Question 1

In the field,ethnographers strive to establish rapport: a good,friendly working relationship based on personal contact
A) that is necessary in conducting any valuable research in the social sciences, not just anthropology.
B) that, if done properly, ensures the ethnographer's ability to conduct detached, unbiased research.
C) achieved in large part by engaging in participant observation.
D) and if that fails, the next option is to pay people so they will talk about their culture.
E) as well as on payment, based on local standards, for people's time spent with the researcher.

Accepted Answer

Establishing rapport is a key aspect of ethnographic research, and it is achieved through participant observation. This involves the ethnographer immersing themselves in the community they are studying, participating in their activities, and observing their behavior. This helps to build trust and familiarity between the researcher and the participants, which is essential for gathering accurate and meaningful data. Options A, B, and D are incorrect as they do not accurately reflect the role of rapport in ethnographic research. Option E is partially correct, but payment is not the only way to establish rapport.

Question 2

The research technique that uses diagrams and symbols to record kin connections is called
A) kin-based interviewing.
B) genealogical participant observation.
C) interpretive anthropology.
D) DNA testing.
E) the genealogical method.

Accepted Answer

The genealogical method is the research technique that uses diagrams and symbols to record kin connections.

Question 3

The relatively recent creation of virtual worlds has attracted contemporary ethnographers to venture into online communities.Of the various techniques used to study these virtual worlds,which has been most important?
A) participant observation
B) interviews
C) genealogical method
D) key consultants
E) life histories

Accepted Answer

Participant observation has been the most important technique used by ethnographers to study virtual worlds as it allows them to immerse themselves in the community and interact with other participants in real-time, providing a richer and more comprehensive understanding of the culture and social dynamics of the virtual world. Interviews, genealogical method, key consultants, and life histories are also useful techniques but they do not provide the same level of immersion and observation as participant observation.

Question 4

This chapter's survey of the major theoretical perspectives that have characterized anthropology highlights all of the following EXCEPT
A) a continuous concern with how to define and study culture.
B) the theoretical and methodological shift from complexity to models that simplify human diversity.
C) a continuous concern with scientific fundamentals and whether or not anthropology's research subject is best studied scientifically.
D) attention to whether or not anthropological data ought to be comparative across time and space.
E) the discipline's profound commitment to understanding human diversity.

Accepted Answer

This chapter's survey of the major theoretical perspectives in anthropology does NOT highlight the shift from complexity to models that simplify human diversity.

Question 5

Traditional ethnographic research focused on the single community or culture,which was treated as more or less isolated and unique in time and space; however,
A) all such single communities have already been studied, so anthropologists have very limited project choices.
B) there has been a shift within the discipline toward a recognition of ongoing and inescapable flows of people, technology, images, and information.
C) the American Anthropological Association still requires its members to strive toward research focused on one single community.
D) this is no longer true, nor has it ever really been true, a fact that renders classic ethnographies historical curiosities and not serious academic works.
E) there has been a shift within the discipline against the concept of culture and toward the individual as the only true, reliable unit of analysis.

Accepted Answer

There has been a shift within anthropology away from the idea of isolated, unique communities and towards the recognition of ongoing flows and interactions between cultures. This acknowledges the interconnectedness of the world and the impact of globalization on all societies.

Question 6

Lewis Henry Morgan is well known for his work The League of the Iroquois,considered anthropology's earliest ethnography.This and others of his works illustrate his view of unilinear evolutionism,which is that
A) cultural diversity was actually a sign of the slowing down of cultural evolution.
B) only the better and more civilized societies could survive.
C) all societies are on some path toward civilization, but the exact paths vary.
D) natural selection acts simultaneously on the biological and cultural aspects of human life.
E) there is one line or path through which all societies have to evolve, and this path involves specific stages that cannot be skipped, ending at the final stage of civilization.

Accepted Answer

Lewis Henry Morgan's view on unilinear evolutionism was that there is one line or path through which all societies have to evolve, and this path involves specific stages that cannot be skipped, ending at the final stage of civilization. He believed that societies progressed through savagery, barbarism, and ultimately civilization, and that all societies were at a certain point on this linear path of development. This model has been criticized for being ethnocentric and for not accounting for the diversity and complexity of human societies.

Question 7

What is the term for an expert on a particular aspect of native life?
A) representative sample
B) etic informant
C) key cultural consultant
D) biased informant
E) life-history approach specialist

Accepted Answer

A key cultural consultant is an expert on a particular aspect of native life who is consulted and relied upon heavily by researchers for their knowledge and insight. They are considered a key figure in helping researchers better understand the culture and practices of the community they are studying.

Question 8

All of the following are characteristic field techniques of the ethnographer EXCEPT
A) detailed work with key consultants.
B) direct, firsthand observation of behavior, including participant observation.
C) in-depth interviewing, often leading to the collection of life histories.
D) problem-oriented research.
E) longitudinal analysis of data sets gathered from state-sponsored statistical agencies.

