Anthropology midterm
Who taught Washoe (an ape) American Sign Language?
Allen and Beatrix Gardener
Koko and Washo were two primates who had learned
American sign language
Which of the following would be considered a functionalist?
Bronislaw Malinowski
Origin of Species was written by
Charles Darwin
Studying another culture from its own point of view without imposing our own cultural values is known as:
Cultural Relativism
Who was responsible for the theory of social evolution
E.B. Tylor
In science, a theory is an educated guess and is not well-accepted among the scientific community.
False, In science, a theory is a well-supported, well-tested statement about how something works.
The American anthropologist responsible for the concept of historical particularism was named
Franz Boas
By cross-breeding pea plants, he was able to illustrate the basic laws of inheritance:
Gregor Mendel
By cross- breeding pea plants, he was was able to illustrate the basic laws of inheritance:
Gregor mendel
How would you describe Edward Tylor's evolutionary theories?
He studied the history of human society from simple to complex technology and social institutions (from so-called savagery to civilization).
besides fossilized skeltal remains, what other evidence indicates bipedalism in Australopethecus afarensis
Laetoli footprints
The idea of biological evolution was first proposed by
Lamarck in the 1700s
the name most closely associated with the system traditionally used to classify living things
Linnaeus
Reconnaissance work in archaeology is also known as:
Phase I
Which of the following is NOT a part of the humans taxonomic classifiaction
Plattyrhine
The argument that modern H. sapiens appeared as a new species in Africa about 200,000 years ago is called the:
Recent African origin model
The theorist most connected with post structuralism is
Renato Rosaldo
This assumes a close relationship between language and culture and claims that language defines peoples experiences
Sapir- wharf hypothesis
Reading your textbook is an example of:
Symbolic Learning
The primary result of natural selection is:
To maintain a species' adaptation to its niche
According to the textbook, culture is uniquely human.
True
An ethical approach to anthropological research would emphasize
a commitment to doing no harm, the rejection of clandestine research, responsibilities toward the host country and the people you are studying
In which of the following locations would you likely find an anthropologist doing fieldwork?
a factory, a mental institution, a New York City neighborhood, the Amazon rain forest
a key principle of the holistic perspective developed by franz boas is
a goal of synthesizing the entire context of human experience
A key principle of the holistic perspective developed by Franz Boas is
a goal of synthesizing the entire context of the human experience
Chronometric dating techniques used by archaeologists help establish
a more specific age for a fossil or something organic
Linguists refer to mixed languages with a simplified grammar that people rarely learn as a mother tongue as
a pidgin language
what project would likely require the assistance of a geomorphologist?
a study of landscape change
According to anthropologist sherry ortner's analysis, the American flag example of
a summarizing symbol
Archbishop James Ussher calculated the age of the earth at about:
about 6000 years old
Research committed to making social change and improving the lives of marginalized people is called
action research
social behavior patterns observed in one species that look like behavior patterns in another, but which do not arise from a shared ancestry, are known as
analogous behaviors
The famous group of hominis known as the neanderthals is included in which of the following groups
arcahic homo sapiens
The famous group of hominins known as the neanderthals is included in which of the following groups?
archaic homo sapiens
The subfield of anthropology that studies the material remains of past cultures is called
archeology
Among the Bonobo chimpanzees, social conflict is often resolved through sexual activity. This is a form of
behavior modification
The evolution of the tail among New World monkeys reflects an adaptation to their environment and would be of interest to a
behavioral ecologists
Which of the following traits is unique to hominins and NOT found in other primates
bipedalism
A quantitative approach to studying the archaeological past would be most interested in
building and testing hypotheses by collecting, classifying, and measuring the remains of past cultures
One of the central ideas of Darwin's theory of evolution was the idea that
change in organisms was related to their adaptability to a particular environment
The thinker who developed the theory of evolution by means of natural selection in the 19th century was
charles darwin
The communication systems of nonhuman species consist of a finite (limited) number of signals for finite specific meanings. Such systems are said to be:
closed
Which of the following is a contributing factor to the development of creoles, pidgins, and other hybrid forms of language?
colonialism, globalization, commerce, migration
words that came from the same ancestral language and originated from the same word are called
congate words
A primary characteristic that allows paleoanthropologists to place a particular finding into the genus Homo is
cranial capacity
Which of the following is NOT a key concept to the human culture as discussed in the lecture?
