Question 2 of 21

According to the scientific community, what characterizes "pseudoscience?"

... Pseudoscience purports to be real science but lacks the thorough testing and significant evidence that supports true science.

Question 3 of 21

A 2001 Gallup poll on psychic and paranormal phenomena found that belief in one phenomenon was dropping. Which one?

... Belief in demonic possession was the only one that dropped, from 49 percent in 1990 to 41 percent a decade later. Belief in ghosts, psychic healing and witches all increased more than five percentage points.

Question 4 of 21

In the mid-1960s, Cleve Backster concluded that plants can communicate with other life forms after he attached his plant to ___________.

... Cleve Backster, a specialist in lie detectors, hooked his office plant up to a machine to see if he could measure water dispersal through the leaves. After conducting this and other experiments, he believed that plants could communicate.

Question 5 of 21

After organizing a five-day conference at MIT concerning alien abduction, Harvard psychiatrist John Edward Mack was awarded _________.

... Mack had previously earned a Pulitzer for his biography of T. E. Lawrence, but the abduction conference secured him the parody of the Nobel Prize in 1993. The prizes are awarded annually by the "Annals of Improbable Research," a humor magazine honoring studies that "first make people laugh, then make them think."

Question 6 of 21

Proponents of biorhythms believe their lives are affected by three biological cycles: _________.

... Biorhythm charts are created for an individual's physical, emotional and intellectual cycles and are used to guide behavior.

Question 7 of 21

During the 1950s, Michael Gauquelin, a French statistician, claimed to have found evidence for the "Mars effect," which supports the use of astrological charts for predicting successful __________.

... Gauquelin believed the Mars effect was seen in the star charts of winning athletes.

Question 8 of 21

Practitioners of applied kinesiology (AK) diagnose illnesses and determine treatment through __________.

... Practitioners of AK believe that weaknesses in specific muscles signal organ problems.

Question 9 of 21

During iridology, irises are examined for changes, patterns and irregularities. The process has no scientific support because _________.

... Although iris color may change during the first year of life, there are seldom any other variations. This stability is used in the field of biometrics; individuals are identified by iris recognition.

Question 10 of 21

"Orgone accumulators," developed by psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich, supposedly improved health by ____________.

... Beginning in the 1930s, Reich proposed the idea of "orgone," a universal life force. Orgone accumulators were purported to gather orgone and introduce it into the body, improving health.

Question 11 of 21

England's Blickling Hall is supposedly haunted by ___________.

... It is said that on the anniversary of her execution, the headless ghost of Anne Boleyn arrives at the hall in a carriage.

Question 12 of 21

The first scientific experiments on ESP, conducted by J.B. Rhine at Duke University, began as a scientific investigation of __________.

... Researchers wanted to explore the possibility of life after death, so Rhine was looking for something that existed outside the human body.

Question 13 of 21

One branch of anthrometry, the measurement of humans, attempted to determine __________.

... Although today anthrometry is used in such areas as clothing design and architecture, some researchers of anthrometry believed that criminals had specific physical characteristics. For instance, robbers and murderers are taller than thieves and forgers; thieves have small eyes and heavy eyebrows; and multiple murderers have large noses, strong jaws and broad cheekbones.

Question 14 of 21

According to a 2001 National Science Foundation survey, what percentage of Americans believe in ESP?

... Sixty percent of respondents stated their belief in extra sensory perception.

Question 15 of 21

Yogic flying is an extension of _______.

... Yogic flying comes out of the Transcendental Meditation tradition. Believers declare that through meditation they can hop like a frog and, eventually, fly progressively longer distances.

Question 16 of 21

The basic principle of homeopathy is _________.

... During the late 18th century, German physician Samuel Hahnemann developed homeopathy. He believed that illnesses could be treated by highly diluted substances that cause similar symptoms if given in large doses to healthy individuals. Hahnemann first experimented by ingesting Peruvian bark, a treatment for malaria. He developed symptoms similar to the disease (fever, sleepiness, thirst).

Question 17 of 21

A 1998 research article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association discredited Therapeutic Touch (TT) and was co-authored by ________.

... Nine-year-old Emily Rosa began the project for her school science fair. It was expanded upon, and she became the youngest person to be published in the JAMA.

Question 18 of 21

During Rolfing treatment, the practitioner focuses on the patient's ________.

... Rolfing purportedly concentrates on the fascia (muscles' connective tissue), unbinding it and helping muscles move cooperatively.

Question 19 of 21

During a Reiki treatment, a practitioner attempts to transfer energy to the patient via _______.

... Reiki energy supposedly flows through the practitioner's hands into the recipient's hands, feet, shoulders, head or other body part.

Question 20 of 21

Many types of treatment compose naturopathy. Which is NOT in the field of naturopathy?

... Abdominal etching is a plastic surgery procedure, not a type of naturopathy.

Question 21 of 21

The concept of "cellular memory" proposes that physical, mental and emotional information is stored within each cell and contains information about ______.

... According to the cellular memory theory, an individual's personal and genetic history and that of past generations is stored in each cell.

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