Deck 1: What Is Anthropology and Why Should I Care

Question 1

Students of anthropology tend to be interested in all of the following except:

A)a desire to better know themselves as individuals.
B)an interest in gaining knowledge and understanding of other cultures.
C)an interest in better understanding their own culture.
D)a goal of choosing a superior culture.
E)a basic curiosity in exploring our world.

Answer 1

a goal of choosing a superior culture.

Question 2

Ethnography is the part of cultural anthropology that:

A)provides a description of society or culture.
B)captures what practices mean to members of a culture.
C)attempts to find general principles or laws that govern cultural phenomena.
D)analyzes the role of the individual within a particular society.
E)works to identify all of the members of a specific society.

Answer 2

provides a description of society or culture.

Question 3

Archaeological sites are a limited resource,and when an archaeological site is looted,it is destroyed forever.While each of the following is extremely valuable and represents a great loss when destroyed or looted,which is the greatest loss to science when an archaeological site is destroyed?

A)valuable artifacts
B)human remains
C)history
D)the loss of patterns of distribution within the site
E)the destruction of soils and landscape features

Answer 3

the loss of patterns of distribution within the site

Question 4

What is the significance of the opening story on the Nacirema people?

A)It shows that some cultures are irrational.
B)It depicts religion as economically-based.
C)It demonstrates the importance of preventative medicine for long life.
D)It illustrates how culture can be viewed from more than one perspective.
E)It shows that culture plays a minor role in people's lives.

Question 5

Archaeologists study cultural patterns through human:

A)speech.
B)material remains.
C)fossils.
D)thought.
E)meanings.

Question 6

Which statement about biology and culture is most correct?

A)Human biology and culture both shape and are shaped by each other.
B)Human culture is a product of biology.
C)Human biology is not related to human culture.
D)Human biology and culture affect each other during times of evolutionary transition.
E)Human biology is a product of human culture.

Question 7

Why do the Nacirema place so much emphasis on the latipsoh?

A)It is the temple where individuals who are sick go for healing.
B)It is a ritual tool that the Holy Mouth Man uses to pierce teeth.
C)It is a ritual garment that individuals wear in order to be healed.
D)It is a shrine that is used to increase one's economic successes.
E)It is a precious gem found only on Nacirema lands.

Question 8

Anthropological linguists focus on all of the following except:

A)social learning about language use.
B)the structure of language.
C)the evolution of vocal cords.
D)patterns of speech.
E)rules of verbal interaction.

Question 9

Which area of biological anthropology focuses on the evolutionary history of humans?

A)primatology
B)human paleontology
C)human genetics
D)forensic anthropology
E)ethnology

Question 10

Which of the following statements about human language is correct?

A)No animals use complex language in natural settings,although most human societies do.
B)All groups of humans everywhere use complex language.
C)Humans and animals all form communities of speech,but humans have much larger communities than animals.
D)Only humans can communicate.
E)Although animals can and do communicate,they are not able to use any human-like vocabularies and language structures.

Question 11

The Nacirema are found in:

A)Africa.
B)South America.
C)North America.
D)Asia.
E)Europe.

Question 12

The Nacirema essay at the chapter opening is an example of a(n):

A)emic perspective.
B)ethnological perspective.
C)etic perspective.
D)forensic perspective.
E)linguistic perspective.

Question 13

Which of the following best describes an ethnoscape?

A)It is the ethnic make-up of an urban landscape.
B)It is the group of cultures that anthropologists study in order to understand globalization.
C)It is a global view of the ethnic diversity that makes up our world today,especially in terms of business.
D)It is a global distribution of people who are associated with each other by culture and history.
E)It is a conglomeration of ethnic groups that live within a state society.

Question 14

Anthropology is distinct from other academic disciplines because it embraces:

A)ethnocentrism.
B)a comparative approach.
C)the study of human biology.
D)the distinction between culture and society.
E)holism.

Question 15

Which of the following best describes the anthropological approach to other cultures?

A)cultural relativism
B)ethnocentrism
C)inheritance
D)analytical
E)descriptive

Question 16

In the United States,anthropology has traditionally included four subdisciplines:

A)biological anthropology,ethnography,archaeology,cultural anthropology.
B)cultural anthropology,biological anthropology,ethnology,anthropological linguistics.
C)anthropological linguistics,ethnology,primatology,forensic anthropology.
D)forensic anthropology,archaeology,linguistics,cultural anthropology.
E)cultural anthropology,anthropological linguistics,archaeology,biological anthropology.

Question 17

Nacirema ritual is based on the belief that:

A)religious activity leads to economic success.
B)agricultural practices need to improve to produce greater yields.
C)the human body has a natural tendency to get sick and diseased.
D)neighboring tribes are jealous of the Nacirema's commercial success.
E)travel outside of the Nacirema borders is dangerous.

Question 18

In anthropology,"culture" refers to:

A)a group of people who depend on one another for survival or well-being.
B)a group whose goals,values,and environmental adaptations are very different.
C)the way members of a society adapt to their environment and give meaning to their lives.
D)the practice of understanding groups of people within their own environment.
E)the scientific and humanistic study of human beings.

Question 19

The study of the development of contemporary social networks through the technology of Facebook is an example of research in:

A)cultural anthropology.
B)biological anthropology.
C)human variation.
D)primatology.
E)archaeology.

Question 20

Archaeology is the study of human material remains.Its primary focus,however,is on the search for:

A)patterns.
B)new discoveries.
C)ritual activity.
D)complex thought.
E)human evolution.

Question 21

Lyon-Callo argues that homelessness in the United States is caused primarily by:

A)structural inequalities.
B)poor genetic testing.
C)access to charity and free services.
D)poor money management skills among the poor.
E)lack of initiative by the poor people.

