Question 1

The analytical approach that studies the written texts of religion and even nonwritten material as reflections of the cultural values and assumptions that produced them is

Accepted Answer

A)   structuralism.
B)   literary theory.
C)   linguistics.
D)   post-structuralism. B

Question 2

That area of investigation that explores sites of ancient civilizations, often uncovering remains of religious significance, is known as

Accepted Answer

A)   paleontology.
B)   semiology.
C)   sociology.
D)   archeology. D

Question 3

The anthropologist who lived in the Sudan among the Nuer and Azande people is

Accepted Answer

A)   Jacques Derrida.
B)   Clifford Geertz.
C)   E. E. Evans-Pritchard.
D)   Émile Durkheim. C

Question 4

One name of an early female deity is

Accepted Answer

A)   Wotan.
B)   Mercury.
C)   Astarte.
D)   Izanagi.

Question 5

Which of the following anthropologists suggested that religion was rooted in spirit worship?

Accepted Answer

A)   E. B. Tylor
B)   James Frazer
C)   Sigmund Freud
D)   Carl Jung

Question 6

The analytical approach that searches for universal similarities in the languages, religions, and mythologies of various peoples is

Accepted Answer

A)   structuralism.
B)   interactionism.
C)   post-structuralism.
D)   functionalism.

Question 7

Describe at least three contemporary examples of religious devotion to female deities or the religious use of female imagery.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe at least three contemporary examples of...

Question 8

Literally, the word religion means

Accepted Answer

A)   meditate on.
B)   worship.
C)   connect again.
D)   rise above.

Question 9

The analytical approach that emphasizes the individuality of each experience in human societies and rejects the notion of underlying grand structures is

Accepted Answer

A)   structuralism.
B)   functionalism.
C)   post-structuralism.
D)   interactionism.

Question 10

Sigmund Freud, when analyzing the origin of religion, emphasized

Accepted Answer

A)   the human need for psychological security.
B)   the certainty of an afterlife.
C)   his belief that religions were essential to psychological health.
D)   the valuable role that religions play in helping people find meaning in their lives.

Question 11

The French thinker who recognized extraordinary structural similarities in the stories told by the tribal peoples of the Americas is

Accepted Answer

A)   Michel Foucault.
B)   Jean-Paul Sartre.
C)   Jacques Derrida.
D)   Claude Lévi-Strauss.

Question 12

Religions that emphasize a creation tend to see time as

Accepted Answer

A)   cyclical.
B)   linear.
C)   repetitive.
D)   quantic.

Question 13

The approach that makes use of rational and systematic reasoning to answer the great questions of life and existence is

Accepted Answer

A)   theology.
B)   paleontology.
C)   philosophy.
D)   mythology.

Question 14

The sacramental orientation in religion is characterized by

Accepted Answer

A)   daily prayer.
B)   the use of silent meditation.
C)   the extensive use of bells and powders.
D)   a belief that certain rituals and ceremonies help one achieve salvation.

Question 15

According to Carl Jung, religion is a way for humans to

Accepted Answer

A)   understand the depth and complexity of reality.
B)   avoid the dangerous influence of the spirit world.
C)   exert influence on nature.
D)   bridge the gap between life and art.

Question 16

The German theologian who held that religions emerge as human responses to the mysterious side of reality is

Accepted Answer

A)   Rudolf Otto.
B)   Carl Jung.
C)   Karl Rahner.
D)   Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Question 17

The Scottish anthropologist who wrote the multivolume study of mythology called The Golden Bough is

Accepted Answer

A)   James Frazer.
B)   C. G. Jung.
C)   Sigmund Freud.
D)   E. B. Tylor.

Question 18

Describe the range of attitudes among religions toward words and special texts.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the range of attitudes among religions...

Question 19

The mystical orientation in religion emphasizes

Accepted Answer

A)   strengthening the sense of one's individuality.
B)   seeking union with a reality greater than oneself.
C)   the use of rituals and ceremonies.
D)   the use of logical and rational thinking to find answers.

Question 20

Which psychologist described religion as something that grew out of a person's need to arrive at personal fulfillment?

Accepted Answer

A)   Rudolf Otto
B)   E. B. Tylor
C)   Sigmund Freud
D)   Carl Jung

Exam 1: Understanding Religion