This Document Contains Chapters 1 to 2 Chapter 1: What Is Anthropology? Multiple Choice Questions 1. Anthropology is literally the study of what? A. history B. fossils C. humans D. religion Answer: C 2. Why is it incomplete to simply call anthropology “the study of humans”? A. Anthropologists study all species of mammals. B. The focus of anthropology is on pre-human creatures. C. Anthropologists study only certain aspects of human life. D. Many other disciplines also study humans. Answer: D 3. How does anthropology differ from other disciplines concerned with humans? A. It is broader in scope, both geographically and historically. B. Anthropology has a more narrow focus on the cultural “other.” C. It has existed as a discipline longer than most other social sciences. D. Anthropology has a less scientific approach than other disciplines. Answer: A 4. How does contemporary anthropology differ in scope from other disciplines concerned with humans (such as sociology, economics, and human biology)? A. Anthropologists only study ancient cultures, whereas other social science disciplines focus on contemporary humans. B. All anthropologists today spend their time studying exotic people in remote corners of the world. C. Unlike other human-related disciplines, anthropology is interested in all varieties of cultures throughout the world, from the ancient past to the present. D. Anthropologists confine themselves to studying how humans evolved millions of years ago. Answer: C 5. Which type of culture was the traditional focus for anthropologists? A. western cultures B. non-western cultures C. extinct cultures D. post-industrialized cultures Answer: B 6. What drives anthropologists to choose such a broad subject of study? A. Many anthropologists believe that other disciplines lack scientific rigor. B. A key tenet within anthropology is that there is a fundamental base to all human culture. C. They believe that any generalization about humans should be applicable across time and space. D. Anthropology attracts people who have difficulty narrowing their research focus. Answer: C 7. How did anthropology help disprove assumptions by American educators in the 1960s that African American schoolchildren rarely drank milk because they were poor and uneducated? A. Anthropological research has shown that many ethnic groups in different parts of the world, including Asians, Arabs, Jews, and African Americans, avoid fresh milk because they cannot digest it. B. Anthropologists established that milk was intentionally being withheld from black students as a form of institutionalized racism. C. Researchers established that African Americans can afford milk but don’t like the taste of it. D. Anthropologists demonstrated that all ethnic groups who don’t drink fresh milk are poor and uneducated, not just African Americans. Answer: A 8. A distinguishing feature of anthropology is the goal of understanding how aspects of human experience such as local history, physical environment, family life, language, settlement patterns, and religion are interrelated. This approach to culture is referred to as _________. A. participant observation B. the sociological approach C. cultural materialism D. the holistic approach Answer: D 9. The holistic approach may also be called the __________ approach. A. comprehensive B. overarching C. quadrilateral D. multifaceted Answer: D 10. Which is true of the change in anthropological research over the years? A. Anthropologists are now only interested in non-western cultures. B. Modern anthropologists are no longer trained with a holistic approach. C. Anthropologists only work in academic settings today. D. Anthropologists have more specialized areas of research. Answer: D 11. Which of the following areas of study is a part of anthropology? A. why contemporary peoples have different cultures B. how race is linked to behavior and intelligence C. how insect colonies are organized D. when and how dinosaurs became extinct Answer: A 12. The anthropological curiosity is primarily interested in __________. A. differences in individual behavior B. behavioral changes over time C. typical characteristics of a cultural group D. abnormal characteristics within a group Answer: C 13. What is the role of variation in anthropological research? A. Anthropology explores variation in patterns across cultures. B. Anthropologists are primarily interested in variations in individual behavior. C. Anthropologists are only interested in variation that causes social upheaval. D. There is no consideration of variation in anthropological research. Answer: A 14. What are the two broad classifications of subject matter within anthropology? A. contemporary and ancient B. biological and cultural C. western and non-western D. theoretical and practical Answer: B 15. Which branch of anthropology is divided into three major subfields? A. archaeology B. applied anthropology C. cultural anthropology D. ethnology Answer: C 16. Which of the following can encompass any of the four main subfields of anthropology? A. archaeology B. biological anthropology C. anthropological