Cannibalism
P1. In 1521, when the Spanish captured the ancient Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan in modern-
day Mexico City, one of the conquistadors witnessed the Aztecs sacrificing captives of war
by cutting out their hearts, cutting up their bodies, and eating the flesh. This account was
corroborated by a Spanish priest who arrived ten years after the conquest, Father Bernardino
de Sahagun, who recorded the act of ritualistic cannibalism in detail. Accounts of cannibalism
also exist in the literature of ancient China, and there are records of "hate cannibalism" during
World War II, in which enemies of the Chinese were eaten. There have also been instances of
cannibalism observed and recorded by anthropologists such as Napolean Chagnon, who in
the 1960s witnessed and documented the act among the Yanomamo of Venuezuela, and Bruce
Trigger, who claimed that the Huron Indians of Canada in the 17th century sacrificed war
captives and consumed their flesh.
P2. Despite this well-documented evidence, American anthropologist William Arens
questioned the credibility of existent reports of cannibalism in his 1979 publication The Man-
Eating Myth, and went so far as to claim that it did not exist, or at least did not occur at the
frequency that it was believed to. Basing his investigation on numerous cases cited by
missionaries, explorers, and anthropologists, Arens found that the accounts of cannibalism
were prejudiced by racism or based on unsubstantiated evidence such as secondhand reports.
He was unable to find any reliable eyewitness accounts among all the literature on
cannibalism, leading him to claim that the existent evidence "would not stand up in a court of
law." He concluded that cannibalism was little more than a myth created by Europeans,
meant to vilify non-Europeans so as to establish cultural superiority and justify domination
over them.
1. The word corroborated in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) contested (B) supported (C) questioned (D) replaced
2. According to paragraph 1, both a conquistador and a priest
(A) were captured by the Aztecs (B) were sacrificed by the Aztecs
(C) described the Aztecs practicing cannibalism (D) witnessed Aztecs being sacrificed in war
3. All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 1 as cannibalistic people EXCEPT
(A) the Yanomamo (B) the Huron Indians (C) the Chinese (D) the Spanish
4. The word credibility in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) trustworthiness (B) acceptability (C) tendency (D) prejudice
5. According to paragraph 2, Arens dismissed the accounts of cannibalism because
(A) they were not written by anthropologists (B) the eyewitnesses were not reliable
(C) there were only secondhand reports (D) they were either biased or unconfirmed
6. Which of the following can be inferred about cannibalism from paragraph 2?
(A) There were many legends about cannibalism in Europe.
(B) It was only reported to happen among non-Europeans.
(C) European visitors to other lands were often its victims.
(D) All the reports of cannibalism were made up by Europeans.
7. The word them in the passage refers to
(A) missionaries (B) explorers (C) Europeans (D) non-Europeans
Cannibalism
P3. The response from the anthropological community to Arens's claim was overwhelming.
Numerous accounts, substantiated and consistent with each other, were provided to support
the existence of cannibalism. One such account came from Dr. Daniel Carleton Gajdusek,
winner of the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1976. His extensive studies on the Fore people of
Papua New Guinea during the 1950s and 1960s offered convincing evidence that a brain
disease afflicting the Fore, known as kuru, had been transmitted through the consumption of
brain tissue already infected with the virus. A In fact, what Gajdusek seemingly confirmed
with medical evidence had already been proved in court. B When the Fore people came under
Australian rule in the 1940s, the authorities outlawed the practice of cannibalism. C During
that decade, many alleged cannibals stood trial in Australian courts, and the evidence and
testimonies brought forth in the courts were enough to convince many of the judges that
cannibalism had indeed occurred. D
P4. Aside from documented accounts and scientific studies, there have been a number of
archaeological discoveries that suggest cannibalism existed as a practice in ancient times. In
1983, archaeologists excavating Fontbregoua Cave in southern France discovered the ruins of
people who had occupied the caves between 5,000 and 7,000 years ago. Over the course of
the excavation, they found 13 of what they believed to be refuse pits, in which both animal
and human bones were discarded. After examining the cut marks on the bones under
powerful electron microscopes, they determined that all the bones, both animal and human,
had been treated in an identical way-systematically stripped with stone tools to make fillets.
8. Which of the following sentences best states the vital information in the highlighted
sentence in the passage? The correct answer choice should not change the meaning or leave
out important information.
(A) His studies showed that the kuru disease had spread among the Fore people as they
consumed infected brain tissue.
(B) He carried out many studies on the brain disease known as kuru, which was spread
among the Fore people by a virus.
(C) Evidence was found that the kuru disease had been transmitted to the Fore people when
they ate food infected with the virus.
(D) The kuru disease spread among the Fore people of Papua New Guinea through a virus
infection of the brain.
9. Look at the four squares [■] in the passage that show where the following sentence could
be added.
"The doctor's conclusion was that the Fore must have engaged in acts of cannibalism."
10. The word practice in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) custom (B) method (C) repetition (D) exercise
11. The word refuse in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) burial (B) waste (C) removal (D) storage
12. The author discusses the Fontbregoua ruins in paragraph 4 in order to
(A) prove that cannibalism existed in Europe as well as other regions
(B) contrast cannibalistic rituals in South America and Europe
(C) note that archaeological findings point to the existence of cannibalism
(D) explain that ritualistic cannibalism first began in prehistoric times
