, Chapter 1 Understanding Religion
Chapter 1 – Test Bank
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. Literally, the word religion means
a. meditate on.
b. worship.
c. connect again.
d. rise above.
Answer: c
Page: 6
2. The prophetic orientation in religion emphasizes
a. ceremonies.
b. feelings of oneness with the universe.
c. traditions.
d. beliefs and moral codes.
Answer: d
Page: 17
3. The early anthropologist who saw religion as rooted in a belief in spirits and the worship of
them was
a. E. B. Tylor.
b. James Frazer.
c. Sigmund Freud.
d. Carl Jung.
Answer: b
Page: 11
4. Sigmund Freud, when analyzing the origin of religion, emphasized
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.
Answer: a
Page: 11
5. The disciple of Freud who ultimately rebelled against him was
a. Carl Jung.
b. Wilhelm Schmidt.
c. Rudolf Otto.
d. Clifford Geertz.
Answer: a
, Chapter 1 Understanding Religion
Page: 12
6. Wilhelm Schmidt, an Austrian philologist, argued that human beings originally believed in
a. one God.
b. two gods of equal importance.
c. multiple gods of nature.
d. no God.
Answer: a
Page: 13
7. Belief in many gods is called
a. polytheism.
b. monotheism.
c. agnosticism.
d. atheism.
Answer: a
Page: 8
8. Belief in one God is called
a. monotheism.
b. polytheism.
c. atheism.
d. agnosticism.
Answer: a
Page: 8
9. A mystical orientation in religion is characterized by
a. an emphasis on mysterious happenings.
b. the seeking of a union with something greater than oneself.
c. the extensive use of holy water and statues.
d. a belief in alien origins of life forms.
Answer: b
Page: 17
10. A sacramental orientation in religion is characterized by
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.
Answer: d
Page: 16
11. Anthropology typically studies religions as
a. cultural creations with multiple aspects.
b. clusters of sacred buildings, rivers, and mountains.
c. systems of philosophical explanation of the universe.
, Chapter 1 Understanding Religion
d. artifacts of superior beings.
Answer: a
Page: 21
12. A universal religious symbol that is circular, or that blends a circle and a square, is called a
a. mandala.
b. mudra.
c. mantra.
d. megalith.
Answer: a
Page: 12
13. The prophetic orientation in religion is particularly strong in
a. Protestant Christianity.
b. Tibetan Buddhism.
c. Vedic Hinduism.
d. Taoism.
Answer: a
Page: 17
14. Pantheism is the belief
a. that all reality is divine.
b. in the ancient Greek religion that believed the god Pan was the source of cosmic order.
c. in endless reincarnation.
d. in a timeless realm of happiness at the top of the universe.
Answer: a
Page: 8
15. One religion that particularly values and makes use of silence is
a. Shinto.
b. Judaism.
c. Zen Buddhism.
d. Islam.
Answer: c
Page: 15
16. One name of an early female deity was
a. Wotan.
b. Mercury.
c. Astarte.
d. Izanagi.
Answer: c
Page: 18
17. In religious studies, the word myth means
a. a story that is historically true.
Chapter 1 – Test Bank
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. Literally, the word religion means
a. meditate on.
b. worship.
c. connect again.
d. rise above.
Answer: c
Page: 6
2. The prophetic orientation in religion emphasizes
a. ceremonies.
b. feelings of oneness with the universe.
c. traditions.
d. beliefs and moral codes.
Answer: d
Page: 17
3. The early anthropologist who saw religion as rooted in a belief in spirits and the worship of
them was
a. E. B. Tylor.
b. James Frazer.
c. Sigmund Freud.
d. Carl Jung.
Answer: b
Page: 11
4. Sigmund Freud, when analyzing the origin of religion, emphasized
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.
Answer: a
Page: 11
5. The disciple of Freud who ultimately rebelled against him was
a. Carl Jung.
b. Wilhelm Schmidt.
c. Rudolf Otto.
d. Clifford Geertz.
Answer: a
, Chapter 1 Understanding Religion
Page: 12
6. Wilhelm Schmidt, an Austrian philologist, argued that human beings originally believed in
a. one God.
b. two gods of equal importance.
c. multiple gods of nature.
d. no God.
Answer: a
Page: 13
7. Belief in many gods is called
a. polytheism.
b. monotheism.
c. agnosticism.
d. atheism.
Answer: a
Page: 8
8. Belief in one God is called
a. monotheism.
b. polytheism.
c. atheism.
d. agnosticism.
Answer: a
Page: 8
9. A mystical orientation in religion is characterized by
a. an emphasis on mysterious happenings.
b. the seeking of a union with something greater than oneself.
c. the extensive use of holy water and statues.
d. a belief in alien origins of life forms.
Answer: b
Page: 17
10. A sacramental orientation in religion is characterized by
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.
Answer: d
Page: 16
11. Anthropology typically studies religions as
a. cultural creations with multiple aspects.
b. clusters of sacred buildings, rivers, and mountains.
c. systems of philosophical explanation of the universe.
, Chapter 1 Understanding Religion
d. artifacts of superior beings.
Answer: a
Page: 21
12. A universal religious symbol that is circular, or that blends a circle and a square, is called a
a. mandala.
b. mudra.
c. mantra.
d. megalith.
Answer: a
Page: 12
13. The prophetic orientation in religion is particularly strong in
a. Protestant Christianity.
b. Tibetan Buddhism.
c. Vedic Hinduism.
d. Taoism.
Answer: a
Page: 17
14. Pantheism is the belief
a. that all reality is divine.
b. in the ancient Greek religion that believed the god Pan was the source of cosmic order.
c. in endless reincarnation.
d. in a timeless realm of happiness at the top of the universe.
Answer: a
Page: 8
15. One religion that particularly values and makes use of silence is
a. Shinto.
b. Judaism.
c. Zen Buddhism.
d. Islam.
Answer: c
Page: 15
16. One name of an early female deity was
a. Wotan.
b. Mercury.
c. Astarte.
d. Izanagi.
Answer: c
Page: 18
17. In religious studies, the word myth means
a. a story that is historically true.
