What Is Anthropology? Exam Questions Ch.1

Test Bank

Chapter 1

In this revision of the test bank, I have updated all of the questions to reflect changes in Cultural Anthropology, 4e. There is also a new system for identifying the difficulty of the questions. In earlier editions, the questions were tagged in one of three ways: factual (recall of factual material), conceptual (understanding key concepts), and applied (application of sociological knowledge to a situation). In this revision, the questions are now tagged according to the six levels of learning that help organize the text. Think of these six levels as moving from lower-level to higher-level cognitive reasoning. The six levels are:

REMEMBER: a question involving recall of key terms or factual material

UNDERSTAND: a question testing comprehension of more complex ideas

APPLY: a question applying anthropological knowledge to some new situation

ANALYZE: a question requiring identifying elements of an argument and their interrelationship

EVALUATE: a question requiring critical assessment

CREATE: a question requiring the generation of new ideas

The ninety questions in this chapter’s test bank are divided into two types of questions. Multiple-choice questions span a broad range of skills (over a third are “Remember” questions and the remainder are divided among four higher levels). Essay questions are the most demanding because they include the four highest levels of cognitive reasoning (from “Apply” to “Create”) as well as lower levels.

Types of Questions

Easy to Difficult Level of Difficulty

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. The story “The Girl Who Took Care of the Turkeys” is a __________ narrative.

a. Zuni

b. Apache

c. Cherokee

d. Sioux

2. The story “The Girl Who Took Care of the Turkeys” is similar to the __________ story.

a. “Hansel and Gretel”

b. “Puss in Boots”

c. “Cinderella”

d. “Wizard of Oz”

3. Selective borrowing is likely to take place in which of the following scenarios?

a. Twin brothers exchanging music CDs

b. Coworkers conversing about a local news story

c. A chef traveling to Thailand to learn new culinary styles

d. A toddler watching an educational children’s television series

4. The ethical standing of the girl in “The Girl Who Took Care of the Turkeys” is __________ Cinderella.

a. reversed from

b. the same as

c. similar to

d. critical of

5. As opposed to Cinderella, “The Girl Who Took Care of the Turkeys” stresses __________ as its moral lesson.

a. individual rewards

b. self-interest

c. conformity

d. duty to others

6. Anthropology is the study of __________.

a. dinosaurs

b. humanity

c. fossils

d. archaeology

7. __________ are populations of people living in organized groups with social institutions and expectations of behavior.

a. Communities

b. Cultures

c. Societies

d. Nations

8. Which of the following is a subject that anthropologists would potentially study?

a. The religions and myths of Australian Aborigines

b. The effects of global warming

c. The extinction of dinosaurs

d. Natural disasters

9. Anthropological interest in the power relationship among individuals in tribal societies overlaps with which other discipline?

a. History

b. Political science

c. Psychology

d. Biology

10. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of anthropology?

a. It studies human societies.

b. It focuses only on prehistoric societies and fossil species.

c. It includes the study of human evolution and variation.

d. It is concerned with both biology and culture.

11. Which of the following is a key feature that distinguishes anthropology as a separate area of study from other disciplines?

a. A focus on the origins of the earth

b. A focus on global environmental change

c. A focus on the concept of culture

d. A focus on technological advances

12. Chopsticks are an example of __________ culture.

a. symbolic

b. ancient

c. holistic

d. material

13. Anthropology focuses on the role of __________ in shaping human behavior.

a. biology

b. values

c. culture

d. religion

14. The learned values, beliefs, and rules of conduct shared to some extent by the members of a society that govern their behavior with one another is __________.

a. nationality

b. culture

c. ethics

d. citizenship

15. The stereotypical ideas people have about individuals from other countries are examples of __________.

a. culture

b. material culture

c. symbolic culture

d. holistic perspective

16. Which of the following examples exemplifies a holistic perspective?

a. Inuit people eat a high fat diet, which comes primarily from whale blubber.

b. The Kung people use an economic system based upon reciprocity.

c. Bridewealth is exchanged in Maasai marriages in order to redistribute cattle and wealth within the population.

d. Feudal castles were common throughout medieval Europe.

