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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The author shows that all religious traditions share:
(a) One common origin.
(b) Similarities in styles of worship.
(c) A mistrust of shamans and mysticism.
(d) Mystical and symbolic similarities.

2. When drugs are involved in Shaman practices, who takes them?
(a) The shaman and the patient.
(b) The shaman and the patient's family members.
(c) The shaman.
(d) The patient.

3. It is typical for one or more spirits to help guide the shaman through what?
(a) A time-honored ritual.
(b) A series of questions only the shaman hears.
(c) A hidden or non-ordinary reality.
(d) The ninth dimension.

4. Which of the following is NOT a purpose for entering a shamanic state of consciousness?
(a) Exploration.
(b) Betrayal.
(c) Healing illnesses.
(d) Retrieving power animals.

5. Harner asks aspiring shamans to refrain from:
(a) Exercising strenuously.
(b) Using anything electronic.
(c) Eating sweets.
(d) Drinking alcohol.

6. Shamans pass through what kind of planes?
(a) Ethereal.
(b) Earthly.
(c) Parallel.
(d) Cosmological.

7. Harner's reports of the rituals, symbols, and visions of the different tribes he observes are what?
(a) Simplistic.
(b) Similar.
(c) Disturbing.
(d) Foreign.

8. Why does Harner include the examples of the Lakota Sioux and Coast Salish tribes for Westerners in particular?
(a) Because more than anyone else, Westerners need to understand the nuances of shamanism.
(b) To give them examples of shamanism that might be more familiar to them.
(c) So that they can see that shamanism can be accessed without the use of drugs.
(d) To illustrate the universal nature of shamanism.

9. What does the Jivaro shaman give to Harner to drink?
(a) Fermented coconut milk.
(b) A substance made from the datura plant.
(c) The juice of the cacao plant.
(d) Water from a mystical underground spring.

10. What is the purpose of rattles used during a shaman's work?
(a) To open up tightly closed portals.
(b) To ward off evil spirits.
(c) To purify the air surrounding the patient.
(d) To reinforce drumming for a greater sonic effect.

11. Shaman's do not challenge the validity of someone else's what?
(a) Claims of being a shaman.
(b) Drug addiction.
(c) Authentic first-hand experience.
(d) Healing methods.

12. What does Harner speculate about the mandala?
(a) It may represent openings to the sky or the Lowerworld.
(b) It may guard coded instructions reserved for the most advanced shamans.
(c) It could hold the keys to astral time travel.
(d) It could represent the doorway to stars and entrance to spaceships.

13. Which of the following does NOT help a shaman enter a shamanic state of consciousness?
(a) Drums.
(b) Rattles.
(c) Songs.
(d) Tattoos.

14. If SSC stands for shamanic state of consciousness, what does OSC stand for?
(a) Orthogonal state of consciousness.
(b) Ordinary state of consciousness.
(c) Other-worldly shamanic consciousness.
(d) Ordinary shamanic consciousness.

15. What does Harner suggest is the purpose of songs during a shamanic journey?
(a) To keep the patient calm and relaxed.
(b) To guide the shaman towards acceptable portals.
(c) To attract beneficial healing spirit helpers.
(d) To amplify the shaman's altered state.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to the author, who has a guardian spirit, whether recognized or not?

2. What does Harner say that middle-class Americans report experiencing on their shamanic attempts?

3. What does Harner compare his near-death experience with the Conibo to?

4. What is the purpose of rapid drumming during the guided journey that Harner takes new students through?

5. What does Harner recommend that the aspiring shaman listen to?

(see the answer keys)

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