The practice of worship and veneration directed toward a specific animal is known as?

• A. Animism
• B. Totemism
• C. Shamanism
• D. Paganism

Answer: (B)

Totemism is the belief system where a group or clan identifies with and venerates a specific animal as its emblem or symbol. The animal, the totem, is treated with reverence and is thought to have a spiritual connection with the group, guiding rituals, identity, and values. This direct worship or veneration of a particular animal is quintessential to totemic practice.

Animism would involve believing that many beings and objects have spirits, not focusing worship on one animal as a group emblem. Shamanism centers on a practitioner who mediates with the spirit world, rather than on a shared animal worship. Paganism refers to broader polytheistic or nature-based traditions, not specifically a clan’s animal emblem.