Chapter 2 Test Bank

KNOWLEDGE OF KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

Multiple Choice

1. __________ is the anthropological theory of culture that argues that cultures evolve from simple to complex by harnessing nature’s energy through technology and the influence of particular culture-specific processes.

a) Structural-functionalism

b) Neo-evolutionism

c) Cognitive anthropology

d) Social evolutionism

2. __________ was responsible for the theory of functionalism.

a) Franz Boas

b) E. B. Tylor

c) Bronislaw Malinowski

d) Alfred Kroeber

3. The theory of culture that proposes that cultural practices, beliefs, and institutions fulfill the psychological and physical needs of society is called

a) historical particularism.

b) social evolution.

c) functionalism.

d) cultural materialism.

4. Two aspects of E. B. Tylor’s definition of culture have been especially influential to modern anthropologists. The first is that culture is acquired. What is the second?

a) Culture is always changing.

b) Culture can be discovered through quantitative analysis.

c) Culture is inherently linked to climate.

d) Culture is a complex whole.

5. Culture is

a) learned and shared.

b) a product of biology.

c) a product of individual psychology.

d) something you get when you go to the opera.

6. Ethnocentrism

a) is part of being a good anthropologist.

b) means you think your culture is superior to others.

c) is a rare feature of culture.

d) is the idea that all human actions are the products of culture.

7. __________ was responsible for the theory of social evolutionism.

a) Marvin Harris

b) Franz Boas

c) E. B. Tylor

d) Bronislaw Malinowski

8. The process of learning culture from a very young age is called

a) enculturation.

b) ethnocentrism.

c) symbolism.

d) acculturation.

9. The most enduring and ritualized aspects of culture are referred to as

a) values.

b) norms.

c) traditions.

d) symbols.

10. A symbol

a) has no basis of influencing human behavior.

b) is something that conventionally stands for something else.

c) has a very limited period of cultural salience.

d) is the idea that people collectively build meanings through collective negotiation.

11. The perspective that aims to identify and understand cultures in their entirety is called

a) holism.

b) structural.

c) symbolic.

d) ethnocentrism.

12. Examples of social institutions are

a) kinship, marriage, and farming.

b) numbers and the alphabet.

c) texts, books, and archival materials.

d) material artifacts.

Fill in the Blank

13. Collective definitions of proper and improper behavior “built” meanings through common experiences, and negotiations are cultural ____________________.

constructions

14. The experience of feeling that the way your culture does things is the right way and any different way of doing things is wrong is called ____________________.

ethnocentrism

15. The idea that cultures pass through stages from primitive to complex is known as ____________________.

social evolution

16. Anthropologists believe that a ____________________ approach, analyzing human societies’ phenomena by comparing the phenomena with different societies, is necessary to appreciate how artificial our beliefs and actions are.

cross-cultural

17. The theory that posits that cultural practices and beliefs serve purposes for society is called ____________________.

functionalism

18. The unilateral decision of one social group to take control of the symbols, objects, and practices of others is called ____________________.

cultural appropriation

True/False

19. Culture is uniquely human.

a) True

b) False

20. Anthropologists generally believe in one unified theory of culture.

a) True

b) False

21. All humans are born with some culture.

a) True

b) False

22. Activities that are biologically based, such as eating and sleeping, are universally practiced in the same way for all humans.

a) True

b) False

23. Culture cannot be transmitted implicitly.

a) True

b) False

COMPREHENSION OF FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS

Multiple Choice

24. The defining feature of historical particularism is

a) all societies pass through stages from primitive to complex.

b) individual societies develop particular cultural traits and undergo a unique process of change.

c) cultural differences are the result of different evolutionary stages.

d) the material world shapes people’s customs and beliefs.

25. The main idea behind the holistic perspective is to study culture

a) by its individual parts.

b) through systematic connections of different parts.

c) as integrated and balanced.

d) via symbols alone.

26. The structuralist approach to culture theorizes

a) people make sense of the world through binary oppositions (i.e., raw/cooked).

b) cultures evolve over time.

c) culture is systematic, operating in a balanced fashion to keep society functioning smoothly.

d) individual societies develop individual traits.

27. The idea that embraces dynamic cultural processes and the idea that the observer of cultural processes can never see culture completely objectively represents

a) interpretive anthropology.

b) neo-evolutionism.

c) poststructuralism.

d) historical particularism.

28. Because our values and beliefs include many elements of life such as clothes, food, and language means that culture is

a) static.

b) integrated.

c) a system.

d) symbolic.