Question 22

Applied anthropology is practiced in which of the following subdisciplines?

A)cultural anthropology,anthropological linguistics,forensic anthropology
B)primatology,human paleontology,ethnography,archaeology
C)archaeology,biological anthropology,anthropological linguistics,cultural anthropology
D)anthropological linguistics and cultural anthropology
E)cultural anthropology only

Question 23

Anthropometry and the study of human variation are parts of which anthropological subdiscipline?

A)cultural anthropology
B)biological anthropology
C)human paleontology
D)anthropological linguistics
E)archaeology

Question 24

Anthropology courses do all of the following ways except:

A)present many useful ways of thinking.
B)focus on understanding other groups of people.
C)grapple with the questions of what it means to be human.
D)attempt to understand the full range of human cultural experience.
E)advocate determining which culture is superior to another.

Question 25

Anthropology teaches us that the biggest differences among human groups result from:

A)geographical origin.
B)biology.
C)history.
D)culture.
E)intelligence.

Question 26

Human beings almost everywhere are ethnocentric.

Question 27

An anthropologist who works as part of a crime-solving unit for an urban police department is most likely a(n):

A)human paleontologist.
B)archaeologist.
C)ethnologist.
D)applied anthropologist.
E)forensic anthropologist.

Question 28

Ethnography is a specialty of biological anthropology.

Question 29

Why is biological race difficult to determine?

A)Measurement reveals that people are as different from others classified in the same race as they are from those in different races.
B)We do not know how many skeletal traits ultimately constitute a different race.
C)Most people cannot see beyond their prejudices and do not consider the appropriate traits in their classification.
D)Internal traits are more important in the separation of races than those which we see superficially.
E)Race does not exist biologically or socially.

Question 30

The belief that cultures should be understood with reference to their own history and values is known as cultural relativism.

Question 31

Which of the following university disciplines focuses most on understanding other groups of people?

A)political science
B)history
C)psychology
D)anthropology
E)geography

Question 32

A recent study (Rohde,Olson,and Chang 2004)shows that all current day humans have common ancestors who lived __________ years ago.

A)500 to 1,000
B)1,000 to 1,500
C)1,500 to 2,000
D)2,000 to 5,000
E)100 to 500

Question 33

In the United States,most people see humanity as composed of biological "races." However,most of the traits we use to assign people to a race are:

A)blood types.
B)skeletal types.
C)hair colors.
D)facial traits.
E)geographic locations.

Question 34

Which of the following statements is correct?

A)There is no such thing as cultural universals.
B)There are some cultural universals,but there is no single explanation about how they developed.
C)There are cultural universals,and anthropologists believe that they all developed because they were transmitted from person to person across time.
D)Periodical cultural universals occur,especially at points of evolution.
E)Human evolution could not occur without cultural universals.

Question 35

During the late 20th century:

A)the United States has become an increasingly dominant force culturally and socially in the world.
B)members of minority groups in the United States have moved to stronger economic and political positions.
C)the world has become more and more a domain of nationalist strongholds.
D)white,Protestant,Northern European males have begun to have more power and exert a more dominant force in national decision-making.
E)immigrants are less connected with their homelands of origin,leaving them eager assimilate into United States culture.

Question 36

Who extracts biological and chemical data from ancient bones to help discover the biological histories of humanity and the relationships among different human groups?

A)ethnographers
B)human geneticists
C)human paleontologists
D)archaeologists
E)primatologists

Question 37

In general terms,why might a multinational corporation hire an applied anthropologist?

A)to solve a range of practical problems associated with business
B)to interview prospective employees
C)to develop new products and new inventions
D)to teach employees about the importance of their own culture
E)none of these choices

Question 38

Lyon-Callo has studied the phenomenon of homelessness in the United States and believes that much of this is due to:

A)a lack of education and incentive.
B)poor cultural ethics.
C)free market initiatives.
D)lack of healthcare reform.
E)a weak centralized government.

Question 39

What percentage of our genes do we share with our closest primate relatives?

A)100 percent
B)98 percent
C)94 percent
D)73 percent
E)68 percent

Question 40

Anthropologists' interest in how people see colors,how children are raised,and how illnesses are treated is an example of cultural relativism.

Question 41

Compare and contrast the concepts of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism.Describe the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Question 42

All people alive today have exactly the same ancestors at a time depth of 5,000 years.

Question 43

Anthropology is classified as a science and a __________________.

Question 44

The study of forensic anthropology is part of the subdiscipline of archaeology.

Question 45

Describe the various problems that exist with racial classifications used in the United States.

Question 46

The loss of patterns is the greatest potential loss associated with looting and destruction of archaeological sites.

Question 47

Name and briefly describe the four traditional sub-disciplines of anthropology in the United States.

Question 48

Briefly describe each of the four subdisciplines in anthropology and then choose a study that would be interesting or helpful for an applied anthropologist to do in each one of these areas.You may use examples from the book or provide examples of your own.

Question 49

An insider's point of view that explains the meaning of a cultural practice is called the emic perspective.

Question 50

According to anthropologists,how do most Americans characterize racial classifications?

Question 51

Why is cultural relativism important to the study of anthropology?

Question 52

What role does the discipline of anthropology play in the 21st century university curriculum?

Question 53

Culture is ____________________________________________________.

Question 54

As a discipline,anthropology focuses on understanding other groups of people,variability of human culture,and what it means to be human.

Question 55

Choose an aspect of Nacirema culture not discussed in the opening story and describe and analyze it from the perspective of a cultural outsider.

Question 56

Applied anthropologists work in cultural anthropology and biological anthropology only.