FEMA IS-505: Religious and Cultural Literacy and Competency in Disaster Answers

1. Which of the following statements about the DHS Center for Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships (DHS Center) is incorrect? A. The DHS Center is a membership-based organization that provides assistance only to its members

B. The DHS Center provides subject-matter expertise to help communities successfully partner with other emergency management components.

C. The DHS Center was created by executive order to help emergency managers effectively engage with houses of worship and emerging cultural communities

D. The DHS Center delivers training and technical assistance to faith and community-based organizations.

2. Which of the following statements regarding the U.S. religious and cultural landscape is incorrect? A. There are nearly 200 denominations religious traditions in the US

B. Diversity often brings with it complex perspectives on government as well as disaster response and preparedness

C. 71% of Americans identify as Christian

D. Religious diversity in the United States is limited to large cities on the east and west coast

3. Faith and cultural communities bring a number of assets to the whole community. Which of these assets can be described as the compassion to help people cope and recover? A. Resources

B. Networks

C. Mission to Serve

D. Presence and Staying Power

4. Prior to engaging with a faith community other than your own, you should: A. Refer to the FEMA Community Engagement Tip Sheets to prepare

B. Study the group’s belief systems for at least a week before engaging

C. Not concern yourself about their beliefs and preferences; they should take any help that is offered

D. Assume that at least one member of your team knows something about this faith community

5. When greeting a religious or cultural leader, using the leader’s proper title, such as Rabbi or Imam, is a sign of respect and does not indicate endorsement or conformity to belief system other than your own. A. TRUE

B. FALSE

6. When considering dietary laws, which of the following best describes Kosher? A. Followed by many Muslims, food sources include those meats that have been ritually slaughtered. However, certain meats, such as pork, are prohibited.

B. Followed by many Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Seventh-day Adventist, and Sikh adherents, foods cannot contain gelatin, meat, meat byproducts, or lard.

C. Followed by most Orthodox Jews, Conservative Jews, and some Reform Jews, food animals include cows, sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and most fish. Shellfish and bottom-feeding fish are not to be eaten.

7. When meeting for the first time, you may need to engage in rituals or relationship building before discussing business, since not engaging in these customs may be considered rude, which will hurt your outreach efforts. A. TRUE

B. FALSE

8. When approaching religious and cultural organizations, it is important to remember that the government asks, not tasks. A. TRUE

B. FALSE

9. Why should emergency management personnel become aware of the different religious and cultural groups in the United States? A. If FEMA includes these groups, it increases the resilience created by the whole community approach

B. Emergency management departments have directed its personnel to prioritize faith communities

C. It’s not necessary; as Americans we share the same values and culture

10. Which of the following questions would NOT be asked when determining your engagement plan? A. What will the meeting take place?

B. How will we conduct meetings?

C. Who will be forced to provide assistance?

D. Where will the meeting take place?

11. When educating yourself on the local faith communities, which of these resources would not be used? A. State/Regional Voluntary Agency Liaison (VAL)

B. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB)

C. Google Crisis Map

D. DHS Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships

12. Which of these is a symbol for Islam? A. Star of David

B. Crescent Moon

C. Cross

D. Ganesh

13. If you are asked to attend worship services and decide to attend, you should: A. Ask before participating in worship or prayer services, such as candle lighting or incense burning

B. Help pass out religious books without being asked

C. Attend only part of the service and try to sneak out early to make your next appointment

D. Place any sacred books you find on the ground for safe keeping

14. Which of these terms refers to a group within a religion? A. Denomination

B. Social Service Organization

C. Congregation

D. Federation

15. Which of these terms refers a building where adherents of a given religion worship? A. Church

B. Faith community

C. Congregation

D. House of Worship

16. When determining who you will need to contact as part of your engagement plan, ideally you should: A. Start with the larger force multipliers before going to the individual congregations.

B. Start with the individual congregations before contacting larger organizations

C. Always start with the DHS Center

17. When meeting with religious and community leaders as part of your engagement plan, you should: A. Address only the community with the most members present

B. Ensure that the process does not favor one community over another

C. Hold the meeting only in a church, since other houses of worship tend to be smaller

D. Allow only one speaker to prevent mixed message

18. When considering dietary laws, which of the following best describes Halal? A. Followed by many Muslims, food sources include those meats that have been ritually slaughtered. However, certain meats, such as pork, are prohibited.

B. Followed by many Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Seventh-day Adventist, and Sikh adherents, foods cannot contain gelatin, meat, meat byproducts, or lard.

19. Which of these terms refers to the people within a house of worship, and not the building? A. Denomination

B. Social Service Organization

C. Congregation

D. Federation

20. FEMA has developed several Community Engagement Tip Sheets that provide key information about the different communities, such as terminology, leadership, and etiquette. How should these tip sheets be used?

A. These tip sheets should be passed out to the faith community members so that they understand what it is that you know about themB. The information on these tip sheets should be memorized in order to prepare for any engagement situation possible

C. These tip sheets should be reviewed when preparing to engage with diverse groups