17. The clothing people wear, including bell-bottom jeans, is an example of __________.

a. culture

b. material culture

c. symbolic culture

d. materialism

18. The __________ is a perspective in anthropology that views culture as an integrated whole, no part of which can be completely understood without considering the whole.

a. global perspective

b. comparative perspective

c. cultural perspective

d. holistic perspective

19. The __________ in anthropology uses data about the beliefs and behaviors in many societies to document both cultural universals and cultural diversity.

a. comparative perspective

b. holistic perspective

c. ethnographic approach

d. culture concept

20. Changes in clothing styles throughout a person’s life is an example of __________.

a. globalization

b. the holistic approach

c. culture change

d. transformation

21. The Spanish colonization of South America in the sixteenth century A.D. is an example of __________.

a. culture change

b. civilization

c. globalization

d. comparative perspective

22. __________ is a very significant part of culture change and globalization.

a. Progress

b. Culture contact

c. Adaptation

d. Civilization

23. Ethnology is a subfield within __________.

a. archaeology

b. biological anthropology

c. cultural anthropology

d. linguistic anthropology

24. Which of the following is NOT a subfield of anthropology?

a. Archaeology

b. Social psychology

c. Cultural anthropology

d. Biological anthropology

25. In which subfield of anthropology would a paleoanthropologist work?

a. Biological anthropology

b. Archaeology

c. Cultural anthropology

d. Linguistic anthropology

26. __________ is an aspect of cultural anthropology involved with building theories about cultural behaviors and forms.

a. Ethnography

b. Fieldwork

c. Ethnology

d. Curation

27. Which of the following is NOT an example of ethnology?

a. Some Tibetans practice polyandry (plural marriage between one woman and multiple men) in order to satisfy economic needs.

b. Incest is taboo in all societies because inbreeding can cause birth defects in offspring.

c. Near Eastern populations adopted agriculture over 10,000 years ago.

d. Many Christians use religion as a means of coping with the loss of a loved one.

28. What is the term for the aspect of cultural anthropology involved with observing and documenting people’s way of life?

a. Research

b. Fieldwork

c. Ethnology

d. Ethnography

29. Which of the following is NOT a method of ethnographic “fieldwork” research?

a. Observation

b. Colonization

c. Documentation

d. Data collection

30. __________ is the method by which comparative data on cultures and societies are gathered in cultural anthropology.

a. Ethnographic research

b. Ethnological research

c. Bibliographical research

d. Historical research

31. __________ plays a significant role in the preservation of indigenous cultures.

a. Paleoanthropological research

b. Ethnological research

c. Ethnographic research

d. Cross-cultural comparison

32. Peoples who are now minority groups in state societies but who were formerly independent and have occupied their territories for a long time are called __________.

a. primitive societies

b. Indian societies

c. colonial societies

d. indigenous societies

33. Which of the following groups are an example of an indigenous society?

a. Native Americans

b. African Americans

c. Italian Americans

d. The French

34. Early anthropological researchers favored what they considered to be __________.

a. rapidly changing indigenous societies

b. small, isolated indigenous societies

c. rural European villages

d. friendly and welcoming cultures

35. An anthropologist who works as a cultural resource manager most likely has training as what kind of anthropologist?

a. Cultural anthropologist

b. Archaeologist

c. Biological anthropologist

d. Linguistic anthropologist

36. Which of the following is NOT an example of a biological anthropology career field?

a. Primatologist

b. Geneticist

c. Forensic specialist

d. Environmental consultant

37. Which of the following scenarios illustrate the result of ethnocentrism?

a. The seizure of Native American land by wealthy railroad owners in America’s past

b. Red Cross assistance at a refugee camp in Africa

c. A three-day walk used to increase awareness of breast cancer

d. A retaliatory military strike upon a known terrorist organization

38. The idea that indigenous societies are unchanged since early human history is __________.

a. a research hypothesis

b. relativistic

c. ethnocentric

d. ethnographic

39. Early evolutionary schemes for comparing human societies __________.

a. assumed European and American societies to be the most advanced

b. assumed that there were many paths to advancement in evolutionary processes

c. assumed that European societies had become dysfunctional

d. romanticized indigenous cultures as superior to western societies

40. The terms female genital mutilation and female circumcision reflect __________.

a. different procedures that are conducted on women in some cultures

b. different attitudes toward the same procedure

c. a medical versus nonmedical understanding of a cultural practice

d. the need for more precise terms in anthropological research

41. Which statement about female genital mutilation is NOT true?

a. It is practiced predominantly in Islamic regions of Africa.

b. It is associated with strongly patriarchal cultures.

c. It began after the spread of Christianity and Islam.

d. There are significant medical risks associated with the procedure.

