Quiz 10: Social Structure, The Family, Gender, and Age

Since social class in the United States is an achieved status, factors such as family background, the economy, and ethnic background do not have any influence on social mobility.

Most cultures with matrilineal social organizations are found in matriarchal states where females have political and economic power.

Small-scale societies tend to have more social stratification than large-scale societies because there are fewer people to occupy the statuses and play the roles.

The two major types of families found throughout the world are the extended family and the nuclear family.

Age is a universal principle used in prescribing social status within a sociocultural system.

A cross-cousin is the offspring of one's father's sister or one's mother's brother.

Brideservice occurs when an eligible woman offers her domestic services to her future or potential husband's family in exchange for allowing her to marry their son.

Because of both the strict marriage rules and postmarital residence rules found in hunter-gatherer societies, it is very difficult to obtain a divorce.

Iroquois tribal society was organized around matrilineal descent groups, the members of which lived together in a longhouse, had collective rights over land and tools, and were influential in decision-making processes.

Polygyny appears to be an ecologically and economically adaptive strategy for many tribal societies.

In agricultural states, marriages among the elite were usually exogamous, while those among the peasantry were usually endogamous in nature.

Cross-cultural research has shown that societies engaged in external warfare (warfare at long distances from home) develop matrilocal residence rules.

If a tribal society has norms that prescribe cross-cousin or parallel-cousin marriage and an individual does not have a cousin in the particular category, that individual must remain single for the rest of his or her life since no mates fit the norm.

Kinship in industrial societies becomes less important as new structures and organizations take over the primary functions of kinship groupings.

A major factor leading to the diminishing importance of the extended family in industrial societies was the high rate of geographic mobility.

Since statuses are fixed in industrial states, individuals in these societies are unable to move into different social classes from the one in which they were born.

Chiefdoms are hierarchically ranked societies.

Rules of endogamy in Hawaiian chiefdoms actually resulted in sibling marriages.

Polygyny was rare in chiefdom societies because it diluted the power of a single ruling lineage.

The dominance of males over females was common in many chiefdom societies.

From a cross-cultural study, Jack Goody learned that bridewealth occurs more frequently in horticultural societies, whereas the dowry system is most frequently found in agricultural states. He hypothesized that one function of the dowry system was to __________. A) consolidate property in the hands of elite groups, thus increasing their wealth and status B) spread wealth out over a larger area so that everyone in the society had about the same level of affluence C) counteract the practice of bridewealth, which was non-adaptive in an agricultural state because it allowed certain families to accumulate too much wealth by selling their daughters to the highest bidder D) create an egalitarian society

Since wealth and status determine the type of marriage patterns found in agricultural states, the primary form of marriage for all but the elite was __________. A) polygyny B) polyandry C) polygamy D) monogamy

Social inequality is exemplified in the __________ of India. These social units are endogamous groupings into which a person is born and dies. A) purdah system B) caste system C) slavery system D) achieved status norms

Slavery took on different forms depending on the political economies and demographic features of the agricultural state society. For example, in some African societies slavery corresponded to an "open system" in which slaves could be incorporated into domestic kin groups and even become upwardly mobile. In contrast, "closed systems" of slavery provided no opportunities for upward mobility or incorporation into kin groups. The open system of slavery occurred __________. A) where land was scarce and population density high B) where land was relatively abundant and less populated C) in areas that had rigid caste systems such as Greece, Rome, and China D) when there was a lot of surplus generated from agriculture, and new markets needed to be opened to accommodate the distribution of this excess wealth

Unilineal descent groups are lineage groups that do which of the following? A) trace their ancestry to both the father's and mother's ancestors B) trace their ancestry to either the father's or the mother's ancestors C) establish a new lineage by severing ties to any ancestors D) define themselves on the basis of relations through marriage

A few tribal societies practice what is called __________, in which relatives are traced through both maternal and paternal sides of the family simultaneously. A) unilineal descent B) bilateral descent C) patri-matri descent D) ambilineal descent

A clan is a special kind of descent group whose members are defined by __________. A) relationships to a male figure, known through myths and legends B) common descent from unknown or sacred beings, such as special animals or plants C) their long-term occupation of a specific geographical location D) relationships to a specific extended family

When two or more clans recognize that they share a common genealogical relationship, the more general grouping of these clans is known as a __________. A) patrilineage B) moiety C) phratry D) descent group

A society that is organized into moieties has a particular social organization that structures it into which of the following? A) several competing patrilineal clans B) a single, fictional family C) a clear, pyramidal hierarchy D) equal halves with specific functions

Claude Lévi-Strauss has used the term "general exchange" to refer to a cycle of marital exchange in which, among Lineages A, B, and C, __________. A) men of each lineage always marry within their lineage B) men of Lineages A and B always marry women from Lineage C C) Lineage B always gives women to Lineage A but takes its wives from Lineage C D) men of each lineage always marry outside of their lineage

Polygyny in tribal societies is most closely related to __________. A) hunting practices B) agricultural lands C) a moiety social structure D) the practice of warfare

Which of the following is a function of bridewealth? A) guaranteeing that a woman will be considered as personal property B) compensation to her family for the loss of a woman's labor C) freeing the husband of any responsibilities to the bride's kin group D) paying for the costs of an elaborate wedding