linguistics D. applied anthropology Answer: D 17. What two distinct sets of questions are sought by biological anthropologists? A. to reconstruct cultural changes in the past through artifacts; the history and diversity of languages throughout the world B. the emergence and evolution of human beings; how and why contemporary humans vary biologically C. how to apply knowledge of culture to correct social problems; to understand how and why people today vary in their customs and behaviors D. to use cultural knowledge to dominate and exploit other societies; to study the earliest examples of tool use by our human ancestors Answer: B 18. What is the difference between a paleontologist and a paleoanthropologist? A. paleontologists work in the lab, while paleoanthropologists work in the field B. paleontologists study many different types of animals, while paleoanthropologists focus on humans and their relatives C. paleontologists study humans, while paleoanthropologists study dinosaurs D. paleontologists study archaeological and biological remains, while paleoanthropologists focus on only skeletal remains Answer: B 19. A paleoanthropologist would be least interested in __________. A. primates B. cultural systems C. fossil evidence of humans D. sociological relationships Answer: D 20. What is a fossil? A. the buried, hardened remains or an impression of an organism B. any skeletal remains of an animal C. ancient tools such as choppers and projectile points D. a change in soil color that indicates a settlement Answer: A 21. Prosimians, monkeys, apes, and humans are all members of the order __________. A. primates B. humans C. Homo sapiens D. mammals Answer: A 22. What do you call an anthropologist, biologist, or psychologist who specializes in the study of nonhuman primates? A. Apeologist B. Mammologist C. Primatologist D. Monkeyologist Answer: C 23. From primate studies, biologists try to discover characteristics that are distinctly ____________. A. primate B. human C. physical D. behavioral Answer: B 24. How do we know that all living people belong to the species Homo sapiens? A. People from all populations can successfully interbreed. B. All modern humans have the same blood type. C. Humans from around the world look pretty much the same. D. This is untrue; there are actually at least three species of modern humans. Answer: A 25. To understand better the biological variations observable among contemporary human populations, biological anthropologists use the principles and techniques of at least ______ other disciplines. A. 5 B. 4 C. 3 D. 2 Answer: C 26. Which of the following disciplines would have the greatest overlap with biological anthropology? A. history B. philosophy C. genetics D. physics Answer: C 27. What is culture? A. the religion, language, and values of a population B. the customary ways that a particular population or society thinks and behaves C. advanced knowledge of literature and fine arts D. traditional beliefs that have been unchanged over generations Answer: B 28. The distinctive feature of cultural anthropology is its interest in how all aspects of human existence vary from __________. A. location to location B. culture to culture C. society to society D. biology to biology Answer: A 29. Which of the following would not be considered part of cultural anthropology? A. archaeology B. anthropological linguistics C. ethnology D. human paleontology Answer: D 30. Which subdiscipline is now frequently referred to as simply “cultural anthropology”? A. anthropological linguistics B. ethnohistory C. ethnology D. archaeology Answer: C 31. Archaeology is a subfield of __________. A. cultural anthropology B. linguistics C. primatology D. history Answer: A 32. Although archaeologists and historians are both interested in the past, how does archaeology differ from history in its approach? A. Archaeologists only rely on fossil remains from human ancestors. B. Unlike historians, archaeologists only care about the writing systems of non-English speakers. C. Archaeologists dig up dinosaurs, while historians focus on humans. D. Unlike historians, archaeologists study past societies that pre-date written records, using only material remains like pottery and stone tools. Answer: D 33. Because historians rely on written records, they are limited to societies that existed within the last __________ years. A. 50,000 B. 10,000 C. 5,000 D. 1,000 Answer: C 34. Compared to the historian, the archaeologist is __________. A. more likely to study how societies change over time B. less likely to analyze written records of ancient societies C. more likely to analyze written records of ancient societies D. more likely to study very ancient cultures Answer: D 35. Which type of anthropologist would be best suited to investigating the daily life of an Asian civilization dating to 15,000 years ago? A. an ethnologist B. an archaeologist C. an ethnohistorian D. a primatologist Answer: B 36. What specialty within archaeology uses both traditional archaeological techniques as well as written records? A. historical archaeology B. literary archaeology