Deck 15: Sports and Religions: Is It a Promising Combination

Question 1

In the section on sports and world religions, it is noted that

A)Buddhist athletes hold more world records than Christian athletes.
B)Hindus use sports to achieve community and family goals.
C)few female athletes come from traditionally Islamic countries.
D)all religions are connected with sports in similar ways.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

When social constructionists study sports and religions, they assume that meanings associated with each of these spheres of life

A)emphasize issues of social integration.
B)oppose dominant ideas in society.
C)change over time and vary from one group to another.
D)are based on ultimate truths about this life and the next.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

A social constructionist approach to sports and religions is based primarily on

A)cultural and interactionist theories.
B)psychological and sociological theories.
C)Freudian and structural theories.
D)interactionist and feminist theories.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Some people believe that religion and sport each have essential and unchanging qualities that are different.They usually say that the rituals and beliefs of religion are

A)based on natural laws in the universe.
B)based on general superstitions in a culture.
C)preserved in written forms.
D)connected with the sacred and supernatural.

Question 5

When sociologists study religion and religious beliefs,they often distinguish the sacred from the secular.According to this distinction,

A)both sports and religions are considered to be sacred.
B)the secular consists of anything associated with the supernatural.
C)religions are always associated with the sacred.
D)the sacred consists of things in the here-and-now world.

Question 6

In Islamic countries, norms regulating the body are closely tied to

A)beliefs about the kinds of physical actions that displease Allah.
B)defensive reactions against Biblical teachings about the body.
C)the reputations and actions of U.S.Muslims such as Mohammad Ali.
D)beliefs about reincarnation and the nature of the afterlife.

Question 7

The rapid global diffusion of work-related achievement values has

A)intensified the connection between sports and all world religions.
B)muted the influence of religious beliefs on athletic success.
C)boosted the influence of Protestantism on athletic success.
D)led athletes to seek new religions that will guide them in sports.

Question 8

Sociologists study religion because religious beliefs and meanings

A)always bring people together in harmonious and supportive ways.
B)influence the ways that people think about and make sense of the world.
C)allow people to ignore issues and questions that cause them to worry.
D)identify people are supposed to organized social worlds to meet their needs.

Question 9

Traditional Protestant religious beliefs emphasize a set of key virtues that

A)define the body as useless in the quest for salvation.
B)support the spirit of modern sports.
C)encourage people to see sports as evil activities.
D)celebrate the body and bodily pleasures.

Question 10

Traditional Protestant beliefs favor competitive sports over spontaneous play because sports are

A)played by people who share the same basic spiritual beliefs.
B)oriented around work and achievement.
C)played for money and other material rewards.
D)forms of exciting but controlled violence.

Question 11

When people argue that sport is religion-like,which of the following is NOT one of the similarities they identify?

A)Both have places and buildings for communal gatherings.
B)Both emerge out of a disciplined quest for perfection.
C)Both have heroes and legends about heroic accomplishments.
D)Both trace their origins to rituals practiced in the Garden of Eden.

Question 12

Mainstream Buddhism and Hinduism don't support competitive sports because they emphasize

A)transcending the self and the material world.
B)hard work and sacrifice as the means to salvation.
C)individualism and self-development.
D)the importance of fate and luck in everyday life.

Question 13

In India, the Hindus who are most likely to participate in sports are those with

A)traditional and pre-modern attitudes.
B)middle or upper caste status.
C)parents who perform physical labor.
D)a lower caste status.

Question 14

Religion is related to gender issues in sports because

A)religious leaders tend to be strong supporters of sports for women.
B)women are more religious than men.
C)religious beliefs often influence opportunities for females to play sports.
D)religious women are more likely to play sports than other women.

Question 15

In sociological terms,religions are socially shared beliefs and rituals that people

A)use to change the ways that the world works.
B)accept so they can avoid thinking about life and death issues.
C)adopt in an attempt to establish that they are superior to others.
D)accept on faith and use as a source of meaning.

