Anthropology Midterm

The comparative method: a) studies the evolution of a single language b) focuses on one society over a long period of time c) uses data from many different societies d) is the only accepted method of research in modern anthropology

uses data from many different societies

Which of the following traits is unique to hominids and NOT found in other primates? a) binocular vision b) bipedalism c) grasping hands d) fingernails

bipedalism

The taxonomic ordering of Homo Erectus has been completely resolved through careful fossil analysis. T or F

false

According to Becoming Human (and Danial Lieberman), the most compelling hypothesis for why bipedalism developed in early hominins is: a) it allowed them to carry offspring b) it allowed them to see predators c) it conserved energy d) it helped them see potential mates from long distances

it conserved energy

Darwin's idea about the major process of evolution is called: a) descent with modification b) natural selection c) inheritance of acquired characteristics d) adaptation

natural selection

The ability to touch the thumb with the tips of the other fingers on the same hand is called: a) dexterity b) prehensility c) grasping d) opposability

opposability

Males and females in a given primate population may be co-dominant. T or F

true

According to "Our Babies Ourselves", in the United States, individualism is valued highly, so generally parents do not hold their babies as much as other cultures. T or F

false

All humans are born with some culture. T or F

false

Behavioral ecology uses a comparative approach to evaluate differences among primates. T or F

false

In science, a theory is an educated guess and is not well-accepted among the scientific community. T or F

false

Paleoanthropologists believe that the predominant diet of our earliest omnivorous ancestors consisted mostly of: a) domesticated plants b) roots, tubers, and fruits c) seafood and plants d) meat from large mammals

roots, tubers, and fruits

One of the important ways that genetic material is moved between different populations, such as through gene flow, is: a) through the decision about when to have a child b) through the careful use of birth control products c) through the prevention of sexually transmitted infections d) through the choice of a sexual partner

through the choice of a sexual partner

Becoming Human: According to a technique called the "molecular clock," humans and chimpanzees last shared a common ancestor about ____________ years ago. a) 200,000 b) 5 to 7 million c) 22 million d) 65 million

5 to 7 million

A dominance hierarchy exists when members of the same group have a) specific individuals who possess greater physical strength than others b) an agreed upon "pecking order" that allows individuals to mate with others c) ranking relative to others that establishes access to resources d) a relationship with other groups that allows them to establish peaceful relations

ranking relative to others that establishes access to resources

Cultural anthropologists face an ethical responsibility in their work and so must disclose to informants a) funding sources for research b) reasons for doing the research c) their location in the field d) the names of all informants

reasons for doing the research

In which of the following locations would you likely find an anthropologist doing fieldwork? a) a factory b) a mental institution c) a New York city neighborhood d) the Amazon rainforest e) all of the above

all of the above

A form of non-portable material culture that a human has made and modified is called a/an____________. a) feature b) geode c) flake d) fossil

feature

If you observed gradual changes 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? a) plasticity b) natural selection c) extinction d) essentialism

natural selection

Who are the Narcerima? a) A group of Mesoamericans conquered by the Aztecs. b) A previously isolated indigenous group from the Amazon c) Americans d) They are a fictitious group of people made up by Horace Milner to fool gullible people

Americans

The famous group of hominids known as the Neanderthals is included in which of the following groups? a) Archaic Homo sapiens b) anatomically modern homo sapiens c) Australopithecus d) homo erectus

Archaic Homo sapiens

Historical archaeologists only excavate sites where written historical documentation exists that provide an accurate description of the way the people actually lived. T or F

False

What is the tool tradition associated with Homo habilis? a) Oldowan b) Levallois c) Mousterian d) Acheaulian

Oldowan

The rough edge stone chopping tools made by Homo Habilis are called: a) Olduvai axes b) Obiwan tools c) Olduwan tools d) Homo habilis toolkits

Olduwan tools

Who, along with Niles Eldridge, developed the theory of punctuated equilibrium? a) Duane Gish b) Mary Leakey c) Charles Lyell d) Stephen Jay Gould

Stephen Jay Gould

One important adaptation found in New World monkeys is the presence of: a) a longer thumb b) a prehensile tail c) a wet nose d) color that blends into the surrounding habitat

a prehensile tail

Shaking hands when you meet someone is an example of a: a) folkway b) more c) taboo d) material culture

folkway

In anthropology, holism refers to: a) seeking to understand how all aspects of our species are related b) promoting the use of traditional medicine in contemporary society c) using religion to guide research d) the idea that we can never know anything fully, and all research is filled with "holes"

seeking to understand how all aspects of our species are related

Archbishop James Ussher calculated the age of the earth at about: a) about 6,000 years old b) 65 million years old c) 4.5 billion years old d) 10 billion years old

about 6,000 years old

An ethical approach to anthropological research would emphasize: a) a commitment to doing no harm b) the rejection of clandestine research c) responsibilities towards the host country and the people you are studying d) all of the above

all of the above

When cultural anthropologists go into the field: a) they go with a set of questions they want to ask and have answered b) they often change the focus of their question to fit what they are seeing c) they often go with the flow of everyday life, even if it seems off-topic at the time d) all of the above

all of the above

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 a) non-ancestral behaviors b) homologous behaviors c) analogous behaviors d) inherited behaviors

analogous behaviors

Among cultural anthropologists, fieldwork involves: a) learning the local language b) becoming involved in people's lives c) spending a significant amount of time in the field d) any of the above