C. postmodern archaeology D. industrial archaeology Answer: A 37. Which of the following is least likely to interest an archaeologist? A. ancient garbage heaps B. ancient temples C. pieces of ancient pottery D. dinosaur bones Answer: D 38. Which of the following disciplines would have the greatest overlap with archaeologists researching early tool-making? A. sociology B. geography C. anatomy D. geology Answer: D 39. Unlike other linguists, anthropological linguists are primarily interested in __________. A. unwritten languages B. the ways in which language is related to beliefs and behaviors C. the way language is used in different social contexts D. the historical connections of different languages to each other Answer: A 40. The study of how languages change through time and how they may be related is called ___________. A. structural linguistics B. historical linguistics C. sociolinguistics D. ethnolinguistics Answer: B 41. The study of how language is used in social contexts is called __________. A. historical linguistics B. descriptive linguistics C. structural linguistics D. sociolinguistics Answer: D 42. The __________ is interested in what people speak about and how they interact conversationally. A. sociolinguist B. anthropological linguist C. historical linguist D. ethnologist Answer: A 43. What did Elizabeth M. Brumfiel discover about the standard of living of local people after the Aztec Empire had absorbed them? A. It got much better. B. It got much worse. C. There was little improvement. D. It stayed the same. Answer: C 44. What two main social questions is archaeologist Elizabeth Brumfiel studying in her research on the ancient Aztecs? A. the origins of agriculture; how farming effected the health of populations B. the origins of social inequality in the past; the role of women in ancient societies C. the evolution of human tool use; the migration of humans out of Africa D. how hunter-gatherers adapt to their environment; why these groups lack social inequality Answer: B 45. The interest in plant and animal classification, or ethnobiology, is closely related to __________. A. linguistic anthropology B. archaeology C. biological anthropology D. applied anthropology Answer: A 46. Terence E. Hays’ work on ethnobiology prompted new questions about __________. A. nutrition and foraging B. myths and ceremonies C. health and reproduction D. religion and kinship Answer: B 47. Unlike archaeologists, __________ draw on a database of observations and interviews with living people. A. paleoanthropologists B. ethnologists C. ethnohistorians D. bioarchaeologists Answer: B 48. Unlike ethnologists, ethnographers __________. A. describe a given society based on their own fieldwork B. study societies with writing systems C. compare societies cross-culturally D. are interested in “primitive” peoples Answer: A 49. What is the primary purpose of an ethnologist’s field work? A. It is a rite of passage for anthropologists, as it is a traditional component of anthropological work. B. It allows researchers to become more sympathetic to their research subjects’ concerns. C. Field work is a training period to prepare ethnologists for jobs as professors. D. It provides the data needed to describe the typical behavior and thought of a group of people. Answer: D 50. A cultural anthropologist who spends a year or so living with, talking to, and observing people whose customs they are studying is known as a(n) __________. A. ethnographer B. archaeologist C. ethnohistorian D. linguistic anthropologist Answer: A 51. The __________ seeks to understand how and why peoples of today and the recent past differ in their customary ways of thinking and acting. A. archaeologist B. ethnologist C. ethnographer D. primatologist Answer: B 52. What is the detailed description of customary behavior and thought produced by a field anthropologist called? A. culturescript B. ethnography C. mythology D. biotext Answer: B 53. An ethnographer would __________. A. work in the field for long periods of time B. work with applied anthropologists in developing foreign aid projects C. make many cross-cultural comparisons D. work directly with historians on various projects Answer: A 54. An ethnohistorian would __________. A. work in the field for long periods of time B. study the way in which cultures have changed over time C. study only past cultures, much as archaeologists do D. prepare lengthy reports on extinct cultures Answer: B 55. How is the ethnohistorian’s work similar to that of a historian? A. they must piece together information from scattered—and sometimes contradictory—sources B. they work entirely on populations from the past C. they eschew artifacts in favor of the written record D. both are housed in history departments in most universities Answer: A 56. What is the focus of a cross-cultural researcher? A. They are interested in finding the best ways of behaving. B. Their goal is to minimize the effects of cultural homogenization. C. They hope to discover general patterns about cultural traits. D. They bridge the gap between anthropology and other