Accepted Answer

Longitudinal analysis of data sets gathered from state-sponsored statistical agencies is not a characteristic field technique of the ethnographer, as it does not involve direct firsthand observation or interaction with the people being studied. The other choices are all typical techniques used by ethnographers in their research.

Question 9

Ethnographers typically combine emic and etic research strategies in their fieldwork.This means they are interested in applying both
A) local- and scientist-oriented research approaches.
B) local and bifocal research approaches.
C) reflexive and salvage approaches.
D) personal and impersonal research approaches.
E) the genealogical and survey methods.

Accepted Answer

Emic research refers to an insider or local perspective, while etic research looks at a culture from an outsider or scientist's viewpoint. Ethnographers integrate both approaches to gain a comprehensive understanding of the culture they are studying. Choice A accurately describes the combination of emic and etic research strategies.

Question 10

An anthropologist has just arrived at a new field site and feels overwhelmed with a creepy,profound feeling of alienation,of being without some of the most ordinary,trivial (and therefore basic)cues of his culture of origin.What term best describes what he is experiencing?
A) culture shock
B) diachrony
C) synchrony
D) configurationalism
E) agency paralysis

Accepted Answer

The anthropologist is experiencing culture shock, which is a feeling of disorientation and alienation when being exposed to a new culture with unfamiliar cues and norms. This is a common experience for anthropologists and other individuals who experience a significant change in cultural environment.

Question 11

In survey research,what is sampling?
A) the collection of a study group from a larger population
B) the interviewing of a small number of key cultural consultants
C) a form of participant observation
D) the collection of life histories of every member in a community
E) a collection reflecting the emic perspective

Accepted Answer

Sampling refers to the process of selecting a small group of individuals or parts of a larger population in order to gather data or information about the population as a whole. This small group is called a sample, and the data or information collected from them is used to make inferences about the larger population from which they were selected.

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic field technique of the ethnographer?
A) structured interviewing
B) life histories
C) random sampling
D) working with informants
E) the genealogical method

Accepted Answer

Random sampling is not a characteristic field technique of the ethnographer because it is a quantitative research method used in survey research and experimental designs rather than in-depth qualitative research methods used in ethnography. Ethnographers commonly use structured interviewing, life histories, working with informants, and the genealogical method to understand the culture and everyday life of the people they study.

Question 13

In survey research,a sample should
A) include the entire population in question.
B) include anyone who will be interviewed by the ethnographer.
C) target only one social, cultural, or environmental factor that influences behavior.
D) be constituted so as to allow inferences about the larger population.
E) be invariant.

Accepted Answer

A sample should be constituted in such a way that it allows us to make inferences about the larger population. This means that the sample should be selected in a way that it represents the diversity and variability of the population. However, it is not possible to include the entire population in question, and targeting only one factor would limit the generalizability of the findings. Including anyone who will be interviewed by the ethnographer is also not relevant to the concept of sampling. Invariance is a statistical term that refers to the stability of measurement across different groups or time points, and it is not relevant to sampling.

Question 14

Franz Boas is the undisputed father of four-field U.S.anthropology.One of his most important and enduring contributions to anthropology was
A) the field's earliest example of multitimed and multisited ethnography.
B) providing evidence that both biology and culture are susceptible to evolutionary forces, thus providing a framework for the comparative method.
C) stressing the relevance of independent invention in human cultural history.
D) showing that human biology is plastic, and that biology (including race) does not determine culture.
E) expanding the local ethnographic focus to include a regional perspective.

Accepted Answer

Franz Boas challenged biological determinism and stressed the importance of studying culture as a product of individual and social experience rather than something determined by biology. He emphasized that culture was the result of human choices and social practices, proving that biology does not determine culture.

Question 15

Which of the following research methods is a distinctive strategy within anthropology?
A) its practice of cross-cultural comparison
B) the biological perspective
C) ethnography
D) the evolutionary perspective
E) working with skilled respondents

Accepted Answer

Ethnography is a distinctive strategy within anthropology that involves extended and immersive fieldwork in a particular cultural group or community, with the aim of understanding the culture from the insider's perspective. While cross-cultural comparison is a common method in anthropology, it is not unique to the discipline, as other social sciences also use this method. The biological and evolutionary perspectives are important approaches within anthropology, but they do not define a distinctive research method. Working with skilled respondents may be a helpful strategy in conducting research, but it is not unique to anthropology.

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT an example of participant observation?
A) administering interviews according to an interview schedule over the phone
B) helping out at harvest time
C) dancing at a ceremony
D) buying a shroud for a village ancestor
E) engaging in informal chit-chat

Accepted Answer

Administering interviews over the phone is not an example of participant observation because the researcher is not physically present with the participants during the course of the study. Participant observation involves the researcher immersing themselves in the community or group being studied and observing/interacting with them firsthand. Choices B through E all involve direct participation and observation.

