Intro to Mortuary Science UPDATED
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 - human shaped; some early coffins were described as
anthropoidal shaped.
Anubis - CORRECT ANSWER - Egyptian god of embalming said to be of human form
with the head of a jackal.
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 1800s 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 Heavy fines were assessed for violation; not repealed until 1814.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.
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.
, Chadwick's report - CORRECT ANSWER - 1840's reported on unsanitary conditions in
London created by intramural burials, the high cost of funerals and the 1st use of the death
certificate.
Circle of necessity - CORRECT ANSWER - ancient Egyptian belief that the soul of the
deceased would make a 3000-year journey and return to the body. Once reunited the whole man
would live with the gods. This belief created the need for embalming.
Coffin - CORRECT ANSWER - from the Greek word 'kofinos'; utilitarian container
designed to hold human remains, often anthropoidal in shape.
Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards - CORRECT ANSWER - organization
of licensing agencies in North America; responsible for the national licensing exam known as the
National Board Exam; established in St. Louis in 1904.
Cooling board - CORRECT ANSWER - portable table on which the body was placed
while the corpse cooler was in use; later became the embalming table when embalming was done
in the home of the deceased.
Corpse cooler - CORRECT ANSWER - type of ice chest placed over the torso the body in
order to slow down the process of decomposition prior to the funeral. It was typically a
responsibility of the undertaker to provide ice and change the ice when it melted.
Cortege - CORRECT ANSWER - funeral procession.
Cremation - CORRECT ANSWER - method of disposing of the dead body via fire; first
attributed to the ancient Greeks.
Cremation Association of North America (CANA) - CORRECT ANSWER - Founded in
1913, CANA is an international organization of cemeterians, cremationists, funeral directors,
industry suppliers and consultants. CANA was originally formed to promote cremation as a
modern, safe and hygienic way of dealing with a dead human body.
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 - human shaped; some early coffins were described as
anthropoidal shaped.
Anubis - CORRECT ANSWER - Egyptian god of embalming said to be of human form
with the head of a jackal.
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 1800s 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.
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.
, Chadwick's report - CORRECT ANSWER - 1840's reported on unsanitary conditions in
London created by intramural burials, the high cost of funerals and the 1st use of the death
certificate.
Circle of necessity - CORRECT ANSWER - ancient Egyptian belief that the soul of the
deceased would make a 3000-year journey and return to the body. Once reunited the whole man
would live with the gods. This belief created the need for embalming.
Coffin - CORRECT ANSWER - from the Greek word 'kofinos'; utilitarian container
designed to hold human remains, often anthropoidal in shape.
Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards - CORRECT ANSWER - organization
of licensing agencies in North America; responsible for the national licensing exam known as the
National Board Exam; established in St. Louis in 1904.
Cooling board - CORRECT ANSWER - portable table on which the body was placed
while the corpse cooler was in use; later became the embalming table when embalming was done
in the home of the deceased.
Corpse cooler - CORRECT ANSWER - type of ice chest placed over the torso the body in
order to slow down the process of decomposition prior to the funeral. It was typically a
responsibility of the undertaker to provide ice and change the ice when it melted.
Cortege - CORRECT ANSWER - funeral procession.
Cremation - CORRECT ANSWER - method of disposing of the dead body via fire; first
attributed to the ancient Greeks.
Cremation Association of North America (CANA) - CORRECT ANSWER - Founded in
1913, CANA is an international organization of cemeterians, cremationists, funeral directors,
industry suppliers and consultants. CANA was originally formed to promote cremation as a
modern, safe and hygienic way of dealing with a dead human body.