social sciences. Answer: C 57. Ethnology overlaps with more specific disciplines, such as literature, economics, or religious studies. What, then, is the distinctive feature of ethnology? A. It compares these topics cross-culturally. B. It focuses on non-western variation in these areas. C. It is interested in how these various aspects of life fit together. D. Only ethnology studies these issues among people with no written language. Answer: C 58. To what does the term basic research usually refer? A. testing new uses for basic needs, such as medications B. testing of already existing products C. research that is necessary for the development of a new technology D. research that is driven by simple curiosity Answer: D 59. What proportion of anthropologists today are applied, or practicing, anthropologists? A. only ten percent B. about one-quarter C. over half D. nearly all Answer: C 60. Applied anthropologists practice in __________. A. cultural anthropology B. ethnology C. paleontology D. all sub fields of anthropology Answer: D 61. Which of the following may be trained in any or all of the subfields of anthropology? A. applied or practicing anthropologist B. biological anthropologist C. ethnologist D. political anthropologist Answer: A 62. Anita Spring’s research in Zambia started in medical anthropology but led to an interest in __________. A. economics B. agriculture C. folklore D. warfare Answer: B 63. In contrast to research anthropologists, who are almost always employed in universities, __________ anthropologists are commonly employed in government agencies, development agencies, consulting firms, charitable foundations, and other settings outside academia. A. ancient B. historical C. applied (or practicing) D. wealthy Answer: C 64. Which type of anthropological knowledge is often applied to forensic investigations? A. biological B. linguistic C. cultural D. archaeological Answer: A 65. Why do most disciplines become more specialized as they grow? A. People get bored studying the same topics over and over again. B. Knowledge accumulates and methods become more advanced. C. Theories fade out of use and more complex ideas must take their place. D. Scientists today are simply more intelligent than scientists of the past. Answer: B 66. Compared to anthropologists of previous years, an anthropologist today is more likely to __________. A. specialize in one certain topic or area B. investigate many different aspects of life of the people studied C. study a geographically more distant society D. do fieldwork alone Answer: A 67. An anthropologist with a __________ specialization focuses much of their research on a particular region of the world. A. theoretical B. time period C. geographical D. political Answer: C 68. Some specialties cross anthropological subfields. What subfields contribute to medical anthropology? A. biological anthropology and archaeology B. linguistic anthropology and ethnology C. archaeology and linguistic anthropology D. ethnology and biological anthropology Answer: D 69. How does specialization affect an anthropologist’s connection to other disciplines? A. Specialization isolates anthropologists from other disciplines. B. Most anthropologists have some overlap with other disciplines that share their research interest. C. There is very little specialization in anthropology, so communication with other disciplines is frequent. D. Anthropologists can become so specialized they become a part of another discipline altogether. Answer: B 70. Anthropology is a comparatively young discipline. It was only in the late __________ that anthropologists began to go to live with people in faraway places. A. 1600s B. 1700s C. 1800s D. 1900s Answer: C 71. According to anthropologist Leslie White, why have humans waited so long to begin to study ourselves? A. For most of our history, we were forbidden by religious law to study humans scientifically. B. We like to think of ourselves as being free from the laws of nature. C. Humans are far too complex to study in an empirical fashion. D. Human cultures around the world are too similar to be worthy of study. Answer: B 72. The authors of the textbook claim that in order to discover underlying principles that explain human behavior, it is necessary to __________. A. study humans in all times and places to understand what is true of humans generally and how they vary B. focus just on our own society C. mainly understand the ancient past D. compare the environmental factors that conditions how societies live Answer: A 73. Anthropology helps us realize that people are physically and culturally adapted to their particular __________. A. lifestyle B. environment C. religion D. language Answer: B 74. Which of the following illustrates one way anthropology helps to alleviate cultural misunderstandings? A. Anthropology teaches that all behaviors are acceptable. B. Anthropologists insist that you learn at least one other language. C. Understanding differences in body language across cultures helps with communication. D. Anthropology encourages everyone to do a cross-cultural immersion