any of the above

The subfield of anthropology that studies the material remains of past cultures is called: a) biological anthropology b) linguistic anthropology c) cultural anthropology d) archaeology

archaeology

According to "Our Babies Ourselves", which of the following is NOT typical of child-rearing practices in the United States. a) Bottle-feeding over breast-feeding b) Bed-sharing with child c) Longer periods of crying to teach a child self-reliance d) Adult supervision of small children

bed-sharing with child

Studying another culture from its own point of view without imposing our own cultural values is known as: a) Moral relativism b) cultural relativism c) ethnocentrism d) culture-bound worldview

cultural relativism

Which of the following is NOT a concept key to the human culture as discussed in the lecture? a) culture is shared b) culture is isolated c) culture is shared d) culture is transformative

culture is isolated

According to the "Survival of the Fittest" video , what trait of the Rock Pocket Mouse was best adapted to survival on the lava flow? a) long tail b) wide feet c) nocturnal vision d) dark fur

dark fur

In order to study culture one must travel to distant, far-off places. T or F

false

The theory of culture that proposes that cultural practices, beliefs, and institutions fulfill the psychological and physical needs of society is called a) historical particularism b) social evolution c) functionalism d) cultural materialism

functionalism

Which of the following is NOT evidence of early hominid bipedalism in the fossil record (as discussed in the presentation)? a) wide pelvis b) foramen magnum that sits at base of skull instead of towards the back c) laetoli footprints d) strong clavicle

laetoli footprints

The subfield of anthropology that studies language use is called: a) biological anthropology b) linguistic anthropology c) cultural anthropology d) archaeology

linguistic anthropology

Which skeletal feature is paleoanthropologists' best indicator of bipedalism in a fossil? a) depth suborbital ridges b) size of sagittal crest c) location of the foramen magnum d) size of prognathism

location of the foramen magnum

The influence of figures like Isaac Newton, Francis Bacon, and Galileo Galilei on the intellectual history of evolution is that they showed the importance of a) a cosmic perspective on the political world b) the reality of gravity c) observing nature and using evidence to build knowledge d) the earth rotating around the sun

observing nature and using evidence to build knowledge

If you wanted to understand very early, non-living human beings, you would likely engage in: a) historical anthropology b) paleoanthropology c) geological analysis d) living primates such as the great apes

paleoanthropology

Which of the following is NOT one of the four major sub-fields of anthropology? a) physical/biological anthropology b) linguistics c) paleontology d) archaeology

paleontology

Which of the following is NOT a part of a human's taxonomic classification? a) primate b) mammal c) plattyrhine d) hominoid

plattyrhine

Among the Bonobo chimpanzees, social conflict is often resolved through sexual activity. This is a form of: a) affiliation b) dominance c) behavior modification d) reconciliation

reconciliation

The Law of Superposition says that: a) sedimentary layers are deposited in a time sequence with the youngest on the bottom and the oldest on the top. b) sedimentary layers are deposited in a time sequence with the oldest on the bottom and the youngest on the top. c) sedimentary layers are deposited in a time sequence with all layers arranged next to each other making it impossible to determine what is older and younger d) sedimentary layers are not deposited in a time sequence

sedimentary layers are deposited in a time sequence with the oldest on bottom and the youngest on the top

Anthropologists overcome ethnocentrism by: a) developing theories to explain human action b) studying a culture's customs c) defending whatever another culture does d) seeing matters from the point of view of another culture

seeing matters from the point of view of another culture

An evolutionary perspective would be most likely to explain colonialism as a) the natural abilities of more civilized people to control less civilized people b) the importance of Enlightenment ideas in explaining cultural difference c) that more evolved countries shouldn't get involved in the development of other countries d) a useful holistic response to social problems

the natural abilities of more civilized people to control less civilized people

How, in general, does Marvin Harris (a materialist) explain the biblical dietary laws? a) they were means of establishing the identity of the ancient Hebrews b) they were all related to the Hebrews worldview and what was "normal" in their world c) they resulted from some practical, usually economic considerations d) they functioned to impose order in one part of the ancient Hebrews' world

they resulted from some practical, usually economic considerations

If a functionalist were to explain why the teacher lectures from the front of the classroom to students organized in neatly arranged chairs, she or he would emphasize that a) This style of teaching is traditional and thus inherent to the culture b) this way of teaching organizes people to promote shared cultural goals c) this mode of teaching evolved over time d) the teacher is the symbolic head of the class

this way of teaching organizes people to promote shared cultural goals

"Evolution as Fact and Theory" uses all of the following are arguments to support evolution as fact EXCEPT: a) The abundant, direct observational evidence of evolution in action from the lab and field b) The imperfection of nature reveals that evolution occurred as there are many examples of species that could have been better designed by an engineer c) Transitional forms found in the fossil record d) Genetic evidence proving modern humans descended from chimpanzees

transitional forms found in the fossil record

A consequence of larger brain sizes in early humans is that they require larger amounts of energy. T or F

true

Culture can be transmitted virtually through the Internet in addition to face-to-face interaction. T or F

true

Gene flow is the movement of genetic material across different populations. T or F

true

Primates often live in groups in order to avoid predators. T or F

true

A word that best describes participant observation is: a) easy b) comfortable c) unstructured d) well-planned

unstructured