The most important belief underlying the practice of having a widow marry one of her brothers-in-law is that __________. A) her family should not have to return the bride price B) the corporate rights of the deceased husband's lineage will be preserved C) all men should have more than one wife D) widows should never have to live alone

__________ polyandry is the most common form of marriage in which a woman has two husbands. A) Sororal B) Sibling C) Fraternal D) Levirate

When a married couple goes to live near the brother of the husband's mother, the postmarital residence pattern is referred to as __________. A) avunculocal B) matrilocal C) patrilocal D) fratrilocal

In general, divorces are most common among societies that are __________. A) patrilineal and patrilocal B) matrilineal and matrilocal C) organized into bilateral descent groups D) polyandrous and avunculocal

Deborah Gewertz, who has reexamined Margaret Mead's interpretations of the Tchambuli (Chambri), arrived at the conclusion that __________. A) Chambri women are among the most aggressive in all human societies B) Mead's interpretations failed to take specific historical circumstances into account C) Chambri men were submissive due to frequent defeats in warfare D) cultural values do not influence gender roles

Most modern anthropologists have come to the conclusion that matriarchy __________. A) has been the most common form of tribal political organization B) was practiced only among early agricultural societies C) is not part of the archaeological, historical, and ethnographic record D) represents the most highly sophisticated form of tribal government

According to sociobiologists, patriarchy in tribal societies is a consequence of what? A) the scarcity of resources and the resulting dominance of males in warfare B) a male supremacy complex found in all human societies C) mythologies, beliefs, and ideologies that justify male domination D) reproductive strategies in which male competition for females leads to conflict

It has been suggested that the status of women in tribal societies __________. A) is related to how much they contribute to the subsistence activities of the group B) is correlated with the fact that they are the physically weaker sex and are easily exploited C) increases when they are menstruating D) is determined by age

Corporate groups of people of about the same age who share specific rights, obligations, duties, and privileges within a society and who progress through various stages of life together are called __________. A) classmates B) age sets C) age grades D) comrade cliques

Societies recognize two kinds of status: __________ status, attached to a person from birth, and __________ status, based on a person's specific actions. A) ascribed; achieved B) natal; gained C) birth; adult D) born; won

During your lifetime you will probably be a member of two families: the family of orientation (the family into which you were born and enculturated) and the family of __________ (the family in which you will have or adopt children). A) acculturation B) deculturation C) procreation D) socialization

A typical __________ family consists of two parents and their immediate biological offspring or adopted children. A) basic B) atomic C) extended D) nuclear

Marriage within the same social group or category is called __________, and the marriage between people from different social categories or groups is called __________. A) incest; outcest B) endogamy; exogamy C) monogamy; polygamy D) polygyny; polyandry

As illustrated by the Natchez Indians of the Mississippi region, marriage in chiefdom societies often __________. A) resulted in divorce because the couples were too tired and stressed from the daily obligations imposed on them by the chief B) resulted in males marrying other males in order for them to gain higher rank and status in the society C) provided a systematic form of social mobility, especially for women D) lacked ritual, since marriages were not important to the social order of chiefdoms

In a conical clan, all members of the clan trace their descent from __________. A) the chief B) the grandmother of the chief C) the patron god of the chief D) a common ancestor

An example of the use of endogamous marriage in a chiefdom would be a marriage between the chief and __________. A) the daughter of a political ally B) his first cousin or his sister C) a woman captured from another tribe D) a patron goddess of his ancestors

With industrialization the functions of the family changed. One of the major transformations was the __________. A) increase in the frequency of polyandrous marriages, especially those involving brothers B) decrease in the mobility of members of the family since they were all tied to industrial production C) increase in matrilocal residence and decrease in patrilocal residence D) diminishing importance of the extended family and the emergence of the nuclear family

Chiefdoms and agricultural states are classified as __________ because they provide little opportunity for social mobility. Industrial states, on the other hand, are considered __________ because social status can be achieved through individual effort. A) oppressive; free B) hierarchical; egalitarian C) closed societies; open societies D) caste cultures; kindred cultures

Compare and contrast how the elderly are treated in foraging and industrial societies. What are the similarities and differences, and why do you think these are so? Support your answer with specific examples.

What is the difference between a closed society and an open society? Describe an example of each.

How does a dowry differ from bridewealth? What are some of the functions of a dowry? How does each system relate to broader gender relations, the purpose of marriage, and the process of divorce? Support your answer with specific examples.

Discuss the relationships among gender, subsistence, and family structure in agricultural states.

What is the relationship between postmarital residence rules and the form of descent found in a society? How did patrilocal and matrilocal residence patterns arise? What is the possible relationship between warfare and residence rules?

How are matrilineal societies different from matriarchal societies? Explain how rules of unilineal descent affect other aspects of culture, such as inheritance and marriage. How does female status differ between matrilineal and patrilineal societies? Support your answer with cross-cultural examples.

How does enculturation influence male and female gender roles? Is there a universal division of labor based on sex? Are gender roles static entities within each society? Are gender roles changing in the United States? If so, how?

Evaluate the hypothesis that suggests that in societies where female contributions to the food supply are less critical or less valued than the male contribution, female status is lower.

What are age sets and age grades? In what types of societies are these usually found? Using one cultural example from your text, describe how age-set and age-grade systems work and the functions they serve.

Discuss the social organization of chiefdoms. You should include such things as rank and status, family and kinship, and marriage and residence rules. Explain how these aspects of culture are interrelated.