course in college. Answer: C 75. How is the study of anthropology useful? A. It teaches us that western culture should be replaced by more indigenous belief systems. B. Exploring human variation shows us why social stratification is unavoidable. C. The study of anthropology gives us a better understanding of humankind. D. The study of world cultures helps us determine which culture traits are the best. Answer: C Chapter 2: Culture and Culture Change Multiple Choice Questions 1. Why do people commonly feel that the beliefs and behaviors of their own culture are “normal”? A. These beliefs and behaviors are so widespread that people rarely meet others who do not share them. B. Aperson’s beliefs and behaviors are defined only after years of study. C. Most important beliefs and behaviors are culturally universal. D. People are aware of conflicting beliefs and behaviors at an early age, but generally reject them. Answer: A 2. Some of the most dramatic changes in American culture over the last generation involve __________. A. religious practice B. economics C. sex and marriage D. our educational system Answer: C 3. Contact with other cultures has accelerated the pace of culture change for the last __________ years. A. 100 B. 300 C. 600 D. 1,000 Answer: C 4. How does the everyday usage of the term “culture” differ from its academic definition? A. The common usage reflects a desirable quality that can be acquired. B. The academic definition reflects traits that are only possessed by a segment of the population. C. The common usage deals only with patterns that have been passed down for generations. D. The academic definition is more narrow than the common usage. Answer: A 5. Sets of learned and shared behaviors and ideas that are characteristic of a particular social group comprise the anthropological definition of __________. A. society B. culture C. ethnocentrism D. subculture Answer: B 6. Anthropologists, as well as other social scientists, feel that culture is __________. A. inherited B. learned and shared C. transmitted only from one group to another D. only a small part of how people learn their behaviors Answer: B 7. Which of the following is an example of material culture? A. an economic system B. a house C. inheritance patterns D. kinship terms Answer: B 8. A __________ is a group of people who occupy a particular territory and speak a common language. A. family B. culture C. society D. subculture Answer: C 9. What is the relationship between a society and a country? A. each country has its own society B. societies cross more than one country C. countries contain more than one society D. societies may or may not correspond to countries Answer: D 10. Individuals have __________, but groups share __________. A. culture; society B. behavior; culture C. society; beliefs D. beliefs; behavior Answer: B 11. A group within a society that holds commonly shared customs is a __________. A. subculture B. sodality C. subsociety D. subgroup Answer: A 12. The term “subculture” refers to __________. A. the conscious behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, values, and ideals of a society B. the unconscious behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, values, and ideals of a society C. a cultural pattern considered inferior by members of a society D. the variant culture of a group of people within a larger society Answer: A 13. Which of the following is a major source of new culture? A. tradition B. peer pressure C. individual variation D. revolution Answer: C 14. Why is hair color not considered a cultural trait? A. There are many different colors of hair within one culture. B. Hair color may be shared by most members of a culture, but it is not a learned trait. C. People learn which hair colors are preferred, but they cannot change their hair color. D. Hair color is neither learned nor shared throughout the culture. Answer: B 15. The fact that monkeys and apes can learn new behaviors from each other __________. A. does not necessarily mean that they have culture, since their social life may be purely instinctual B. suggests that they have a culture C. suggests that they are ancestral to modern humans D. indicates that they have a rudimentary language Answer: B 16. Humans differ from monkeys and apes because only humans acquire learned behavior through __________. A. trial and error B. observation C. imitation D. language Answer: D 17. One indication of how much an animal depends on learned behavior for survival is the __________. A. distance it travels from its home base B. amount of social behavior the animal exhibits C. proportion of its life span spent in childhood D. size of the animal Answer: C 18. The most powerful transmitter of culture is probably __________. A. parents B. the elders of a society C. the school system D. language Answer: D 19. Because a word or phrase can represent what it stands for, whether or not that thing is present, we say that language is __________. A. interpretive B. adaptive C. symbolic D. naturalistic Answer: C 20. What type of anthropology would argue that culture refers