D.   is envious, so he steals First Man's mica and keeps it for himself.
Question #13
The Maya developed a sophisticated calendar system
A.   and was based on mathematical equations taken from the ancestors of the Inca.
B.   which was both linear and cyclical and consisted of three different "counts."
C.   which accurately predicted the date of the Spanish invasion of the Yucatan.
D.   which was originally based on the lunar cycles but was later changed to a solar calendar by the Aztecs.
Question #14
According to the Popol Vuh, in the beginning
A.   the quetzal feathers hid the sunlight and kept the world in darkness.
B.   only the sky and sea existed; the primordial gods were in the dark, pooled waters.
C.   nothing existed; then the Plumed Serpent created the primordial sea.
D.   the sea and sky existed and were filled with living creatures, but there were no humans.
Question #15
The gods fashion the first human-like creatures out of wood, but the manikins are then killed because
A.   they try to steal creative power from Heart of Sky.
B.   Heart of Sky becomes alarmed when the manikins grow uglier and taller.
C.   they lack blood and brains and cannot move at all.
D.   they are physically undeveloped and have no memory of their creators
Question #16
Evidence for the origins of Mayan hieroglyphics
A.   was completely destroyed by the Spanish.
B.   proves conclusively that the Mayans and Egyptians were once in contact.
C.   was stolen by the Aztecs, who then claimed they invented the writing system themselves.
D.   can be traced through inscriptions on rocks and stelae as far back as 300-600 C.E.
Question #17
In the Flood story of Genesis, the "sons of God" are said to be
A.   divine beings who try to protect the humans.
B.   giants who were deformed descendants of Cain.
C.   angelic beings who fathered offspring by mating with human women
D.   fallen angels who are given direct orders from Satan to corrupt mankind.
Question #18
God tells Noah to build an ark for himself, his family and other creatures, and also says
A.   the ark must be put into the water in order to be tested first.
B.   he will make a covenant with Noah, promising that all on the ark will be safe
C.   when the flood comes, the ark will be lifted above the clouds and kept safe.
D.   if Noah keeps all the creatures inside the ark, the flood waters will recede in 40 days.
Question #19
In the Prose Edda, High One says that one of the signs of Ragnarok will be "what will seem like a great piece of news:"
A.   Yggdrasil will be cut down by the wolf Fenrir, thus destroying the rainbow bridge.
B.   a wolf will swallow the sun, and another wolf will seize the moon; then the stars will disappear
C.   Loki will escape from his prison in the cave.
Question #20
In Ragnarok all mortals will be judged, and those who have been murderers and/or perjurers will be
A.   torn to pieces by Loki's army.
B.   condemned to the bottom of the well in Midgard.
C.   forced to wade in rivers of serpent venom
D.   eaten by the wolf Fenrir.

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