How is the practice of cannibalism viewed across numerous human societies______________?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: C. a taboo
Explanation
Cannibalism violates the most fundamental moral prohibitions upheld by civilized human societies worldwide. Sociologists classify severe prohibitions against acts like consuming human flesh as cultural taboos. Breaking a taboo elicits profound disgust and severe social condemnation from members of the community. A taboo is a strongly enforced behavioral prohibition rooted in cultural customs and religious beliefs. Anthropologists distinguish taboos from standard folkways and mores because violating them threatens social cohesion. Historical accounts show that ritual cannibalism was rare and strictly regulated even within societies that practiced it.
Option A describes mores, which are moral norms but generally carry less severe universal revulsion than taboos. Option B is too broad because a cultural trait encompasses any shared practice without specifying its moral prohibition. Option D refers to a cultural complex, which is an interrelated cluster of cultural traits rather than a single prohibition.
Related questions
Q1. Upon what primary assets and capabilities is modern national power founded________________?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: D. specific combinations of attributes
National power is a complex phenomenon that cannot be reduced to a single isolated geographic or economic factor. A nation's global influence emerges from specific combinations of military strength, economic output, and...
Q2. If culture is likened to a theatrical script, what follows for the individuals acting within it______________?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: C. society may be compared to a troupe of actors
Comparing culture to a theatrical script implies that individuals living within that culture act out assigned roles. Just as actors follow written lines and stage directions, people follow cultural norms and expectations...
Q3. In the psychological metaphor of the “looking-glass self,” what does the mirror symbolize ?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: B. the imagined judgments of others
Charles Horton Cooley's looking-glass self posits that our self-concept depends on imagined perceptions from others. The mirror metaphor specifically symbolizes how we picture other people evaluating our appearance and b...
Q4. Within the United States, the military operates as________________?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: A. subordinate to the government
Democratic principles mandate that military forces must remain strictly subordinate to civilian government authorities. Elected officials retain constitutional command over the armed forces to prevent military dictatorsh...
Q5. Within the social sciences, what is the precise definition of discrimination_________________?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: B. actions taken as a result of prejudicial feelings
Discrimination refers to the behavioral component involving harmful actions directed against specific social groups. Prejudicial attitudes translate into discriminatory practices when individuals are treated unfairly bas...
Q6. How has the collective sense of national identity evolved in the United States ?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: D. only B and C
American national identity initially drew heavily upon shared European heritage, cultural traditions, and English language. Over time, this identity expanded to include the ideological belief in America's unique global m...