to the rules and ideas behind behavior, rather than the behavior itself? A. functionalism B. cognitive anthropology C. structuralism D. cultural ecology Answer: B 21. Social constraints suggest that culture exists __________. A. independent of education B. within legal boundaries C. inside the mind D. outside the individual Answer: D 22. Emile Durkheim stressed that culture is something __________ us exerting a strong __________ power on us. A. inside; coercive B. outside; limiting C. inside; limiting D. outside; coercive Answer: D 23. Standards or rules about what is acceptable behavior are referred to by social scientists as __________. A. major rules B. laws C. mores D. norms Answer: D 24. When a member of a group diverges from acceptable standards, or norms, of social behavior, he/she may be ridiculed, arrested, or otherwise pressured into conformity through what Emile Durkheim referred to as __________. A. cultural constraints B. cultural relativism C. cultural penalties D. ethnocentrism Answer: A 25. Which of the following behaviors would most likely be subject to direct cultural constraints in American society? A. choosing to wear nothing B. a young man’s attempt to kiss his girlfriend C. a woman carrying her child in a soft basket hung from her head D. dancing in the street before going to work Answer: A 26. In the Asch experiment, __________ of the subjects changed their opinions to reflect those of the group. A. 1/4 B. 1/3 C. 1/2 D. 4/5 Answer: B 27. Which of the following is true of conformity studies across culture? A. The degree of conformity is relatively stable across cultures. B. The degree of conformity varies, but most studies still show a conformity effect. C. The number of studies showing a conformity effect is about equal to those that find no effect. D. There is no conformity effect in most non-western societies. Answer: B 28. A person who judges other cultures solely in terms of his or her own culture is said to be __________. A. integrated B. maladaptive C. ethnocentric D. prosocial Answer: C 29. People commonly feel that the behaviors and customs that they’ve grown up with are the correct ones and that people in other societies who do not share those patterns are immoral or inferior. The tendency to judge other cultures without trying to grasp the reasons behind their customs is what anthropologists refer to as __________. A. diffusion B. acculturation C. cultural relativism D. ethnocentrism Answer: D 30. Which of the following American norms might be seen as immoral or inferior by someone from another culture? A. sleeping in a bed B. wearing special clothing for sleep C. putting a baby to sleep in its own room D. sleeping for 6–8 hours each night Answer: C 31. Ethnocentrism hinders both our understanding of under peoples’ cultures and __________. A. helps us adopt other peoples’ customs for our own uses B. keeps us from understanding our own customs C. ensures us that our culture will never change D. reminds us of how much our culture has evolved Answer: B 32. Why would any !Kung individual of the Kalahari Desert give away all of the animals they kill every day? A. They are really nice people who care for each other. B. They have learned the true meaning of life. C. To keep the meat to one’s self would be wasteful, as it would rot. D. Spiritual beings show them the true way to live in communal harmony. Answer: C 33. What is the conceptual opposite of ethnocentrism? A. the glorification of other cultures B. an understanding of the nuances of other cultures C. thinking your own culture is better than others D. believing that all cultures are essentially the same Answer: A 34. How did early evolutionists tend to think of Western cultures? A. They believed they were lacking in important knowledge that other cultures already possessed. B. They viewed Western cultures as being at the most progressive stage of evolution. C. They were extremely relativistic in their thinking, seeing all cultures as morally equivalent. D. There was a rift between ethnocentric and relativistic evolutionists at the time. Answer: B 35. Which important tenet of anthropology was first championed by Franz Boas to challenge the attitude that Western culture was inherently superior to others? A. ethnocentrism B. participant-observation C. cultural relativism D. evolutionism Answer: C 36. The anthropological attitude that a society’s customs and ideas should be described objectively and understood in the context of that society’s problems and opportunities is called __________. A. ethnocentrism B. cultural relativism C. humanism D. empathy Answer: B 37. Which of the following people was a student of Franz Boas, helping him bring the idea of cultural relativism to anthropological research? A. Michel Foucault B. Leslie White C. Claude Levi-Strauss D. Margaret Mead Answer: D 38. The strong form of cultural relativism suggests that __________. A. any sort of judgment can cloud accuracy of descriptions B. tolerance should be the mode unless there is strong reason to behave otherwise C. non-western cultures are inherently more moral than