Question 16

The self-proclaimed Christian athlete is unique because

A)self-proclaimed "muscular Hindus" don't play sports.
B)Christianity is the only religion to acknowledge the body as sacred.
C)athletes worldwide are mostly atheists and agnostics.
D)no other religion has an equivalent religious identity.

Question 17

When people define sport as a form of religion they identify similarities between sport and religion.For example,they note that both

A)are based on the belief that the human body is sacred.
B)have rituals that people use to deal with ultimate questions in life.
C)focus on the connection between the natural and the supernatural.
D)invoke intense excitement and emotional commitment.

Question 18

The recent Olympic teams that have been least likely to have women athletes are from nations where

A)there is a high proportion of Catholics.
B)most people hold fundamentalist Muslim beliefs.
C)most people hold orthodox Jewish beliefs.
D)there is high religious diversity.

Question 19

Religions share certain characteristics with ideologies,but they differ in that ideologies focus mostly on

A)the material world.
B)the metaphysical world.
C)the imagined world.
D)the spiritual world.

Question 20

Those who say there are essential and unchanging differences between sport and religion believe that sport is essentially

A)expressive,whereas religion is instrumental.
B)self-promotional,whereas religion is service- and love-oriented.
C)simple whereas,religion is complex and confusing.
D)communal whereas,religion is focused on the individual.

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT one of the strategies used by Christian athletes use when they doubt the worth of their sport participation as an act of worship?

A)Developing friendships with non-Christian athletes.
B)Ignoring the moral questions related to behavior on the playing field.
C)Focusing on the ascetic dimensions of athletic training and performance.
D)Focusing on good works and service to others off the field.

Question 22

Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist ideas in China emphasize the importance of

A)dominating other human beings.
B)building strength to promote Communism.
C)becoming more efficient workers.
D)seeking harmony with nature.

Question 23

When elite athletes experience a crisis of meaning in sports, research suggests that they

A)drop out of sports and focus on spiritual forms of recreation.
B)seek to change the rules of sports and the expectations of coaches.
C)use sport participation as a platform to promote their religious beliefs.
D)challenge the religious beliefs of their coaches.

Question 24

The popularity of sports among men in Islamic nations is often tied to

A)the religious beliefs of their fathers.
B)their ideas about modesty and humility.
C)the strength of their commitment to Islamic beliefs.
D)expressions of political and cultural nationalism.

Question 25

Traditional games among Native Americans were often connected with

A)non-European forms of Christian beliefs.
B)animistic beliefs linking the material and supernatural worlds.
C)traditional Asian religions in which ancestors are believed to be god-like.
D)forms of Catholicism that were introduced by Nordic explorers.

Question 26

When Jews in the United States have played and excelled in sports during the last century, their motivation often was to

A)obtain a college scholarship.
B)disrupt anti-Semitic stereotypes.
C)contribute to the reputation of Israel.
D)show that they were smarter than other athletes.

Question 27

Christians and Christian organizations have used sports to

A)identify people who embody Christ-like attitudes.
B)challenge traditional ideas about masculinity.
C)prioritize social problems and the need for social reform in society.
D)recruit new members to their organizations and belief systems.

Question 28

The major religious-sport organizations in the U.S.tend to

A)work hard on social issues and creating social change.
B)be comprised of both Muslims and Christians.
C)attract immigrants who come from Catholic countries.
D)emphasize conservative,fundamentalist Christian orientations.

Question 29

Those most likely to use the Olympics as sites for spreading religious beliefs are

A)American Buddhists.
B)fundamentalist Christians.
C)progressive Catholics.
D)socially active Jews.

Question 30

Some athletes have used religion to deal with the uncertainty they face during sport participation.When this is done,it becomes difficult to distinguish religion from

A)a form of self-glorification.
B)magic and superstition.
C)using performance-enhancing drugs.
D)pop psychology.

