IB1091036 Insects as symbols
April 23, 2010, Pages 315-321
1. Totemism is recognized by anthropologists by several attributes. Which of the following IS NOT an
attribute of totemism that deals with attitudes toward animals and plants?
a.association with an insect’s name
b. veneration of namesake insect
c. marriage outside the clan
d. relationship to the namesake insect
2. Which of the following IS NOT a theory proposed to account for the origin of totemism?.
a. conservation of food supply
b. development of barter economy
c. physical resemblance theory
d,, association with naming practices
3. Which of the following insects is involved in a totemic system in Australia?
a. honey ant
b. witchety grubc. manna psyllid
d. all of the above:
What is a churinga?
a. an edible caterpillar that is a totem for some Australian aborigines
b. a praying mantis that is a totem for a West African tribe
c. a sacred object representing the ancestral spirit of its owner
d. a Kwakiutl mosquito mask
4. What attribute of insect biology that might explain why insects feature prominently in so many creation
myths worldwide?
a. their creative activities are conspicuous
b. they are generally recognized as an “ancient” life form
c. both a and b
d. insects don’t actually figure prominently in creation myths
5. The Philistine “Lord of the flies,” who later was associated with the Devil in Christianity, was known as
a. Lucifer
b. Old Nick
c. Baalzebub
d. Satan
6. The Greek word psyche has two meanings; what is its entomological meaning?
a. bee
b. butterfly
c. social behavior
d. pupa
7. Aesop wrote many fables featuring insects. Which of the following is NOT an insect-related fable written
by Aesop?
a. the ant and the grasshopper b.the bald man and the fly
c. the grub and the apple
d. the flea and the man
8. True or false: The early Christians held the sacred scarab in the same high regard as did the ancient
Egyptians.
a. True
b. False
9. What literary tradition commenced with publication of Physiologus in 600 AD?
a. the emblem b. the fable
c. the bestiary
d. the epic poem
10. What insect might you expect to find on the Combe family coat of arms?
a. flea
b. fly
c. beetle
d. bee
11. A common motif in Renaissance emblems relating to the relative value of ancient and modern
scholarship is
a. the spider and the fly b. the spider and the bee
c. the bee and the wasp d. the dung beetle and the butterfly
12. Bees or beehives were symbols for which French leaders?
a. Napoleon
b. Louis XII
c. National Convention d. a and b
13. What arthropods were popular heraldic symbols in Tokugawa Japan?
a. silkworms b. dragonflies c. centipedes
d. all of the above
14. Match the sports team with its symbol; explain the significance of the association.
a. New Orleans 2
1. Yellowjackets
b. Chicago 3
2. Hornets
c. University of Richmond 5
3. Sting
d. Georgia Tech 1
4. Boll Weevils
e. University of Arkansas—Monticello 45. Spiders
15. The Salt Lake City minor league baseball team is named for what insect?
a. yellowjacket
b. hornet
c. bee
d. fire ant
16.What species is the state insect for the greatest number of states?:
a. monarch butterfly
b. honey bee
c. ladybug
d. praying mantis
17.The Illinois company Caterpillar owes its corporate name to
a. its metamorphosis from a local company to a national conglomerate
b. its production of heavy equipment that “chews up” plants
c. its production of “track-type” tractors
d. its production of farm equipment for spraying insecticides
18. What’s wrong entomologically with the corporate “spokes-bees” for both Nabisco Wheat Honeys and
General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios?
a. the general color pattern
b. the association with honey
c. the gender of the character
19. What is odd about Antonio Bandeiras’s voice work as the Nasonex spokes-bee?
a. male bees have nothing to do with honey
b. male bees have nothing to do with pollen
c. bee-pollinated flowers aren’t responsible for pollen allergies
d. both b and c
20. What aspect of the biology of Ephemeroptera appeals to a broad cross-section of advertisers?
a. their association with aquatic habitats b. their short life expectancy
c. their brilliant color
d. their social behavior
21. What aspect of the biology of Hymenoptera appeals to a broad cross-section of advertisers?
a. their association with aquatic habitats b. their short life expectancy
c. their brilliant color
d. their social behavior
22. What aspect of the biology of Lepidoptera appeals to a broad cross-section of advertisers?
a. their association with aquatic habitats b. their short life expectancy
c. their brilliant color
d. their social behavior
23. To convey the idea of dramatic change, what type of insect is most likely to appear in an advertisement?
a. hemimetabolous
b. holometabolous