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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Harner asserts that shamanism transcends any particular what?
(a) Falsehood.
(b) Culture.
(c) Philosophy.
(d) Scholarly assessment.

2. According to the author, who has a guardian spirit, whether recognized or not?
(a) Shamans.
(b) Everyone.
(c) Leaders.
(d) Curanderos.

3. Harner indicates that becoming a shaman involves pain, facing fears, and a willingness to:
(a) Confront the unknown.
(b) Consume exotic foods.
(c) Leave behind all that one holds near and dear.
(d) Cross dangerous jungles.

4. What are guardian spirits known as in Australia?
(a) Angelic assistant.
(b) Totem angel.
(c) Assistant totem.
(d) Spirit of assistance.

5. What do various cultures report noticing the shaman give off when in a shamanic state of consciousness?
(a) An unusually sweet aroma.
(b) Light in a halo effect.
(c) A highly directional beam of light, like a laser.
(d) Rhythmic sounds.

6. Who does the author quote as an expert on the subject of altered states?
(a) Author Carlos Castaneda.
(b) West African writer Malidoma Some.
(c) Anthropologist Margaret Mead.
(d) Shamanic scholar Mircea Eliade.

7. What are guardian spirits called in Siberia?
(a) Tutelary spirits.
(b) Warning spirits.
(c) Guardian angels.
(d) Angelic beings.

8. The author emphasizes that not all tribes use what in their shamanic practices?
(a) Shamans.
(b) Chants.
(c) Rituals.
(d) Drugs.

9. 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.

10. How do the Conibo access the Lowerworld?
(a) Using a giant catahua tree root system.
(b) Riding on the backs of patagonian capybaras.
(c) By chanting and dancing all night in front of a fire.
(d) Through secret holes dug by their ancestors.

11. What does Harner point out about the Lakota Sioux and the Coast Salish tribes?
(a) Are the best natural healers in the world.
(b) They achieve altered states of consciousness without using hallucinogenic substances.
(c) Were the first tribes known to practice shamanism.
(d) Shun the practice of shamanism and instead pass down stories from one generation to the next.

12. What does Harner recommend that the aspiring shaman listen to?
(a) Flowing water.
(b) Chanting.
(c) Birds singing.
(d) Drumming.

13. How does Harner end his first shamanic journey exercise for the reader?
(a) Prolonged string vibration.
(b) Wolf howl.
(c) Four sharp strikes.
(d) Sound of a bell.

14. What does Harner say that middle-class Americans report experiencing on their shamanic attempts?
(a) Temperature changes.
(b) Colors.
(c) Tunnels.
(d) Euphoria.

15. Harner explains that some shamanic students report using caves as:
(a) Sensory deprivation stations.
(b) Hiding places.
(c) Sanctuaries.
(d) Portals.

Short Answer Questions

1. Shaman's do not challenge the validity of someone else's what?

2. Harner's personal observation is that people develop shamanism as a tool for using the power of the human mind for what?

3. How is a shamanic state of consciousness, or SSC, achieved?

4. After a journey that lasts several days in the jungle with his companions, Harner is taken where?

5. In early experiences with the Conibo, Harner hears rushing:

(see the answer keys)

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