Culture Ch2 Exam Questions

1.

The American anthropologist responsible for the concept of historical particularism was named

A)

E. B. Tylor

B)

Morgan

C)

Alfred Kroeber

D)

Franz Boas

2.

Who 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.

The theorist most connected with post-structuralism is

A)

Marvin Harris

B)

Franz Boas

C)

E. B. Tylor

D)

Renato Rosaldo

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.

Who 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

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 cross-cultural approach, analyzing human societies' phenomena by comparing the phenomena with different societies, is necessary to appreciate how artificial our beliefs and actions are.

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.

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 can be transmitted virtually through the Internet in addition to face-to-face interaction.

A)

True

B)

False

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 which of the following?

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)

post-structuralism

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)

copublished 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

36.

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

37.

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

38.

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

39.

Michael Ames developed exhibits with native Canadian communities at the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia because he believed in collaboration.

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

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)

a reflection of underlying binary structures of thought

B)

an adaptive response to nature's dynamics

C)

a psychological disturbance

D)

a 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 though it doesn't necessarily mean we should accept them as the only way to view the issue

D)

It is in their culture to criticize dominant settler society

48.

A cross-cultural perspective on eating insect larvae would reveal

A)

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

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?

53.

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

54.

How would you apply the idea that culture is “a laptop” to study food preferences?

55.

How would (a) a functionalist and (b) an interpretive anthropologist analyze Americans' love of baseball? How would their analyses differ?

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?