Question 31

In sports that are associated with risky lifestyles, athletes sometimes use religion to

A)gain endorsement contracts for wholesome products.
B)enable them to take risks without consequences.
C)strengthen their relationships with teammates who have problems.
D)generally stay out of trouble.

Question 32

In the box, Allah's Will, the experiences of Hassiba Boulmerka illustrate that

A)Muslims must adopt secular values to improve their lives.
B)radical feminism has been widely accepted by most Muslims.
C)nearly all Muslim women reject Islamic beliefs related to the body.
D)the bodies of Muslim women are at the center of struggles over values.

Question 33

Muslim women in sports are active subjects who introduce new ideas about what it means to be a Muslim woman.At the same time,these women

A)are role models who lead younger women to abandon their religious beliefs.
B)create conflicts that increase the problems that other women experience.
C)are objects used by people as they debate issues of morality and change.
D)undermine progressive changes in all nations worldwide.

Question 34

Sumo, or traditional Japanese wrestling, has strong historical ties to

A)modified versions of Christian beliefs taught by missionaries.
B)Buddhist beliefs about health and the body.
C)Shinto religious rituals and ceremonies.
D)Islamic ideas about gender and power.

Question 35

Religion can become a means of social control in sports when

A)athletes use religious beliefs to raise moral issues about sports.
B)parents encourage their children to be Christian athletes.
C)sport performances are connected with the moral worth of athletes.
D)athletes say private prayers to avoid injuries.

Question 36

Magic is different than religion in that it consists of

A)rituals designed to produce practical results in the material world.
B)recipes for transporting people to the supernatural realm.
C)rituals that deny the existence of the profane.
D)practices in which substances are used to achieve success.

Question 37

In the box,Public Prayers at Sport Events,it states that U.S.Supreme Court decisions have consistently stated that public prayers at sport event sponsored by public schools are

A)allowable only when prayers are led by athletes.
B)not allowed in Texas,but are allowed in other states.
C)a violation of the U.S.Constitution.
D)legal,but not recommended.

Question 38

Combining traditional Christian religious beliefs with the dominant forms of sports sometimes creates challenges for athletes because Christianity emphasizes

A)aggression, whereas sports emphasize following rules.
B)humility and service, whereas sports emphasize personal success.
C)training the body, whereas sports emphasize sacrificing the body.
D)that bodies are strong, whereas sports emphasize that bodies are weak.

Question 39

In the box, Allah's Will, the experiences of Ruqaya Al Ghasara from Bahrain show that some Muslim women avoid common objections to their participation in sports by

A)having their fathers or husbands serve as their coach.
B)obtaining sponsorships from large oil companies.
C)wearing athletic apparel that covers their bodies and hair.
D)competing in events held in non-Muslim countries.

Question 40

Sumo wrestlers take great care to preserve the sacredness of the dohyo (wrestling ring).They do this because

A)it is a tradition that they do not questions as wrestlers.
B)it expresses their religious commitment.
C)it expresses the religious beliefs of the sponsors of Sumo.
D)it increases the commercial value of their sport.

Question 41

The combination of sports and Christianity has usually led to

A)a reaffirmation of the status quo in mainstream sports.
B)revolutionary changes in athletes' behaviors.
C)dramatic decreases in competitive spirit among athletes and coaches.
D)a significant increase in injury rates among athletes.

Question 42

Robert Higgs argues that the combination of sports and Christian beliefs has led religion to become "muscularized" in a way that emphasizes

A)pleasure and pain.
B)discipline and duty.
C)humility and social responsibility.
D)goodness and kindness.

Question 43

The policies of major Christian sport organizations in the United States are based on the assumption that the social and ethical problems in sports will continue to exist until

A)competition is eliminated from sport activities.
B)the media provide accurate information about sports.
C)all people in sports accept Christ into their lives.
D)rules are changed in the sport organizations themselves.