western culture D. all patterns of culture are equally valid Answer: D 39. Which of the following statements is true regarding ethics across cultures? A. All cultures have identical ethical standards. B. All cultures have similar ethical standards. C. All cultures have ethical standards, but what they emphasize varies. D. Some cultures have no ethical standards. Answer: C 40. Elizabeth Zechenter suggests that the concept of __________ is often used to justify traditions desired by the dominant and powerful. A. cultural relativism B. ethnocentrism C. adaptation D. maladaptation Answer: A 41. What principle does Elizabeth Zechenter say that cultural relativists are, ironically, claiming is universal? A. pacifism B. tolerance C. charity D. humility Answer: B 42. How do anthropologists deal with the range of individual behaviors they meet when trying to describe a culture? A. They ignore all but the most common few variations. B. They use the variations to define acceptable limits of behavior. C. They describe all possible variations instead of looking for patterns. D. They focus on the most unusual variations and the people involved in them. Answer: B 43. The ideal cultural patterns of a society __________. A. generally reflect the way a society was in the past B. consist of the cultural patterns that most people always exhibit C. consist of the ideas people have about how they ought to behave D. are usually followed by the most respected members of a community, but not necessarily by others Answer: C 44. Which of the following illustrates an example of an ideal cultural trait in U.S. society that does not correspond to practical reality? A. Workers take the weekend off to have a chance to relax. B. Most children will go off to college, marry, and start households of their own. C. People of all classes and races are equal before the law. D. Children call their mothers on Mother’s Day. Answer: C 45. One example of a __________ is how far apart people stand when they are having a conversation. A. custom B. random sample C. habit D. cultural pattern Answer: D 46. What is the modal response for a cultural rule? A. the most frequently encountered response B. the response that most people report as the ideal C. the most rarely encountered response D. the most extreme variation of a response Answer: A 47. The frequency distribution of behavior patterns in a group very often takes the form of a __________. A. bell-shaped curve B. straight line graph C. S-shaped curve D. Poisson curve Answer: A 48. What is the typical distance between two North American speakers? A. about six inches B. about 18 inches C. about three feet D. about six feet Answer: C 49. Variations in individual behavior are confined within __________ acceptable limits. A. legally B. historically C. socially D. normally Answer: C 50. What does the concept of cultural integration mean? A. Cultural elements are constant. B. Various subgroups in the society work together. C. Cultural traits that are maladaptive can be made to work with adaptive traits. D. Cultural elements are a fairly eclectic assortment. Answer: B 51. Which of the following is an example of consistency of cultural traits? A. Americans believe that eating dogs is wrong because they are sometimes kept as family pets, so they also avoid eating pigs B. the English drive on the left side of the road, so they also have their steering wheels on the right side of the car C. the French often allow children to have wine, so they also have high rates of alcoholism D. the Japanese diet contains a lot of seafood, so they disapprove of raising a garden for food Answer: B 52. Why are maladaptive customs likely to disappear from a society? A. No one likes them. B. They diminish the chances of survival and reproduction. C. They are immediately destructive of the group. D. They are too unique for the group. Answer: B 53. An adaptive custom is one which __________. A. persists over several generations B. changes with other cultural fluctuations C. enhances survival and reproduction D. was learned from other cultures Answer: C 54. The !Kung hunter-gatherers of the Kalahari Desert in Africa live in small, nomadic groups and own few material possessions. Anthropologists refer to these cultural traits as __________ that help them survive in their social and physical environment. A. assimilations B. maladaptive customs C. adaptive customs D. backward traits Answer: C 55. The Tapirapé of Brazil maintained their tradition of having very small families even in the face of extinction. This is an example of a(n) __________ custom. A. maladaptive B. adaptive C. integrating D. constraining Answer: A 56. The conscious or unconscious pressure for cultural __________ will often produce cultural change. A. superiority B. innovation C. relevance D. consistency Answer: D 57. What are the ultimate sources of all cultural change? A. diffusion and discovery B. discovery and invention C. invention and modification D. modification and diffusion Answer: B 58. According to Ralph Linton, what is the difference between discovery and invention? A. discovery