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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. If a husband's life is threatened, who is to blame in Nuer beliefs?

2. What type of consequences does Douglas state cannot be reversed?

3. Which word does Douglas use to describe the highest castes in South India?

4. What ambiguity example is given in Chapter 10?

5. Who do people at the margins of society represent danger to, according to Douglas' view?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Douglas state that pollutions are dangerous?

2. Describe the social structure of the Walbiri.

3. Describe the enforcements of harmony that Douglas introduces.

4. Describe the Israeli rejection of dirt. How is it destructive and creative at the same time, in Douglas' view?

5. Describe incest in Bushong culture and beliefs.

6. Describe the structure of witchcraft that Douglas explains.

7. Why is dirt regarded as being a powerful part of a ritual, according to Douglas?

8. Are the arguments that Douglas poses in regards to primitive cultures being thought of as primitive and neurotic valid? Why or why not?

9. How is dirt related to madness in the cultures described in the reading?

10. What is a moral situation? Can we define a moral? Why or why not?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What happens when order is absent from the cultures that Douglas describes? What factors create disorder? Do you think Douglas is accurate here?

Essay Topic 2

Assess the argument for primitive cultures being more modern than primitive. Argue for or against this claim and provide at least 3 sources of evidence.

Essay Topic 3

What is the difference between holiness and blessing as Douglas defines them? How are both related to these concepts: morality, purity, pollution, classification, organization, separation?

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