42. The anthropologist Fuambai Ahmadu of Sierra Leone views female genital mutilation as __________.

a. a form of persecution

b. a symptom of patriarchy

c. an Islamic practice

d. an emotionally positive validation of womanhood

43. Most female circumcisions are done by __________.

a. midwives

b. doctors

c. nurses

d. mothers

44. Groups who practice female genital mutilation defend it on __________ grounds.

a. political

b. medical

c. cultural

d. religious

45. An approach in anthropology that stresses the importance of analyzing cultures in their own terms rather than in terms of the culture of the anthropologist is __________.

a. holism

b. cultural relativism

c. ethnocentrism

d. comparative perspective

46. There is sometimes tension between __________ and human rights.

a. anthropologists

b. ethnology

c. cultural relativism

d. ethnographic research

47. Which of the following is an example of cultural relativism?

a. The United States outlaws female circumcision.

b. An anthropologist advocates stopping infanticide on female children in India.

c. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) fund local groups who try to teach safer methods for practicing female circumcision.

d. A student tries to understand why female infanticide is widespread in many Asian countries.

48. Which statement about cultural relativism is NOT true?

a. It requires that anthropologists attempt to understand other cultures on each culture’s terms.

b. It requires that anthropologists abandon their own ethical standards.

c. It is a principle that is central to cultural anthropology.

d. It is intended to counter the influence of ethnocentrism.

49. In 1996, the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals ruled __________ in the asylum case of a young woman from Togo.

a. that female circumcision is a valid cultural practice

b. that female circumcision is a form of persecution

c. that the United States has no jurisdiction over practices in Togo

d. that the United States can sue Togo

50. In response to campaigns against female genital mutilation, __________ African governments have outlawed it.

a. thirty

b. zero

c. two

d. sixteen

51. The belief that all rights and wrongs are relative to time, place, and culture such that no moral judgments of behavior can be made is __________.

a. atheism

b. cultural relativism

c. ethical relativism

d. amoralism

52. A primary factor in the extinction of indigenous languages around the world is __________.

a. the spread of English and other languages of business

b. the spread of primary education

c. the spread of mass media

d. the availability of rapid worldwide travel

53. The study of language and communication and the relationship between language and other aspects of culture and society is called __________.

a. historical linguistics

b. bilingual society

c. global linguistics

d. linguistic anthropology

54. There are currently how many speakers of the Eyak language?

a. Zero

b. Six

c. Twenty-seven

d. One

55. Which of the following is NOT an example of an endangered language?

a. Yiddish

b. Sanskrit

c. Gaelic

d. Breton

56. The languages of the Hupas, Navajos, and Apaches are all descendant from which ancestral language?

a. Latin

b. Prussian

c. Aleutian

d. Athabascan

57. Linguistic anthropology focuses on all of the following, EXCEPT __________.

a. the relationship between language and culture

b. how language is used within society

c. how language is identified in the archaeological record

d. the effects of globalization upon indigenous languages

58. __________ is the study of material culture.

a. Cultural anthropology

b. Archaeology

c. Paleoanthropology

d. Museum curation

59. Archaeologists use __________ to construct models of past societies in order to understand them.

a. historical analysis

b. linguistic analysis

c. symbolic systems

d. material culture

60. Prehistoric cultures are those that __________.

a. existed a very long time ago

b. existed in a time before written language was in use

c. did not have history

d. did not practice agriculture

61. The findings of William Rathje’s Arizona Garbage Project study best supports which of the following conclusions about American society?

a. According to an analysis of landfill composition, Americans consume too much fast food.

b. Despite in-depth analysis, there was no sufficient way to estimate the types of food consumed by Americans.

c. The actual percentage of fast-food packaging did not support expert estimates of its volume in American landfills.

d. The average American was much healthier in the 1970s than in modern times.

62. Archaeology is very well suited to the study of culture change because __________.

a. material culture changes more quickly than any other aspect of culture

b. changes in culture are most easily detectible in material culture

c. it is the most scientific of anthropology’s subdisciplines

d. its range covers a great depth of time

63. Which of the following is NOT an example of why archaeology is important, even when studying societies and time periods that have extensive written records?

a. Expert study of artifacts can yield information not recorded in historical records.

b. Due to cultural biases in literacy rates, there are many subcultures about which little is known.

c. Censorship laws and cultural bias have suppressed a large amount of written history.

d. Archaeology may be able to confirm or call into question written historical records.

64. The study of human origins and biological diversity is __________.

a. archaeology

b. paleoanthropology

c. physical anthropology

d. forensic anthropology

65. The study of the fossil record, especially skeletal remains, to understand the process and products of human evolution is called __________.

a. paleoanthropology

b. archaeology

c. biological anthropology

d. forensic anthropology

66. The ability of humans to live in a variety of environments outside their African origins was made possible by __________.

a. the end of the Ice Age

b. the capacity for culture

c. the extinction of large predators outside Africa

d. a land bridge from Asia to North America

67. Which of the following is NOT a reason that primatologists study nonhuman primates?

a. Humans are primates.

b. Some nonhuman primates also have the capacity for culture.

c. Many nonhuman primates live in environments much like those in which the earliest human ancestors lived.

d. Nonhuman primates are easier to observe, especially in captivity.

