Mortuary Science, History Glossary
UPDATED ACTUAL Exam Questions and
CORRECT Answers
Adaptive funeral - CORRECT ANSWER - funeral rite that is adjusted to the needs and
wants of those directly involved; altered to suit the trends of the times.
American Board of Funeral Service Education - CORRECT ANSWER -
agency/organization with responsibility to accredit colleges and programs of mortuary
science/funeral service education
Animistic view - CORRECT ANSWER - early Roman view of the afterlife which
emphasizes the soul as the vital principle. The soul at death hovered around the place of burial
and required constant attention of the descendants to be happy. Neglect would bring evil upon
them.
anthropoid - CORRECT ANSWER - humanlike
Anubis - CORRECT ANSWER - God of embalming; Egyptian
Barber-surgeon - CORRECT ANSWER - approximately 1540-1745 were the sole agency
permitted to embalm and perform anatomical dissections in the city of London.
Bier - CORRECT ANSWER - forerunner of today's hearse; a hand stretcher on which the
uncoffined body was carried to the grave.
Bloodletting - CORRECT ANSWER - belief or practice of draining a quantity of blood to
cure illness or disease
Burial case - CORRECT ANSWER - generic term used in America to designate all burial
receptacles as new variations of the coffin were being offered.
, Burial club - CORRECT ANSWER - created in 1800's London by the 'poor' people as a
means to afford funerals; costs were shared by others via weekly collections; were the
forerunners of industrial insurance.
Burial in Woolen Act of 1666 - CORRECT ANSWER - required that woolen cloth be
substituted for linen in the shroud and lining of the coffin; was an attempt to shift the use of
imported linen to the expanding paper industry of England and provide customers for the wool
industry. Heavy fines were assessed for violation; not repealed until 1814.
Burial Vault - CORRECT ANSWER - outer enclosure for caskets placed in the grave;
originally intended to prevent grave robbery
canopic jars - CORRECT ANSWER - jars made of alabaster, limestone, basalt, clay and
other materials used by the early Egyptians to store viscera of the deceased.
casket - CORRECT ANSWER - from the French term 'casse' meaning 'jewel box' or
container for something valuable; came into dominant use in patent literature for burial
receptacles in 1890's in America; a rigid container which is designed for the encasement of
human remains and which is usually constructed of wood, metal, fiberglass, plastic, or like
material, and ornamented and lined with fabric (FTC definition)
Casket Manufacturers Association - CORRECT ANSWER - organization of the casket
manufacturers intended to facilitate sharing of information (now known as the Casket and
Funeral Supply Association)
Catacombs - CORRECT ANSWER - originated in ancient Rome as excavated cemeteries
cut out of soft rock for the tombs of wealthy Christians; later became a place for religious rites to
avoid persecution.
catafalque - CORRECT ANSWER - raised platform (with or without a canopy) used for a
body to lie in state.
UPDATED ACTUAL Exam Questions and
CORRECT Answers
Adaptive funeral - CORRECT ANSWER - funeral rite that is adjusted to the needs and
wants of those directly involved; altered to suit the trends of the times.
American Board of Funeral Service Education - CORRECT ANSWER -
agency/organization with responsibility to accredit colleges and programs of mortuary
science/funeral service education
Animistic view - CORRECT ANSWER - early Roman view of the afterlife which
emphasizes the soul as the vital principle. The soul at death hovered around the place of burial
and required constant attention of the descendants to be happy. Neglect would bring evil upon
them.
anthropoid - CORRECT ANSWER - humanlike
Anubis - CORRECT ANSWER - God of embalming; Egyptian
Barber-surgeon - CORRECT ANSWER - approximately 1540-1745 were the sole agency
permitted to embalm and perform anatomical dissections in the city of London.
Bier - CORRECT ANSWER - forerunner of today's hearse; a hand stretcher on which the
uncoffined body was carried to the grave.
Bloodletting - CORRECT ANSWER - belief or practice of draining a quantity of blood to
cure illness or disease
Burial case - CORRECT ANSWER - generic term used in America to designate all burial
receptacles as new variations of the coffin were being offered.
, Burial club - CORRECT ANSWER - created in 1800's London by the 'poor' people as a
means to afford funerals; costs were shared by others via weekly collections; were the
forerunners of industrial insurance.
Burial in Woolen Act of 1666 - CORRECT ANSWER - required that woolen cloth be
substituted for linen in the shroud and lining of the coffin; was an attempt to shift the use of
imported linen to the expanding paper industry of England and provide customers for the wool
industry. Heavy fines were assessed for violation; not repealed until 1814.
Burial Vault - CORRECT ANSWER - outer enclosure for caskets placed in the grave;
originally intended to prevent grave robbery
canopic jars - CORRECT ANSWER - jars made of alabaster, limestone, basalt, clay and
other materials used by the early Egyptians to store viscera of the deceased.
casket - CORRECT ANSWER - from the French term 'casse' meaning 'jewel box' or
container for something valuable; came into dominant use in patent literature for burial
receptacles in 1890's in America; a rigid container which is designed for the encasement of
human remains and which is usually constructed of wood, metal, fiberglass, plastic, or like
material, and ornamented and lined with fabric (FTC definition)
Casket Manufacturers Association - CORRECT ANSWER - organization of the casket
manufacturers intended to facilitate sharing of information (now known as the Casket and
Funeral Supply Association)
Catacombs - CORRECT ANSWER - originated in ancient Rome as excavated cemeteries
cut out of soft rock for the tombs of wealthy Christians; later became a place for religious rites to
avoid persecution.
catafalque - CORRECT ANSWER - raised platform (with or without a canopy) used for a
body to lie in state.
