Which term refers to a monument erected to the memory of the dead, with the body not present?

• A. A monument erected to memory of the dead, with the dead human body not present.
• B. A case or receptacle for dead human remains anthropoidal in shape.
• C. A wheeled collapsible support for the casket.
• D. A structure used to hold cremated remains in a mausoleum.

Answer: (A)

When the body is not present, the term used is cenotaph. A cenotaph is a monument erected to the memory of the dead, serving as a symbolic tomb for someone whose remains are elsewhere or not recovered. In funeral merchandising, this distinguishes a memorial structure from items that actually hold or contain the body, such as a coffin, a movable support for a casket, or a container for cremated remains. The described options refer to those physical vessels or supports, not to a memorial erected in memory of the deceased without the body present. Therefore, cenotaph is the best fit.