Question 17

What did Bronislaw Malinowski mean when he referred to everyday cultural patterns as "the imponderabilia of native life and of typical behavior?"
A) Features of culture such as distinctive smells, noises people make, how they cover their mouths when they eat, and how they gaze at each other are so fundamental that natives take them for granted but are there for the ethnographer to describe and make sense of.
B) Everyday cultural patterns are full of senseless cultural "noise," and it is the anthropologist's job to get at the truly valuable behaviors that distinguish one culture from another.
C) Everyday cultural patterns of native life can best be studied by asking key informants to explain them.
D) Features of everyday culture are, at first, imponderable, but as the ethnographer builds rapport, their logic and functional value in society become clear.
E) Everyday cultural patterns are important but so numerous that their detailed description should not be included in the main body of an ethnographic study.

Accepted Answer

Malinowski meant that features of culture such as distinctive smells, noises people make, how they cover their mouths when they eat, and how they gaze at each other are so fundamental that natives take them for granted but are there for the ethnographer to describe and make sense of. These imponderabilia provide insight into the everyday cultural patterns of a society, and an anthropologist needs to pay attention to them in order to understand the culture being studied.

Question 18

In survey research,what term is used to refer to the attributes that vary among the members of a population?
A) unknowns
B) questionnaires
C) interviews
D) variables
E) random samples

Accepted Answer

The term used to refer to the attributes that vary among the members of a population is "variables." Variables are characteristics or features that can differ among individuals or groups being studied, and they are often measured or observed in research studies to understand how they relate to other variables or outcomes of interest.

Question 19

Reflecting today's world in which people,images,and information move about as never before,fieldwork must be more flexible and done on a larger scale.The result of such fieldwork is often an ethnography that
A) challenges anthropologists concerned with salvaging isolated and untouched cultures around the world.
B) becomes less useful and valuable to understanding culture.
C) is increasingly multisited and multitimed, integrating analyses of external organizations and forces to understand local phenomena.
D) is more traditional, negating anthropologists' concerns about defending their field's roots.
E) requires researchers to stay at the same site for more than three years.

Accepted Answer

Today's world is highly dynamic, and culture is influenced by a variety of external forces. Multisited and multitimed fieldwork enables anthropologists to study and understand local phenomena while integrating analyses of external organizations and forces that impact the culture they study. This approach to fieldwork allows for a more complex and nuanced understanding of culture, which is essential in today's world.

Question 20

Despite the variety of research techniques the ethnographer may utilize in the field,in the best studies the hallmark of ethnography remains
A) collaborating with the community to construct a cohesive image of local culture.
B) entering the community and getting to know its people.
C) gathering large quantities of data on a limited budget.
D) defining the local culture in such a way as to highlight what makes the particular culture so unlike any other.
E) providing detailed descriptions of "the imponderabilia of native life and of typical behavior."

Accepted Answer

The hallmark of ethnography is the researcher's immersion into the community and getting to know its people firsthand. This involves establishing relationships, participating in daily activities, and observing the community in its natural setting. Collaborating with the community and providing detailed descriptions are important aspects of ethnography, but they are secondary to the researcher's direct involvement in the community. Gathering large quantities of data on a limited budget may be a practical consideration, but it is not a defining feature of ethnography. Defining the local culture in a unique way may be an interesting approach, but it is not essential to the ethnographic method.

Quiz 13: Method and Theory in Cultural Anthropology

In the field,ethnographers strive to establish rapport: a good,friendly working relationship based on personal contact

The research technique that uses diagrams and symbols to record kin connections is called

The relatively recent creation of virtual worlds has attracted contemporary ethnographers to venture into online communities.Of the various techniques used to study these virtual worlds,which has been most important?

This chapter's survey of the major theoretical perspectives that have characterized anthropology highlights all of the following EXCEPT

Traditional ethnographic research focused on the single community or culture,which was treated as more or less isolated and unique in time and space; however,

Lewis Henry Morgan is well known for his work The League of the Iroquois,considered anthropology's earliest ethnography.This and others of his works illustrate his view of unilinear evolutionism,which is that

What is the term for an expert on a particular aspect of native life?

All of the following are characteristic field techniques of the ethnographer EXCEPT

Ethnographers typically combine emic and etic research strategies in their fieldwork.This means they are interested in applying both

An anthropologist has just arrived at a new field site and feels overwhelmed with a creepy,profound feeling of alienation,of being without some of the most ordinary,trivial (and therefore basic) cues of his culture of origin.What term best describes what he is experiencing?

In survey research,what is sampling?

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic field technique of the ethnographer?

In survey research,a sample should

Franz Boas is the undisputed father of four-field U.S.anthropology.One of his most important and enduring contributions to anthropology was

Which of the following research methods is a distinctive strategy within anthropology?

Which of the following is NOT an example of participant observation?

What did Bronislaw Malinowski mean when he referred to everyday cultural patterns as "the imponderabilia of native life and of typical behavior?"

In survey research,what term is used to refer to the attributes that vary among the members of a population?

Reflecting today's world in which people,images,and information move about as never before,fieldwork must be more flexible and done on a larger scale.The result of such fieldwork is often an ethnography that

Despite the variety of research techniques the ethnographer may utilize in the field,in the best studies the hallmark of ethnography remains