culture is isolated
Which of the following is NOT studied by anthropologist?
dinosaur bones
One of the useful results of a phylogeny is to show that
each lineage has a common history, and thus no organism is "more evolved"
The process of learning culture from a very young age is called
enculturation
The study of how people classify things in the world is called
ethnoscience
All humans are born with some culture
false
Behavioral ecology uses a comparative approach to evaluate differences among primates.
false
historical archaeologist only excavate sites where written historical documentation exists that provide an accurate description of the way the people actually lived.
false
the term hominin refers to humans and great apes
false
all the characteristics listed below are common behavior patterns found in all primates except
father-son bond
A form of non portable material culture that a human has made and modified is called a/an
feature
Uniformitarianism is the idea that change occurs:
gradually and through the result of processes that are still observable today
The branch of linguistics that attempts to classify and construct a family tree of languages and to reconstruct extinct languages is known as
historical linguistics
Alfred Russell Wallace is known for:
hitting upon the idea of natural selection at about the same time as Darwin.
which hominin was the first stone tool maker
homo habilis
The key scenario differs from other kinds of symbols because it
implies how people should act
which of the following is NOT one of the key benefits of full time bipedalism
increases speed against predator
The defining feature of historical particularism is
individual societies develop particular cultural traits and undergo a unique process of change
what process involves shifting from an agricultural economy to a factory- based one?
industrialization
Examples of social institutions are
kinship ,marriage, subsistence patterns (such as farming)
The use of mock Spanish reinforces a common impression that Hispanic people are socially inferior. This is an example of the power of which of the following?
language ideology
Primates rely extensively on all the characteristics listed below except
larger brain
During fieldwork, cultural anthropologist
learn the local language, record peoples economic transactions, and study how environment changes affect agriculture.
Among cultural anthropologists, fieldwork involves
learning the local language, becoming involved in people's lives, spending a significant amount of time in the field
The subfield of anthropology that studies language use is called
linguistic anthropology
Which skeletal feature is paleoanthropologist best indicator of bipedalism in a fossil?
location of foramen magnum
what skeletal feature is paleoanthropolgist best indicator of bipedalism in a fossil
location of the foramen magnum
If you studied speech patterns such as those analyzed in Robin Lakoff's study of gendered speech, you might find that "talking like a lady"
marginalizes women's voices in work contexts
In some species of primates, females and their relatives and young are socially organized around
matrifocal units
For much of its early history, physical anthropology was associated with what methodology?
measurement and classification of skulls according to racial characteristics
Anthropologist Sherry Ortner distinguished three kinds of culturally powerful symbols that include all of the following except
narrative symbols
The process by which inheritable traits are passed along to offspring because they are better suited to the environment is...
natural selection
if you observed gradual change in environmental temperature and, at the same time, observed that there were changes in the phenotype of a butterfly species over fifteen generations, which theory might best help explain what is going on
natural selection
The school of anthropological thought stresses the interrelationship among the natural conditions in the environment and society:
neoevolutionism
what is the tool tradition associated with homo habilis
oldowan
The ability to touch the thumb with the tips of the other fingers on the same hand is called:
opposable
If you wanted to understand very early, non living human beings, you would likely engage in
paleoanthropolgy
Which of the following is NOT one of the four major sub-fields of anthropology?
paleontology
when anthropologist study the way people use language in real settings rather than as a set of grammatical rules, they are focusing on
parole
In archaeology, this is a division of prehistory based on gross change in subsistence patterns, climate changes, housing and burial styles,etc.
period
if you discovered an ancient hominin with megadontia and a dental grinding structure similar to Parathropus you might suggets that the diet of the hominin was
predominately plant based
One important adaptation found in New World monkeys is the presence of
prehensile tail
Ethnocentrism
presents a major problem for anthropologists, means you think your culture is superior to others, is a common feature of culture
sickle cell anemia, a blood cell mutation, takes a toll on those afflicted, but is an example of a mutation that may also be useful because it
provides resistance to malaria in the tropics
A dominance hierarchy exists when members of the same group have
ranking relative to others that establishes access to resources
Cultural anthropologists face an ethical responsibility in their work and so must disclose to informants
reasons for doing the research
paleoanthropologist believe that the predominant diet of our earliest omnivorous ancestors consisted mostly of
roots, tubers, and fruits
The presence of a raised area in the middle of the cranium found in H. erectus is known as
saggital keel
The Law of Superposition says that:
sedimentary layers are deposited in a time sequence with the oldest on the bottom and the youngest on the top.