is ideological, and invention is technological B. discovery is technological, and invention is ideological C. discovery is an addition to knowledge, and invention is a new application of knowledge D. discovery is a new application of knowledge, and invention is an addition to knowledge Answer: C 59. Among the Ashanti of Ghana, which two socioeconomic groups were shown to have the most innovative carvings? A. the wealthiest and the upper middle class B. the upper and lower middle classes C. the lower middle class and the poorest D. the poorest and the wealthiest Answer: D 60. In China, what is one of the major motivations for many ethnic Mongols to assimilate into the more prevalent Han culture? A. government regulation B. economic pressure C. religious devotion D. return to traditional customs Answer: B 61. Which of the following groups is most likely to be an early adopter of innovation? A. the upper middle class B. the wealthy upper class C. the lower middle class D. the very poor Answer: C 62. Why might a superior innovation not be adopted? A. The costs of adopting the new innovation might exceed the benefits. B. People may not be intelligent enough to master the new technology. C. The habits of the old system are more important than finding something that works better. D. New innovations are generally viewed suspiciously for a while. Answer: A 63. Which of the following describe the form of culture change known as diffusion? A. Many of the foods we eat, such as pasta and chicken, and the tools we use to eat them, such as forks and spoons, were introduced to us through contact with different cultures around the world. B. James Hargreaves developed the spinning jenny to increase the efficiency of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution. C. Your parents teach you the proper way to speak to your elders. D. Medical experiments and discoveries lead to the cure for an epidemic disease such as polio. Answer: A 64. Which of the following is a basic pattern of diffusion? A. intermediate contact B. invention C. historical interaction D. discovery Answer: A 65. Chief Sequoia’s idea to create a writing system for Cherokee, after encountering written English, is an example of __________. A. stimulus diffusion B. innovation C. acculturation D. discovery Answer: A 66. What is one reason why cultural diffusion is a selective process? A. Cultures may only allow certain traits to be borrowed by other groups. B. The overt form of a trait may have a different meaning for the second culture. C. Technological traits diffuse easily, while ideological traits are much harder to borrow. D. Diffusion is a slow process, so only a small fragment of cultural traits will be transmitted. Answer: B 67. The process of cultural change known as __________ describes a situation where a subordinate society adopts cultural traits or technologies through contact with a more powerful society, either through force or due to perceived economic or social advantages. A. unconscious invention B. stimulus diffusion C. acculturation D. enculturation Answer: C 68. Which of the following is an example of forced acculturation? A. Inuit hunters using snowmobiles and GPS technology B. the popularity of McDonald’s restaurants in Japan C. teens across Europe watching MTV D. boarding schools for Native American children Answer: D 69. The traditional Bedouin patterns of __________ depends on mobility. A. survival B. herding animals C. marriage D. music Answer: B 70. The adoption and later elimination of the sepade tradition among the Rendille is an example of __________. A. acculturation B. intentional cultural change C. diffusion D. a maladaptive custom Answer: B 71. The fact that a new behavior is not likely to become cultural if it has harmful reproductive consequences is consistent with what theory? A. natural selection B. cultural relativism C. optimal foraging D. historical particularism Answer: A 72. What is one social condition that may give rise to rebellion and revolution? A. high esteem given to authority B. threats to recent economic improvements C. decisiveness of government D. increasing support of the intellectual class Answer: B 73. The widespread flow of people, information, technology, and money over the earth’s surface, and a powerful source of cultural exchange, is what anthropologists refer to as __________. A. diasoprazation B. melting-pot syndrome C. cultural adaptation D. globalization Answer: D 74. While there are many negative consequences to globalization, the United Nations has suggested an improvement in __________. A. literacy rates B. the spread of disease C. workers’ wages D. deforestation rates Answer: A 75. Often, in the aftermath of violent events such as depopulation, relocation, enslavement, and genocide by dominant powers, deprived peoples have created new cultures in a process called __________. A. ethnogenesis B. diasporazation C. acculturation D. diffusion Answer: A Test Bank for Cultural Anthropology Carol R. Ember, Melvin R. Ember 9780205711208, 9780134732831
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