Reading Assignment 3 (Doing Anthropology)
Ethnographers most commonly use which three of the following data sources?
- government records or archives - direct measurement of such things as rainfall, temperature, or crop yield - local people's answers to questions
Molecular anthropologists
- multiply the mutation rate by the differences in DNA among species to estimate how many years they have been diverging from a common ancestor. - multiply the mutation rate by the DNA differences to estimate the number of years that have passed between ancestor and descendant. - assume that mutations occur at a predictable rate.
Biological anthropologists use anthropometry to learn about _______.
- nutritional status - human growth - human development
Which of the following are studied as part of taphonomy?
- the scattering of remains by carnivores and scavengers - the distortion of remains by natural forces - the possible fossilization of remains
Which of the following is the best illustration of the ethnographic technique called participant observation?
An anthropologist gets to know the local people, takes part in daily life, and writes a report describing the community.
One technique commonly used by enthographers is Blank 1 Blank 2, which means taking part in community life, participating in the events one is observing, describing, and analyzing.
Blank 1 - participant Blank 2 - observation
True or false: Fossils include preserved remains of any object (building, container, tool, pottery, weapon, work of art) made, used, or modified in some way by human beings, which help us to understand how people lived in the past.
False. Fossils are preserved bones, traces, and impressions of ancient life forms.
Which statement best represents the relationship between anthropological research and survey research?
Survey research relies on questionnaires to gather data, whereas ethnographic research research relies on firsthand observations.
During the past 100 years, the skeletal remains and artifacts from many Native American burials excavated by archaeologists became the property of museums and universities. What is the name of the law that now requires that they be returned to the original tribal groups?
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)
Which statement best describes the principal ethical guideline stated in the Code of Ethics of the American Anthropological Association?
The anthropologist's first obligation is to the people in the study community.
How can life histories illustrate diversity in a community?
They can show how different people interpreted and dealt with the same problem.
In 1692, a major earthquake caused part of the city of Port Royal, Jamaica, to fall into the Kingston Harbor. _________ archaeologists now study the submerged city.
Underwater
It has become more common today than in the past for ethnographers to focus on
a specific problem.
If an anthropologist needs a metric (quantitative) estimate of the age of a pottery shard, which method of dating should be used?
absolute dating
There are two major types of dating techniques: one type that establishes a sequence for recovered artifacts and a second type that establishes a numeric age for them. The name for the type of dating that establishes a numeric age is
absolute dating
What is the term used to describe any method of dating fossils that establishes a numerical age range?
absolute dating
Li, an ethnographer, observes some North Americans "crossing their fingers" by bending their middle fingers around their index fingers. When Li asks them to explain this behavior, they say that it means that they are lying. What do ethnographers call this type of "insider" explanation?
an emic explanation
Digging through layers of deposits at an archaeological site is known as ________.
an excavation
A guide that is used to structure a formal, but personal, interview in which the ethnographer talks face-to-face with people, asks questions, and writes down the answers is referred to as
an interview schedule
Measuring human proportions on skeletal remains from ancient sites as well as among modern human populations is known as
anthropometry
In order to reconstruct ancient cultural features, anthropologists study ceramics, casts, metals, and other manufactured items known as _______.
artifacts
What type of anthropologists study primate behavior and also the biological characteristics of ancient and modern humans?
biological anthropologists
What is the term for the study of bone as a biological tissue?
bone biology
What are fossils?
bones, or remains, or traces of ancient life forms
Anthropologists work to understand how local people interpret cultural events in their own communities. This "inside" perspective is known as the ______ perspective.
emic
An anthropologist goes to live in a community to gather firsthand information to understand the way of life of that group. What is the name of this research strategy?
ethnography
The research strategy that involves studying small-scale, relatively isolated societies with simple technologies and economies in order to understand the whole of a particular culture is known as _________.
ethnography
When archaeologists systematically dig through the layers at a site, this process is known as _______.
excavation
Which of the following uses diagrams and symbols to record kin connections?
genealogical method
Team research is coordinated by multiple ethnographers whereas longitudinal research
is the long-term study of an area or population.
Instead of doing a random sample of all the residents in a community to choose individuals to formally interview, anthropologists select a few individuals who are extremely knowledgeable to interview. What is the term used to describe these few select individuals?
key informant or key consultant
When cultural anthropologists do fieldwork in a community, they may rely on just a few chosen people who can provide special knowledge and details about community life. What is the term (or terms) used for the people chosen?
key informants or key consultants
The genealogical method is used to examine what building block in the social organization of nonindustrial societies?
kinship
Which of the following best explains what biological anthropologists study?
living and recent humans and primates as well as ancient humans an primates
Which of the following types of anthropology analyzes genomes to establish when ancient species lived, and when they diverged from other species?
molecular anthropology
In early studies of society, anthropologists focused on _____ while sociologists focused on _____.
nonindustrial societies; the industrial West
The study of disease and injury in skeletons from archaeological sites is known as ________.
paleopathology
Sources of information for archaeologists studying sites primarily include ________.
plant and animal remains, ceramics, and other artifacts
In order to understand how human behavior differs from the behavior of the animals most similar to humans, some biological anthropologists in the subfield of ______ study animals such as apes, monkeys, and lemurs in their natural habitats.
primatology
A form that used by sociologists to obtain comparable information from respondents but that does not require face-to-face contact is a _______.
questionnaire
What are the two major types of dating techniques used to establish the dates of fossils and ancient artifacts?
relative dating and absolute dating
Generally, statistical training has been more prevalent in
sociology
The study of society through sampling and statistical analysis is ______, and the study of firsthand culture and living people is ______.
survey research; ethnographic research
The study of the processes that affect the remains of dead animals is known as ______.
taphonomy
As work that begin at Arembepe, Brazil, in the 1960s continued into the present,
team research has become longitudinal research.
When archaeologists excavate at home or abroad and when biological anthropologists conduct research with primates, they must take steps to ensure the protection of the materials, remains, and animals involved. Government agencies and other agencies grant permission to these anthropologists by giving
their informed consent.
The primary ethical obligation of the anthropologist is
to do no harm to the people in the host community.
Why do ethnographers collect life histories?
to learn about the personal experiences of a few community members over a long period of time, in order to understand responses to change
