ANTH Religion, Ritual, and Belief Systems 3

Question 1

In anthropology, 'religious syncretism' refers to:

Accepted Answer

The blending of elements from different religious traditions into a new, hybrid system

Answer

The forced replacement of indigenous beliefs by a dominant religion

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The complete separation of sacred and secular domains in a society

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The revival of pre-colonial religious practices after decolonization

Question 2

Cargo cults that emerged in Melanesia during the 20th century are most accurately interpreted by anthropologists as:

Accepted Answer

Revitalization movements responding to colonial disruption, inequality, and deprivation

Answer

Irrational responses by pre-logical peoples to Western technology

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Purely economic movements seeking redistribution of colonial trade goods

Answer

Survivals of ancient Pacific Islander myths about gods arriving by sea

Question 3

Which anthropologist argued that magic serves a primarily psychological function by reducing anxiety in situations of genuine uncertainty and uncontrollable risk?

Accepted Answer

Bronisław Malinowski

Answer

James George Frazer

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Alfred Radcliffe-Brown

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E.E. Evans-Pritchard

Question 4

In most anthropological classifications, what is the key distinction between a 'priest' and a 'shaman'?

Accepted Answer

Priests serve as intermediaries within institutionalized religion; shamans derive power from personal spiritual experience outside formal institutions

Answer

Priests are found only in agricultural societies; shamans only in foraging societies

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Priests heal the sick while shamans lead collective ceremonies

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Priests use trance states; shamans perform scripted liturgical rituals

Question 5

Émile Durkheim's functionalist argument holds that the primary social function of religion is to:

Accepted Answer

Reinforce social solidarity and collective moral identity

Answer

Legitimize the power of political elites through divine sanction

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Provide psychological comfort to individuals facing death and suffering

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Explain natural phenomena that human technology cannot control

Question 6

In anthropological usage, a 'taboo' (from the Polynesian 'tapu') is best defined as:

Accepted Answer

A prohibition on certain objects, persons, or behaviors because of their ritual or spiritual significance

Answer

A sacred object believed to carry supernatural protective power

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A ritual specialist who enforces community moral norms

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An ancestor spirit who punishes violations of kinship obligations

Question 7

Mary Douglas's analysis of pollution and taboo in 'Purity and Danger' (1966) argued that what is considered 'dirty' or polluting is fundamentally:

Accepted Answer

Matter that is 'out of place' — anomalous within a society's classificatory system

Answer

Matter that carries disease-causing pathogens and therefore triggers biological disgust

Answer

Things associated with the lower classes or socially marginalized groups in a society

Answer

Objects or persons that have been contaminated by contact with death or illness