68. Biological anthropologists study __________ because it reflects the effects of both environment and culture on human biology.

a. human variation

b. economics

c. genetics

d. primatology

69. Jane Goodall is famous for her years of research on __________.

a. gorillas

b. the Inuit

c. chimpanzees

d. the Nuer

70. Medical anthropology combines the fields of __________ in order to study health and disease in human populations.

a. linguistics and biological anthropology

b. archaeology and biological anthropology

c. cultural anthropology and biological anthropology

d. cultural anthropology and archaeology

71. Sickle-cell anemia probably evolved in __________.

a. the Mediterranean world

b. South America

c. Southeast Asia

d. West Africa

72. The sickle-cell gene is often fatal to those who __________.

a. inherit it from only one parent

b. inherit it from both parents

c. get malaria

d. live in warm regions of the globe

73. The sickle-cell trait confers some immunity to __________.

a. influenza

b. dysentery

c. malaria

d. yellow fever

74. Although the prevalence of the sickle-cell anemia gene is higher in West Africa than in the United States, __________ prevent cells from sickeling, so fewer Africans than African Americans suffer from the disease.

a. tropical weather conditions

b. West African agricultural crops

c. traditional medicines

d. outdoor labor

75. __________ is an area of study that uses the theories and techniques of anthropology to solve real-world problems.

a. Classical anthropology

b. Cultural anthropology

c. Applied anthropology

d. Relief work

76. Biological anthropologists called __________ analyze human remains in the service of criminal justice and the families of disaster victims.

a. criminologists

b. medical anthropologists

c. physical anthropologists

d. forensic anthropologists

77. A/An __________ would work to assess the cultural impacts of a road building project and take measures to protect or remove important cultural finds.

a. archaeologist

b. contract archaeologist

c. museum curator

d. historical archaeologist

78. Which of the following is an example of archaeology helping solve the present day problems of people?

a. Archaeologists’ discovery of the techniques used for mummification

b. Archaeologists advising civil engineers on road construction routes

c. Archaeologists rediscovering ancient agricultural techniques that increased crop yields in the Andes

d. Archaeologists’ research on ancient medical techniques

79. In which of the following settings might one find applied anthropologists employed?

a. Teaching paleoanthropology at a university

b. Working for local governments to improve services

c. Performing a case study for a doctorate dissertation

d. Studying the mating habits of nonhuman primates

80. Which of the following statements about applied anthropologists is true?

a. Applied anthropologists may act as advocates to support native benefits and rights to further the interests of local and/or indigenous populations.

b. Applied anthropologists may analyze ancient human skeletal remains to recreate ancient human behavior.

c. Applied anthropologists may use computer modeling to understand the collapse of the Mayan civilization.

d. Applied anthropologists may identify when the first agricultural crops were domesticated.

ESSAY QUESTIONS

81. Discuss the ways in which the stories of “The Girl Who Took Care of the Turkeys” and Cinderella are the same and different. How is this a case of selective borrowing? What do the differences in the stories reveal about American and Zuni cultures?

(ANALYZE)

82. What is anthropology? Use terms such as culture, comparative perspective, and holistic perspective. Compare anthropology to the other social sciences.

(APPLY)

83. What are the four major subdisciplines in anthropology and what topics do they address? Can the existence of these subfields be considered a division of labor? Why?

(EVALUATE)

84. Define both ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. Using female circumcision as an example, describe perspectives that are ethnocentric and relativistic.

(CREATE)

85. What is cultural relativism? Ethical relativism? What, if any, is the relationship between the two? How does each relate to the idea of universal human rights?

(ANALYZE)

86. How do cultural anthropologists study culture? What are the roles of ethnography and ethnology in the study of human societies? How does this compare to the ways archaeologists study culture?

(APPLY)

87. Define biological anthropology and briefly describe three important areas of research in this subdiscipline. Discuss how biological anthropology contributes to a holistic understanding of humanity.

(ANALYZE)

88. Give four brief examples of how anthropology is an applied field. Is it possible to apply cultural relativism and do applied anthropology?

(EVALUATE)

89. Anthropology uses a holistic approach to study humanity. Describe how this approach allows anthropologists to understand the uniqueness and diversity of human behavior and human society, as well as the fundamental similarities that link all human beings. Within your answer, define holism and discuss the contributions of each major subfield of anthropology.

(APPLY)

90. Why should people study anthropology? How is anthropology different from other social sciences? Provide specific examples of how anthropology has contributed to the study of humankind. What types of questions can anthropologists answer about humanity that other social sciences cannot?

(EVALUATE)