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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. Why are moral situations difficult for Douglas to define?

2. Rejecting or affirming dirt has little to do with which of the following described by Douglas?

3. According to Douglas, what did primitive cultures see as a creative power?

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

5. What do the Lele regard as the cause of early death and source of all evil?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Walbiri culture and beliefs.

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

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

4. Describe Mae Enga culture and beliefs.

5. Describe Lele culture and beliefs.

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

7. How is infidelity handled in a Nuer society?

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

9. How does Douglas state that danger can be controlled?

10. Describe the four types of pollutions that Douglas introduces.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What do you need to study to understand purity, according to Douglas? What is purity? What is contagion? What is pollution? How are these concepts related?

Essay Topic 2

How do views of death differ from culture to culture? What about from primitive to modern cultures? How is death controlled by some cultures that Douglas describes? How does this differ from the religious view of sex?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the four types of pollutions that Douglas introduces. Give one example of each in primitive culture and in modern culture. How do these cultures overcome pollutions?

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