In anthropology, holism refers to:
seeking to understand how all aspects of our species are related
The ability to document changes in pottery styles in non-living societies happens through
seriation
Which of the following is not evidence of early hominin bipedalism in the fossil record?
strong clavicle
According to the lecture, in order for an explanation to be defined as scientific, it must be:
testable
Edward Sapir, who had a been a student of Franz Boas's saw himself as both a cultural anthropologist and a professionally trained linguist. He urged cultural anthropologist to pay close attention to language during field research because
the "real world" is to large extent unconsciously built from the language habits of a particular social group, language is a guide to "social reality", we understand the material world through the language we speak.
Gregor Mendel's findings about inheritance among pea plants stemmed from what key ability that he possessed
the ability to observe closely
The greek philosopher Aristotle proposed that all life was arranged in
the great chain of being
Ethnoprimatology is an emerging field that studies
the histories of primate communities, including humans and apes
An evolutionary perspective would be most likely to explain colonist as
the natural abilities of more civilized people to control less civilized people
In mendelian genetics, a dominant allele is
the one that is expressed phenotypically over other alleles
The primary ethical responsibility of anthropologists is to
the people or species they study
when cultural anthropologist go into the field
they go with a set of questions they want to ask and have answered, they often change the focus of their question to fit what they are seeing, they often go with the flow of everyday life, even if it seems off topic at the time.
One of the important ways that genetic material is moved between different populations, such as through gene flow, is
through the choice of a sexual partner
The primary result of natural selection is:
to maintain a species adaptation to its niche
A consequence of larger brain sizes in early humans is that they require larger amounts of energy
true
A critical reason for taking field notes is that there may be a long lag time between fieldwork and writing and publishing about it.
true
A distinguishing feature of most australopithecines is their high degree of sexual dimorphism
true
Archaeologist are making a mistake when they clean samples of postsherds for analysis
true
Culture can be transmitted virtually through the internet in addition to face to face interaction
true
Males and females in a given primate population may be co-dominant.
true
Most people are unaware of the structure of a language until someone speaking it makes a mistake
true
Mutation is the only source of new genetic material
true
Neanderthals and modern humans share the same genus and species classification (Homo sapien).
true
A word that best describes participant observation is
unstructured
The comparative method
uses data from many different societies
It is easy to identify direct causal links between genes and behavior.
false
Language always change very slowly, taking generation or even centuries
false
Old World monkeys are exclusively terrestrial dwellers
false
People rarely hold conflicting values
false
The appearance of culture was the event that signaled the arrival of modern humans
false
The art found on the walls at Lascaux has been thoroughly deciphered as to its function and meaning
false
The taxonomic ordering of Homo erectus has been completely resolved through careful fossil analysis.
false
Shaking hands when you meet someone is an example of
folkway
The physical characteristics of any organism that can be seen are known as the phenotype.
true
An evolutionary perspective on variations in physical traits reflect
adaptive changes
One of the methods that archaeologists can use to determine potentially useful areas to excavate involves the use of
aerial surveys, surface surveys, regional surveys, GIS systems
Fossils of Homo erectus are found:
all over the old world
Cultural anthropologists do research by
building trusting relationships with people over a long period of time
When children in the United States reach a certain age, they often move out of their parents' home and into their own living space, something anthropologists refer to as
dispersal
If you wanted to understand the norms of a society, you would most likely focus on
everyday interactions
Countries find it relatively easy to decide what language its citizens will speak
false
Cultural anthropology is one of the most quantitative of the social sciences
false
In order to study culture one must travel to distant , far off places.
false
In order to truly practice cultural relativism, one should never make a judgement on what is right and wrong.
false
In science, a theory is only a guess.
false
The theory of culture that proposes that cultural practices, beliefs, and institutions fulfill the psychological and physical needs of society is called
functionalism
The perspective that aims to identify and understand cultures in their entirety is called
holistic
Anthropologist think that the fist hominin capable of speaking in sounds, not signals, was:
homo erectus
Darwin's idea about the major process of evolution is called:
natural selection
How, in general, does Marvin Harris (a materialist) explain the biblical dietary laws?
they resulted from some practical, usually economic considerations
Gene flow is the movement of genetic material across different populations.
true
Males and females in a given primate population may be co dominant
true
Primates often live in groups in order to avoid predators
true