29. Anthropologists overcome ethnocentrism by

a) developing theories to explain human action.

b) studying a culture’s customs.

c) defending whatever another culture does.

d) seeing matters from the point of view of another culture

30. Cultural determinism is unproductive for cultural analysis because it

a) denies the influence of factors like physical environment and biology on humans.

b) denies the history of social atrocities.

c) explains that human action is the product of biology alone.

d) Is commonly used as a guiding framework by contemporary cultural anthropologists.

31. Norms are stable because

a) culture doesn’t change.

b) people learn them when they are older.

c) people learn them when they are young.

d) they are the same in every culture.

32. The controversy between Native Americans and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) schools using mascots illustrates

a) the scientific method.

b) historical particularism.

c) the power of tradition.

d) cultural determinism.

33. “Owning” culture

a) means controlling symbols that give meaning.

b) happens inevitably over time.

c) makes it better.

d) is a naturally occurring process as a result of globalization.

34. When Kay Warren presented her anthropological research, a group of Maya intellectuals, activists, and political leaders

a) were there cheering her on.

b) challenged her right to study the Maya culture as a foreign anthropologist.

c) collaborated with Warren.

d) co-published the paper.

35. Which of the following is not a social consequence of introducing coffee into the highlands of Papua New Guinea?

a) Young men gained social status.

b) The spread of coffee plantations halted.

c) People had less access to commodities.

d) Starbucks cafes sprung up across the highlands.

Fill in the Blank

36. An ____________________ approach to culture, such as that promoted by Geertz, Turner, and Douglas, emphasizes that culture is a shared system of meanings.

interpretive

37. Many anthropologists are wary about traditions because while they may feel ancient to some people, they are often ____________________.

invented

38. A focus on ____________________ helps anthropologists understand intrinsically desirable principles held by a group of people.

values

39. Anthropologists stress that a ____________________ perspective is necessary to appreciate how “artificial” our beliefs and actions are.

cross-cultural

True/False

40. Cultural relativism is important because it helps anthropologists understand and defend all the things that people in other cultures do.

a) True

b) False

41. Culture consists of the collective processes that make the artificial seem natural.

a) True

b) False

42. People rarely hold conflicting values.

a) True

b) False

43. Cultural appropriation involves relationships of power.

a) True

b) False

APPLICATION OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL CONCEPTS

Multiple Choice

44. The application of a holistic perspective to understand changes in everyday practices, such as eating breakfast cereals, reveals the

a) interconnections between different domains of a society.

b) processes of cultural appropriation.

c) relativity of culture.

d) creation of cultural constructions.

45. The idea that Ongee ancestors make tidal waves and earthquakes would be understood by an interpretive anthropologist as a(n)

a) reflection of underlying binary structures of thought.

b) adaptive response to nature’s dynamics.

c) psychological disturbance.

d) way of explaining how the world works.

46. If you wanted to understand the norms of a society, you would be most likely to focus on

a) ceremonialized aspects of a society.

b) everyday interactions.

c) the symbolic use of the body.

d) the principles and values people hold dear.

47. How would a critical relativist explain Native American criticisms of cultural appropriation?

a) They are baseless complaints; cultural appropriation is as old as humanity itself.

b) Cultural appropriation is a positive process of change for any society.

c) It is important to understand Native American claims from their point of view.

d) It is in their culture to criticize dominant settler society.

48. A cross-cultural perspective on eating insect larvae would reveal

a) that taste is biologically hardwired.

b) that eating insects is culturally maladaptive.

c) that eating insects is disgusting in all cultures.

d) the cultural constructions of insects as food.

49. If a functionalist were to explain why the teacher lectures from the front of the classroom to students organized in neatly arranged chairs, she or he would emphasize that

a) learning happens best when students are being talked at.

b) this way of teaching organizes people to promote shared cultural goals.

c) this mode of teaching evolved over time.

d) the teacher is the symbolic head of the class.

Short Answer

50. Explain how a focus on values can help us understand why people around the world love their countries.

51. How would you apply a holistic approach to the study of technological change?

52. How would you apply a cross-cultural approach to study sleeping habits?

Essays

53. How would you use the culture concept to help you analyze the social relationships involved in Instagram and other social media?

54. How might a critical relativist study a political protest?

55. How would (i) a functionalist and (ii) an interpretive anthropologist analyze Americans’ love of baseball? How would their analyses differ?

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS

Essays

56. What is the role of symbols in our everyday lives? Give an example of an important symbol, and discuss how and why it creates meaning.

57. Why does culture feel stable and natural when it is something that is artificial?

58. What are social institutions, and how do they affect culture?

59. Thinking holistically, what would you study if you wanted to understand the introduction of the cell phone into a rural community?