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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. In what society described are elders with powers able to control juniors but not for personal gain?

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

3. What do boundaries represent to Douglas?

4. Which of the following do cultures not involve, according to the reading?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What are the disadvantages to disorder that Douglas poses?

4. Why does Douglas say that social consequences cannot be reversed?

5. Describe the Nuer beliefs and actions.

6. Describe the treatment of ambiguities as described in Chapter 10.

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

8. How do internal and external boundaries, described by Douglas, relate to the human body?

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

10. Describe incest in Bushong culture and beliefs.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Douglas' social structures. What is the significance of a formal power structure? What happens with a system lacks a power structure? Are there any benefits to these systems? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

What are the consequences that Douglas associates with not having a specific government administration? How do social and moral situations involve contradictions? What do shifting loyalties have to do with political structure? What does allegiance have to do with marriage in a political structure?

(see the answer keys)

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